“They were not only masters of the music, but also show business”: Joe Bonamassa on what set the original blues legends apart
Choosing the right guitar was one the most important things the classic blues legends did to set them apart, says Joe Bonamassa.
But Bonamassa, who began his career at the age of 12 when he opened for electric blues legend BB King, tells Jay Jay French that the success of the old greats was down to their marketing nous just as much as their guitar playing abilities.
READ MORE: “If I want to own 150 tweed amps, it’s my business”: Joe Bonamassa on why people should chill about his gear collection
He says, “The original blues masters were not only masters of the music, they knew show business. Albert [King] could have picked any guitar; he picks this Flying V. He’s now indelibly linked to a Flying V… Otis Rush used to saw the top end off his Epiphone headstock, and it made a weird shape. John Mayall would cut Strats into weird shapes…
“It was all because [it was] pre-social media. It was the optics. It was it was like, ‘Who is that on stage?’ ‘Oh, I got my name on my guitar.’”
Bonamassa describes it as a sort of “primitive marketing”, which he says is more effective than marketing in the present day. He continues, “I would buy records at the record store based on a photo of the gear. I’m like, ‘Bobby Radcliff looks like he’s got a ’50 Strat. He’s gotta be cool. Let me let me check out his record.’ Robert Cray, on the cover of Strong Persuader, and I’m like, ‘He’s got an old Strat, this has got to be good.’
“And then you then you put it on, and it’s life-changing. Albert Collins, with the Tele with the reflector on the ashtray. I played that guitar when I was a kid, and then Albert summarily beat my ass down on stage. I’ll never forget that. I love the fact that it was just the simplest things that would catch my eye, that made me so love it.”
In April, Bonamassa accused guitar companies of “selling nostalgia”, but explained that this isn’t a bad thing. Rather, he said that many of our favourite guitars, like the Fender Stratocaster – which celebrated its 70th birthday this year – are simply timeless.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
