Joe Bonamassa’s skills as a bluesman are beyond reproach, but what might surprise you is just how much of a six-string monster he was at just 13 years old. A young Bonamassa made a television appearance in 1990, which showed that he was already a virtuoso shredder at just 13. After a brief comedic bit, the youngster hit the stage with a Fender Telecaster and treated the crowd to a face-melting blues rock shred.
Young Bonamassa showed off some blistering high-speed runs all across the fretboard, as well as a funky rhythm that had the crowd clapping along to his groove. He began the segment with some tasteful old-time blues rock licks, before moving onto a harder-edged rock section which really blew the roof off the joint. Bonamassa also showed that he already knew how to put on a show with the TV segment and seemed totally at ease in front of the crowd.
Bonamassa’s TV appearance was quite popular on YouTube, as it attracted 2.8 million views. Fans loved to see Bonamassa strut his stuff on the classic segment, and added comments on YouTube such as “Got to see him right around this time. He opened for BB King. Yes, he absolutely was good!” and “When you can play a musical instrument like that at 13, it’s a God-given talent. Some people are born to play the guitar.”
Bonamassa picked up guitar at age 4. The New Yorker was encouraged by his father, who was an avid music fan and loved the British blues greats such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Bonamassa started his career in 1989 at age 12 and gigged around New York and Pennsylvania. His big break came when he was still just 12, and BB King invited him to play as the opening act at approximately 20 shows. Bonamassa uploaded a compilation of clips on YouTube that show his playing on the BB King tour.
Bonamassa uploaded the BB King tour video as a tribute to the blues legend shortly after he passed on May 14, 2015. In the video, Bonamassa credits King with giving him his career due to that initial big break. Bonamassa detailed his experiences with King on his website, saying, “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met in the music business. He is the blues, the blues is him. He’s still excited about being on the road. I’m not sure I’m going to be still playing ‘The Ballad of John Henry’ aged 88. But I look at BB and that is exactly how I want to live my life.”
Joe Bonamassa’s skills as a bluesman are beyond reproach, but what might surprise you is just how much of a six string monster he was at just 13 years old. A young Bonamassa made a television appearance in 1990, which showed that he was already a virtuoso shredder at just 13. After a brief comedic bit, the youngster hit the stage with a Fender Telecaster and treated the crowd to a face-melting blues rock shred.
Young Bonamassa showed off some blistering high speed runs all across the fretboard, as well as a funky rhythm that had the crowd clapping along to his groove. He began the segment with some tasteful old time blues rock licks, before moving onto a harder-edged rock section which really blew the roof off the joint. Bonamassa also showed that he already knew how to put on a show with the TV segment, and seemed totally at ease in front of the crowd.
Bonamassa’s TV appearance was quite popular on YouTube, as it attracted 2.8 million views. Fans loved to see Bonamassa strut his stuff on the classic segment, and added comments on YouTube such as “Got to see him right around this time. He opened for BB King. Yes, he absolutely was good!” and “When you can play a musical instrument like that at 13, it’s a God-given talent. Some people are born to play the guitar.”
If you would like to hear more from this talented guitarist you can subscribe to his YouTube Channel or follow him on Facebook for more incredible music.