As a 12-year-old guitar prodigy, Joe Bonamassa famously opened a show for the legendary B.B. King in Rochester, New York. King always made time for Bonamassa over the years, who would become the top selling artist in the blues.
In 2025, it became time for the pupil to pay tribute to the teacher. Bonamassa realized that no one was doing a centennial tribute album to King, so he approached the King estate for their blessing and took on the year-long task. He, along with co-producer/guitarist Josh Smith, ended up with a very ambitious 32-track album that feels more like a box set, given the top-notch recordings, essays, and photos in the vinyl package.
He assembled a who’s who of the blues to join and they really delivered. It’s everyone from the old heads like Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, George Benson, and Dion to primetime players like Keb’ Mo’, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Warren Haynes, to the young torchbearers like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Marcus King, D.K. Harrell, and Gary Clark, Jr.
Then there are jazzier artists like Trombone Shorty followed by rockers like Slash and Myles Kennedy and the Americana feel of Larkin Poe. One of the highlights for Bonamassa was getting Chaka Khan and Eric Clapton to team-up on King’s signature number “The Thrill Is Gone”.
When the album was released last month, it immediately catapulted to #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart, Bonamassa’s 30th #1, setting a new record. Bonamassa has been Grammy-nominated five times for blues album of the year - but this one could be the charm. He will bring his Breakthrough tour to NJPAC in Newark on June 28, 2026, along with area appearances at Bethel Woods (June 26) and Atlantic City (June 27).
Watch the full interview at WBGO's YouTube channel
