“Are you f**king kidding me? He’s one of the only guitarists you can identify with one note”: Joe Bonamassa’s brutal response to those who claim BB King “doesn’t play much on guitar”
The blues would look very, very different without BB King, and as such, Joe Bonamassa has strong words for anyone who would dare to criticise his playing.
Often nicknamed ‘The King of the Blues’, BB King was instrumental in shaping the blues genre over his 70-year career, playing hundreds upon hundreds of shows and releasing, honestly, nearly too many records to count.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, contemporary blues ace Joe Bonamassa waxes lyrical on King’s lasting influence, calling him a “total artist”, and “such an entity”.
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“The singing, the playing, the songs. I think he made, like, 60 records over the years,” says Bonamassa, listing some of his favourites in Live at the Regal (1965) and Blues Is King (1967), as well as his top BB King studio albums Indianola Mississippi Seeds (1970) and Completely Well (1969).
“When people say: ‘Oh, BB King doesn’t play much on guitar,’ it’s like: ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’” Bonamassa adds.
“He’s one of the only guitarists to ever play that you can identify with one note. If you listen to BB’s playing, he actually had a lot of jazz in him; he had some Wes Montgomery and definitely Charlie Christian, but also some T-Bone Walker.
“But once you got into the ‘60s, his approach and phrasing were so uniquely him. I think, most of all, what he was able to do was time. Y’know, where he would place notes. He was never in a hurry. And I think one of the most overlooked things about BB’s playing is that every solo he took had a great story.”
Joe Bonamassa continues, recounting his first experience meeting BB King, and how it ended up shaping him as a player, as well as his general attitude towards the blues.
“When I first met BB [in 1989], I didn’t really grasp the gravity of it,” he says. “When you’re 12 years old, you know what I mean? But he was this larger-than-life personality and figure. I was blessed to know him for 25 years. He showed me the right way to tour, taught me about the professionalism. The band was always immaculately dressed, on time, respectful. And if you can live by that, then you got no worries.”
Joe Bonamassa released his last album Breakthrough back in July 2025. Back in November, he updated fans on an injury he suffered during a show, which saw him suddenly lose “80%” of his hearing’s high end.
He has since long been cleared, and has a string of shows booked all over the world for 2026.
For a full list of live dates, head to Joe Bonamassa’s official website.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
