All language subtitles for Guitar.Man.2020.720p.WEBRip.800MB.x264-GalaxyRG_Subtitles01.ENG

[Joe]
You know, you ever find
yourself backstage around 7:25

on a show day?

We could be discussing
collective bargaining agreements

or we could be most likely
discussing guitars and amps.

And I always will
politely excuse myself.

And around 7:25,
I always tell people

and sometimes they get
confused when I say it, I go,

"Excuse me, I gotta go
become the other guy."

And, um, they always try
to write off the blues.

Always write off the blues.
Nobody likes the blues.

Well, we'’ve proven that
there'’s at least 9,000 people

tonight that like the blues.[crowd cheering]

[blues music playing]

♪ Who killed John Henry♪

♪ In the battle of
Sinners and saints♪

♪ Who killed John Henry♪

♪ In the battle of
Sinners and saints♪

[man] I don'’t think he wants
to be part of the machine.

I don'’t think he wants to be
part of major label
corporate America

that need to have
a pop song to cross over.

I think he is absolutely
comfortable and confident

in this genre that
he has created

and sub-genre which,
by the way,
is almost all him now.

♪ I don'’t want
Your cold iron shackles♪

This blues rock, blues, rock
area that he is number one in.

He has more number one
blues albums than anyone else

in blues history,
more than B.B. King,

more than Stevie Ray Vaughan

more than Eric Clapton,
more than Buddy Guy.

Joe Bonamassa
is the number-one
Billboard blues artist,

and you can'’t take
that away from him.

But ask most people
and they'’ll say, "Bona who?"

♪ In the battle of
Sinners and saints♪

♪ I'’m a long way
From Colorado♪

♪ A long way from my home♪

♪ Gimme the hammer that
Killed John Henry♪

♪ '’Cause it won'’t
Kill no more♪

♪ Gimme the hammer that
Killed John Henry♪

♪ '’Cause it won'’t kill me♪

♪ Gimme the hammer that
Killed John Henry♪

♪ '’Cause it won'’t kill me♪

[Joe] Hi. Hi.

[birds chirping]Okay, so now,

I received a letter from you
for an outstanding bill

for $100 which I paid

even though it
was against my better judgment.

On my birth
certificate I was born

in New Hartford, New York,

May 8, 1977.

It was reportedly to be
a painful birth,

because my original due
date was May 5, 1977.

And I decided to spend
an extra three days

um, interned,

and I think they were
just about to go in

and, you know, manually
remove me by force,

and I decided to
come out voluntarily.

[interviewer chuckles]So, that'’s the story.

Like, what do they say?
The old saying,
"What starts bad ends bad."

[blues music playing]

[Kevin] It'’s been interesting
to watch him with the suit thing

because he'’s also
gone through periods,

and I'’m not sure
how much he sees it.

But he went through a period
when he started getting
recognized more and more.

And it took him a minute to

learn how to deal
with the success

that was coming his way.

And he'’s managed
to deal with it by

being sort of bipolar
about the thing.

He is Joe, with his baseball cap
on and his blue jeans

and at 7:25 he puts on the suit
for an 8:00 show.

And he slicks his hair back.
He puts on the sunglasses.

And then he has a glass of wine.

And Joe Bonamassa
the recording artist comes out.

And then he'’s a different guy.

Then he becomes
a little bit Howard Hughes.

He becomes a little standoffish.

He becomes a little isolated.

And it'’s great.
We just let him be like that.

[drums playing][crowd cheering]

[Joe] The other guy
is the guy in the suit
and the sunglasses.

and that whole persona.

And it'’s not only
just that outfit,

it'’s a stage persona
in the sense that, like,

when I suit up,
and I go out and play,

that'’s a different
side of my personality.

That'’s--
That'’s not, you know--

I'’m not that outgoing offstage,

I'’m not that
confident offstage.

[Kevin] And then
at the end of the show,

he normally dresses
down quickly,

puts on his baseball cap,
puts a backpack over him,

and he walks straight
through the crowd

that have watched
him play all night

and they don'’t know
this guy is going out.

And he walks through
them and onto his bus,

and no one stops him.

It'’s fantastic.
He really is two people.

He'’s two-faced.

[crowd cheering]

[big band jazz music playing]

[Joe] My family has been
into music for a long time.

My great-grandfather
played trumpet.

He was a very talented
young trumpet player,

who could have
done great things,

but for the fact
that he had a family.

So, in order to make money,

he would teach trumpet
and play local gigs.

My great-grandfather,
"Buddha" Bonamassa,
really lived by that.

He took care of business,
and he took care of his family.

There'’s also a rumor that
he ran numbers for the Mafia,

which being
Italian-American descent,

at the time, in the town that
I grew up in, makes sense.

[music continues]

His son, Leonard Sr.,

played trumpet,
followed in his footsteps,

played big band jazz.

And my father, being
a product of the '’60s,

played a Gibson SG.

[man] And Joe kind of
followed in step.

He saw the passion
I had for music

and wanted to play like Dad.

It didn'’t take him too long
to learn how to play like dad.

And he walked right by me

when he was six
and a half years old.

And then I knew that he had

an amazing gift, a talent.

[blues music playing]

[Joe] And then, I blindly
followed all three of them

into the music business

when I was 11,
just about to turn 12.

I convinced my parents that
I wanted to be in a band

be in a blues band,
play guitar, you know?

I just wanted to make some money
so I could buy a Fender amp.

I think I did okay.

[blues music playing]

I started playing
at the age of four.

My father put
a guitar in my hand.

We got him a Chiquita guitar,

um, which is a short
and scaled-down model

of a solid body
electric guitar

actually designed
for airplane use.

And I think it was
the perfect guitar for him,

and he was able to play it.

And by the time he was five,

five and a half years old,

he was playing
chords on a guitar.

And he never looked
back from that point.

[Joe] When I was 11 and 12,

I was sitting in
with a lot of national,

internationally well-known
blues artists.

It'’s where I met B.B. King.

This is when I met
Albert Collins and Buddy Guy.

Anybody who would have me.
I was a little kid

that crashed the party
in upstate New York.

"Oh, here comes Joe
with his Telecaster."

He was 13 years old.
What can you expect?

He'’s fantastic.
He'’s fantastic.

We got a call
and asked if Joe would like
to open up for B.B. King

in downtown Rochester.

and there was like
8,500 people at the show.

That was his first big show.

And it was the day
before his 12th birthday.

And he opened up,
and he just took the crowd.

It was just amazing to see
the response from the crowd.

So after that happened, we get
a telephone call from NBC.

It was the Jane Pauley people.

They wanted to do
a segment on him.

There was a show called Real Life with Jane Pauley.

It'’s about ordinary people
doing extraordinary things.

The fantasies that
13-year-olds have

about what they'’ll
do when they grow up

involve everything from
playing major league sports

to playing in a big-time band.

Bill Schechner
has found one young man
too busy for fantasy.

He'’s living it.

[school bell ringing]

[Bill] In the hallway
of a crowded school,

there is no reason
to notice Joe Bonamassa.

He'’s simply
another 13-year-old

at an awkward stage of life.

[Young Joe]
Oh, shoot. That could
cause a problem.

-X.
-[teacher] Good.

[Bill]
Often doing well.

-One hundred.
-[teacher] Terrific.

Sometimes messing up.

No, I had to find my report.

I had to rummage
through all that.All right.

'’Cause I dropped
my folder and it doesn'’t...

[Bill] Just one more kid, until he picks up a guitar,

and the boy lost in the crowd

becomes the performer
drawing a crowd:

Smokin'’ Joe.

[blues music playing]

[Young Joe]
I feel secure with
a guitar in my hand.

A lot of people say
you have to say something

when you play guitar.

And I feel that my hands
are doing the talking

instead of my mouth.

I feel really comfortable,

'’cause I have something
in my hand, you know,

something I'’ve always
had in my hands

since I can remember.

[music continues]

[B.B.] Playing blues music,

it'’s timing.

You don'’t always know where
the children get this from.

You don'’t really know.
But all I know is he got it.

I think that'’s the best
I can say. He does have it.

[blues music playing]

♪ Thrill is gone♪

♪ Thrill is gone
Away from me♪

[Len] After the Jane Pauley
show aired, we received
many phone calls

from a lot of different
professional management firms.

We heard from
Stevie Ray Vaughan'’s manager,

the New Kids
on the Block'’s law firm.

They were hot at the time
in the early '’90s.

Um, Columbia Records flew
us down to New York

and they wanted
to talk with Joe.

And so, a lot of things
were happening

from this little tiny village
of Yorkville, New York.

And my wife and I go,
"What do we do here?"

It was a very confusing time
to know what to do for him.

And what he wanted to do.[Len] Yeah.

After the Jane Pauley
show aired,

this is where the Weismans
came in, Joe'’s management.

And they flew up here
and talked with us,

and they'’re great people.

And Joe is still
with Roy Weisman,

and they'’ve been
together ever since.

They were a family operation,

and I think we could
relate to that

and appreciate that.

[Roy] My father was the manager
to many of the great

stars from the original era
of the record business.

He managed people
like Frank Sinatra,

Liza Minnelli
and Paul Anka, Sammy Davis.

I got to meet most
of those people
and spend time with them.

I stayed at
Frank Sinatra'’s house.

I got to fly on
the plane with him.

It was cool.

Well, I don'’t know
if he was working for me,

or I was working for him.

I'’m not quite sure.

I mean, that'’s debatable.

[Roy]
I saw a lot of shows from
the wings, with Sinatra.

And, I mean, he was
the ultimate professional.

He loved to start on time.

His show was at 8:00,
he started 8:00.

And Bonamassa is the same way.

First of all, I saw the tape
from the Jane Pauley show.

Anybody involved
in music, I mean,

could realize that,
at 13 years old,

Joey could play the guitar
better than anybody
I ever saw at that age.

If you want to do something
big in the music business,

you'’ve got to get involved
with young artists.

And by de facto,
we end up with Bloodline,

which was Berry Oakley Jr.,

Waylon Krieger, Erin Davis,
Aaron Hagar,

Joe Bonamassa and Lou Segreti.

All put together and around
for Joe Bonamassa.

That was another
good idea Roy had,

is, you know,
what do we do with Joey

in between the time

he'’s trying
to develop his voice,
or for us to find out

if he was gonna have one

that would be compatible
with his guitar playing.

And I said to him,
"What do we do now?"

And he says, "Dad,
don'’t worry about it."

By the way had no idea.
[laughs]

Definitely, he said,
"Dad, don'’t worry about it.

I got these kids,
they all have famous parents."
Bah, bah, bah...

Anyway, that was a chapter
in itself that was unbelievable.

I mean the band ended up
getting signed to EMI.

It took three years to
get the first record out.

[Kevin] The Bloodline album
was released in 1994.

And then the record company
had Bloodline

doing all sorts of promotion
all over the country

and playing late night
television shows
like Conan O'’Brien.

Ladies and gentlemen,
carrying on the family business

is the name of the game
with my next guest, Bloodline.

Features the sons
of Miles Davis,

Robby Krieger of The Doors,

and Berry Oakley
of the Allman Brothers,

as well as teenage guitar
wizard Smokin'’ Joe Bonamassa.

Please welcome, Bloodline!

[blues music playing]

[Kevin] And they even
went on Mike and Maty

to play the new single.What are we playing today?

"Calling Me Back.""Calling Me Back"?

And the CD is?[both] Bloodline.

Fire it up guys.
Here'’s Smokin'’ Joe.
Make us proud.

Here we go.[audience applauding]

Two, three four...

[Joe] We made the record.
Phil Ramone attempted to
produce the first recordings.

Mark Hudson attempted to
produce the first recordings.

Finally, the only guy that
really kind of tamed the beast

and could actually get
a record out of us

was a guy named Joe Hardy,
who lives in Houston,

who produces a lot of
the ZZ Top catalog.

And Joe was not a diplomat.

He didn'’t care, and he just
needed to make the record.

Joe is, uh...

just this incredible
guitar player.
I mean, it'’s freakish.

It'’s sort of like
a cat on it'’s hind legs
or something.

You can'’t believe
that this guy can play

so maturely for a 16-year-old.

[blues guitar playing]

During that process,
there were a lot of fundamental
differences between Joe

who was the prodigy,
and the "sons of."

Everyone was great kids,

but the "sons of"
didn'’t have the work ethic

that Joe Bonamassa had.

And that was apparent.

All Joe wanted
to do was play guitar

and do... make music,
you know, do this stuff.

The kids, all they wanted to do,
they were a few years older,

they wanted to have fun
and didn'’t want
to work that hard.

I think everybody is more
conscious of what they do

when I'’m around.[all laugh]

Yeah, right.

But--Yeah, but you'’re
an old man in a kid'’s body

Oh, that'’s right.
I think of myself as
an old man in a kid'’s body.

[blues rock music playing]

I understand that some pudgy
18-year-old going, "Hey guys,

let'’s try to make these tunes,
something out of these songs.

And by the way, I don'’t
wanna play alternative music.

I don'’t wanna do this.
We should make it...

And, by the way,
I want long guitar solos,"

I understand how that'’s
a toxic element to the band.

And then we were about
to make the next record

and Berry Oakley
and Waylon Krieger come to me

and say that they don'’t
wanna be in a band with Joe.

And I'’m like,
"Are you kidding me?

We just, we have about
five years with this thing.

And you guys wanna...
We'’re about to make
the second record for EMI,

and you wanna break
this up at this point?"
And they'’re like, "Yeah."

You know, I could tell with
my conversations with him,

he was having
a lot of frustration.

Or frustrations
with the members,

the egos of these kids,

and whatever problems they had

or whatever medicine
they were taking.

And it got to a point where,

you know, it was serious money
we had invested already.

And at the end of the day,
I let it fall apart.

That was a hard moment
for me, because I had
to go back to my boss,

who was my father at that
time, and say, "Listen,
by the way, you know,

this project that
our company has a fortune
of money invested into?

We got to write that off."

And I went to Roy,
and I said to him,

I said, "Listen,
you got two choices, okay?

The first choice is okay.

You got to tell Bloodline,
all those guys, to get lost.

And your second choice

is whether you want
to stick with Joey,

which I think you should,
and develop him into an artist."

And that basically
was our conversation,

because he realized
at that point

that Bloodline
was falling apart anyway.

And that, either
he went all the way

with Joey or forget about it.

Two things happen when you
turn 18. The band breaks up.

Well, that'’s partly
my own fault.

Two, nobody cares
when you'’re 18.

'’Cause now you'’re just--
You'’ve gone from chosen one

to you are lopped
into the same pile
of guitar players

that everybody else is.

And I didn'’t sing.

And I was fat.

Not exactly what you call
"show business material."

And I have a long last name,

which, to this day,
people can'’t pronounce.

My big question,
as I said before,

that if he could develop
a voice around that talent

he had to play the guitar,

it would be all over.

[Joe] When I was in Bloodline,
I had no interest in singing.

I was just a guitar player.

I loved being the guitar player.
It was cool.

I was living with my parents.

And I was helping Dad out
with the guitar shop.

And I was making
demos at the house,

trying to get my voice up.

After Bloodline, a different set
of circumstances came about.

I was looking into
a new musical direction,

tried to do some stuff.

And I decided,
"Well, now or never."

I was 18, I was like,
"Now or never."

If I don'’t start singing now,
I'’m never going to do it.

And I'’ll always go through life
wondering if I ever could.

So I just started singing,

just belting stuff out
in my room.

♪ I miss you♪

♪ I hate you♪

I did some work
with Little Steven.

[Roy] Van Zandt,
from Springsteen'’s band.

And that was
his next little thing,

because at that point,
there was like nothing going on.

And Little Steven was interested
in making some demos with Joe.

And they go off,
and they make some demos,

and Joe'’s singing.

And it'’s great to hear him sing.

But...

he'’s got Joe in a direction
that'’s kind of like

not really
where Joe wants to be.

♪ The subway'’s
Temporary grace♪

♪ A pantomime on
A cigarette break♪

♪ Norton Fibler
Takes his place♪

♪ The politician'’s
Got no face♪

Kinda, I didn'’t know
what to do.

I didn'’t know what direction.

I'’m in Utica, New York.

Not exactly a place
where things are happening.

I'’m at home.

It'’s one of those things where,

even though I had
nothing going on,

the pressure of time,
felt exhausting.

It felt like I needed
to change my trajectory

really, really quick.

And Phil Ramone'’s label

signed me to
a development deal.

[Phil] Prodigies come
few and far between.

I saw him take
an audience apart.

He'’s so musical
and untrained,

which I loved,
'’cause there was nothing
that held him back.

Nothing ever held him back
from doing anything.

And we were all
set to do some demos

and make some recordings
with Terry Manning

in the Bahamas.

And right before I was
supposed to get on the plane,

the label shut down.

So I was back to square one.

Again now, a year later,
and I was just lost.

And I asked Roy

to call around and see
if somebody would hire me

just as a guitar player,
you know, go play with whoever.

And I said to him,
"If you want me to do that,

I'’m happy to do that,
look for a gig for you.

But, if you have
any desire to be the man

and the front man,

now'’s the time to go for it,

because you'’re
in your early 20s.

And in the end,
if that doesn'’t work out,

you still have plenty of time
to find another career."

So he starts
calling A&R people
that he knew in New York,

one of which being
Michael Caplan at Epic.

He sent my little
cassette demos around,
and Michael Caplan hears it.

He goes, "I like it."

And Roy goes,
"Oh, so one of your artists
needs a guitar player?"

He goes like,
"You'’re not hearing me.
I like it.

I wanna see about signing Joe."

Which completely blindsided me.

So I met with Michael
at that point,

and he goes, "Okay,
here'’s what we'’re gonna do.

You'’re gonna make a demo for me

of '’A New Day Yesterday,'’
from Jethro Tull."

He plays me this song,
"A New Day Yesterday."

I was like, "Oh, that'’s cool."

So I had this idea of
making it a two-four feel,
and I make him a demo.

I send him the song
two days later,
and he calls me up,

he goes, "Have you ever
heard of Tom Dowd?" I'’m like,
"Yeah, I know who Tom Dowd is."

[Kevin] Tom Dowd was
a legendary record producer

who had produced everyone
from Aretha Franklin

to Ray Charles,
The Allman Brothers

Eric Clapton
and Rod Stewart.

My father graduated
Stuyvesant High School,

which was the math
and science high school
in New York City.

And he was a sergeant
in the US Army.

And he was working
with the cyclotrons.

[reporter] The energy that generates the heat of the sun

and operates the solar system

comes under
the will of humankind.

The blast changes
the atomic structure

of everything it hits.

Stone and steel
are turned into gas.

[Dana] The Manhattan Project
was a web of universities

the government
had harnessed together,

so it was all very top secret.

After the United States
dropped the bombs in Japan,

he goes back to
community college in New York,

and he has to take
a couple more physics
and chemistry classes

in order to graduate.

So he walks into
the first day of class

and there'’s a periodic table
on the wall.

[reporter] For years,
scientists have tried to

break up this atom
by shooting neutrons
at its core.

But the whirling electrons seemed impenetrable.

Then finally scientists
broke through those walls

with a slow neutron,

releasing 500 million
volts of energy

and forming two new atoms,

barium and krypton.

And he knows that there'’s
more elements that exist

because he had just
helped discover them.

So he dropped out of school.

And there was
a newspaper article,

probably in
The New York Times,

and it'’s Fischer studios,

and they were looking
for engineers.

And he was like,
"Hold on a second.

I'’m a physicist and a chemist,
and I play ten instruments.

I think I could
probably fill this role."

Just about every record
that I'’ve grown up with
and just love,

he'’s been involved with.

And when I found out
I had the opportunity

to work with him on
"A New Day Yesterday,"

I was like, "This is gonna be
an opportunity of a lifetime".

Joey has no telltale
weakness or ballistic

as a guitarist.

He can play blues.

He can play jazz.
He is fast.

Next thing you know,
we get signed to Epic,
make a record with Tom Dowd,

which was a legendary
experience for Joe,

to make a record
with somebody like that
as his first record.

♪ '’Cause I feel you♪

♪ I don'’t want to
But I need you, baby♪

[Joe]
He took a real interest
in my life and career.

He took a real interest
in me personally.

'’Cause he saw that unbridled
enthusiasm and he knew,

if I kept singing and writing,
I would do good things.

And he was right.

I'’ve always kept that notion
in the back of my mind.

Just keep improving yourself.

♪ I miss you, I hate you
'’Cause I feel you♪

♪ I don'’t want to
But I need you, yeah♪

♪ I miss you, I hate you♪

[Roy]
Of course, in classic Sony
style, the record gets made.

And by the way, the record
was supposed to be a record

of no pressure.

We'’re not looking
to get on radio,

Joe will sing his songs,
and that'’s the end of it.

That was in the year 1999.

And Sony has its
first bad reporting

quarter, six months,
whatever you want to call it.

And all of a sudden,
everything dried up.

It went from everyone'’s excited
to promoting this thing

to nobody'’s interested
in anything.

So they dropped Joe.

We decided to pick up
the pieces as Joe and Roy

and put these records
out ourselves.

And from that moment forward,

we started to make
our own records

and own our own records.

♪ Woke up dreaming
I was gonna die♪

♪ Woke up dreaming
I was gonna die♪

♪ '’Cause my baby said her♪

♪ Said her last goodbyes♪

[Roy] You know,
I'’m in the music business,

and I'’m running it like a loser,
and the business is crashing.

I mean, the industry
is falling apart.
It'’s now the year 2001.

I mean, Napster'’s just
obliterated the industry.

♪ Reached out for her
And she was not there♪

And I ain'’t playing
this pop shit anymore.

I don'’t wanna hear about radio.

It was a knee jerk reaction
to this being told

that I have to be
fit into a certain mold,

have to be a certain
type of artist.

I'’m gonna make a fucking
blues record, start to finish.

And from that, the idea
of Blues Deluxewas born.

And I felt home when I did it.

And I felt like this is
how I wanted to make music.

You have to go through
the bad experiences

to get to that point.

But once you have
the "I got nothing to lose,"

that'’s when you'’re
the most dangerous.

[blues rock music playing]

We did Blues Deluxe
and we did a record
called Had To Cry Today,

which is kind of like
in the same vein,

they were both produced
by a guy named Bob Held,

who did a very good job
on those records.

And it started to feel
like we had some traction.

We'’re still in the van.

And we'’re still struggling.

Along the way,
while Joe is evolving,

I wasn'’t able to make
any money from the project.

So I think the first
time I ever got paid

from the Joe Bonamassa project
was in the year 2007.

I think at that point, I was--

I had met Joe in 1991.

So, we'’re looking at,
it was year 16.

Roy began to feel
I was kind of stagnating
as an artist,

like just, we'’re still
"barroom" at this point,

And I was thinking about
changing producers and trying

to introduce maybe
another influence to Joe.

And this friend of mine
suggested to me,

did I know this
producer Kevin Shirley?

And I said, I did not.

And he showed me
his discography.

And when I looked
at Kevin'’s discography,

and I saw the kind of records
that he was making, I'’m like,

"That is exactly
the kind of producer
I need to put with Joe."

Somebody that understands
mainstream rock

from like the '’70s,
like real rock,
like Led Zeppelin-kind of rock.

And also can maybe take
Joe'’s blues influence

and bring it together as well.

So lo and behold,
I get Kevin'’s number,

and I gave Kevin a call
and introduce myself.

And he'’s at a place
in his career

where he'’s looking to make
an album with somebody

that was also more organic

than he had been
working with at that time.

With the major labels,
he was doing a lot of acts.

And we had a conversation.
I said, "Well, if you want
something more organic,

you'’ve come to the right place.
As a matter of fact,
it'’s so organic,

we don'’t have
money to pay you."

[laughs]

[blues music playing]

♪ Ain'’t no heaven
Or burning hell♪

♪ Ain'’t no heaven
Or burning hell♪

♪ When I die where I go♪

♪ Ain'’t nobody know♪

♪ Ain'’t no heaven
Or burning hell♪

[Joe] We have a decent
three-piece band

that we'’ve put together
with Kenny Kramme on drums

and Eric Czar, we kind
of set sail with that.

That was our power trio,
and it was--

we were able to get
in a van, go out,

couple crew guys,
maybe one guy, two guys.

It was lean and mean.

We had to load our own
gear, set up own gear,

turn down our own gear,
and sell CDs,

and, you know,
that'’s honest work.

[blues music playing]

Roy would mention that
we were kind of looking

for a change in the production,

and we needed somebody that
worked on the big stage.

My initial reaction was,
"Why would Kevin Shirley
want to produce me?"

Like, Kevin does
big-time records,

you know, like Zeppelin
and Black Crowes
and Iron Maiden.

I was like,
"Why the hell was he..."

My opinion was Kevin
was gonna listen

to the work
up and to that point,

go, "There'’s no way
that I'’m gonna do this

under any foreseeable
circumstances, whatsoever."

[blues music playing]

♪ I'’m takin'’ the hit♪

♪ Paying the price♪

Anyway, to my surprise,

I find myself being
visited by Mr. Shirley

in St. Charles, Illinois.

A random spot for him
for our first encounter,

but we needed-- we had a show
there at Chord on Blues.

Kevin sees the show,

comes on the tour bus, he goes,

basically, paraphrasing this,

"I dig the playing,
the tone'’s good,

songs are bad, band'’s gotta go."

Those were the magic words,

because I had seen
the limitations of my group.

So he said okay,
and then we made a plan

to go into the studio
to do the first album,

and then I brought
Jason Bonham in.

And then called me in 2005

to play on You and Me
album for Joe.

The first album
he produced for Joe.

Carmine Rojas.

You know, we all have history

of all kinds of music,
similar music,

'’cause we all have done blues,

we have done rock,
we have done jazz,

we have done country.

And Rick Melick
and all players

at the top of their game,
at the top of their field.

Triple-A session players,
amazing live players,

incredible pedigrees,
all of them.

David Bowie, Rod Stewart,
I mean, the top of the top.

So when we got to the studio,

he finally got to see
how it was having a band

of incredible musicians
support him.

And I remember thinking

that the guy was
setting up these guitars

and I remember going,
"Excuse me,
when does Joe get here?"

And he looked around,
went, "I'’m Joe."

[laughs] I was like,

"Oh! Hi, I'’m Jason.
Nice to meet you."

Joe really got to experience
for the first time, a producer

that was hands on musically,
from what he told me,

that he could relate to.

Somebody that could also
get him to do something

that he wasn'’t
comfortable doing.

And, I remember
after the first record,

after that record was made,

Kevin told me we had
a lot of work to do,

but I think I can,
over time,

take Joe to a place
that would be a place

he could have a very long-term
and successful career.

♪ They said you
Wouldn'’t believe♪

♪ What a paradise this was♪

♪ Till every Adam and Eve
Tom, Dick and Harry♪

♪ Started fighting
For what he loved♪

♪ So, we fortified
The ramparts♪

♪ And we built
The mighty towers♪

♪ But it was plain to see We never were free♪

♪ From the tyranny
Of the hour♪

[crowd cheering]

[Kevin]
And so, then we got asked
to do a second album.

And that was
all good and well,

except that I think
we got about two days

into the first session,
and I got a call from Roy,

who asked me to
wrap up the session,
'’cause we were gonna call it.

It wasn'’t working for Joe.

He'’d apparently got very upset
when I had asked him
to do a harmony vocal

on top of a lead vocal,

and he was very
uncomfortable with it.

[Joe]
We started doing the second
album in Malibu, California.

And what I loved about
the first album so much

was it was like we played
the song and it was done.

And then the second album,
it turned out it was like,

because of the nature
of the material,

it was requiring more overdubs.

♪ You'’d better stop♪

♪ Before♪

♪ You tear me all apart♪

♪ You'’d better stop♪

♪ Before♪

♪ You go and break my heart♪

♪ Oh, whoa♪

♪ You better stop♪

It was kind of fighting me.

And I was like, "I don'’t know."

I really freaked out
in the sense

that I'’m not sure
if this is the right idea.

So we did some acoustic tracks,

and then we did another session.

On that other session,
we cut a song

that I'’ve played literally
every show since that day.

And it'’s one of my big,

you know, show-stopping
songs that Kevin had heard

when he was in South Africa.

♪ People would tell me♪

♪ As they pass me by♪

♪ No matter if I live♪

♪ No matter if I die♪

[Kevin]
I brought the song to him,

a song that I used
to play in a band

back in the '’80s
in South Africa.

A song called "Sloe Gin,"

which was a song that Tim Curry
and Michael Kamen had written.

And it was one of those
desperate blues that I thought

somebody could
cover really well.

And Joe seemed to be
the perfect person to do it.

It wasn'’t a traditional
12-bar blues structure,

but it was a very down,
desperate, dark,

slow bluesy song
with quite involved changes.

The chorus had the lyric,

"I'’m so fucking lonely."

At that point in time.

We were still trying
to get our records in Walmart,

and we run a family show,
so the song was so strong,

I knew where this was gonna
be a live staple forever.

So we kind of compromised and
we did "I'’m so damn lonely."

And that became the version.

And that was pretty much

the first really big song I had.

You know, it wasn'’t a radio hit,
but it was for the fans.

It was something
that anchored the ship.

[blues music playing]

After Sloe Gin,
we had toured extensively,

comes time to make
another album.

I'’m living in California,
and I met a girl in Georgia,

who I love dearly,

so much so that I decided,

blindly,

that I was going
to move to Georgia.

I wrote this song because
when I was moving to Georgia,

there was a new thing
called Google Earth

that Kevin had on his computer

and he goes, "Look I just looked
up the address of the house

that you rented.

You live in a stone quarry."

[chuckles]

And I wrote the song
"Story of a Quarryman"

during that week of being

"Dear John'’d" at
the airport in mourning,

but, it'’ll forever be
known as the "Quarryman."

[laughs]

[blues rock music playing]

♪ Gonna buy me a bucket
And a hammer and nails♪

♪ Board up the windows
And head for the trails♪

♪ And that'’s what I get For sticking my chin out♪

♪ Well, a kick in the teeth And a mind full of doubt♪

♪ I brought this on
With my own hands♪

♪ Precious disgrace
From my own hands♪

♪ If I could freeze time
In my own hands♪

♪ Story of a Quarryman♪

And I remember,
she dropped me off
at the airport

because I needed to
come back to California

to finish the album
which would become

The Ballad of John Henry.

And I remember getting
a text message on the plane

basically confirming
what I knew was coming,

that she was
showing me the door.

And it was one of the few times

in my life that
I was truly heartbroken.

In the sense that I went from

the happiest guy
in the world to a hot mess.

It was one of these stories,

he just got swept off his feet.

Next thing you know,
he'’s moving to Georgia.

And before you know it,
he'’s moving back to LA.

And it'’s like, what happened?

It'’s like, he got it.

And he'’s in love with a woman
who'’s in love with a woman.

It was not pretty,

and I shouldn'’t laugh,
but nevertheless,

it was a hell of a story.
And he came out of that...

I remember starting the record,
he was in love.

Ending the record,
he was broken-hearted.

And at the end,
this record represents,
I think, both of that.

And I remember
the cast of characters
in the studio.

We'’re all living
in this big house,

and the console
and the room was downstairs.

And it was probably
some of the most laughs

and the most tears
at the same time.

Because we had Anton Fig,
Blondie Chaplin,

Carmine Rojas, Rick Melick.

And at one point in time,
12 bottles of wine

wasn'’t enough for the household.

And this is in a day!

And it was just
this inspired, heartbroken

session that
I wish I could bottle
that series of events

and that type of emotion

because some of
my most emotive playing,
some of my best songs

came from this heartbreak.

And that record in particular

is punctuated by
the happiest I'’ve ever been,

and the saddest
I'’ve ever been in two halves.

[slow blues music playing]

♪ Shape, that I'’m in♪

♪ Never let her down
A day in my life♪

♪ Dreams♪

♪ All around me♪

♪ As I see the time
Pass me by♪

♪ Never trade you
For the world♪

♪ Never do the things
I used to♪

♪ I guess I'’m not
Good enough♪

♪ This I see♪

♪ And I'’ll remember
Happier times♪

[Kevin]
And Joe was so distraught.

And we'’d been working
on "Happier Times."

And I came into the room,
and he was crying,
he was so unhappy.

♪ Life, it hits me♪

[Kevin]
And I remember coming up
to him and saying to him,

"Everything that you feel,

I want you to put
in this guitar.

And I'’m gonna make
a long loop of the guitar solo."

♪ Not the place I wanna be♪

"And just play it.
Try and tap into what you have,

and just play it over
these changes.

Just play it and play it
and play it.

I won'’t stop anything.

It'’ll just go for five minutes,
and just play it."

And, you know, to this day,

that'’s one of his most amazing
guitar solos I think.

And he doesn'’t
remember cutting it.

[Joe] That also was
the record that went boom.

It was like, "Okay,
now we have something."

And that material, that tour,
that band, those songs,

that was what
would have been now

leading us up to May 4, 2009,

when we first played
the Royal Albert Hall.

That'’s when you arrived
on the big stage.

That'’s when I knew I was
arriving on the big stage.

Whether I could
stay there or not,

that was another question.

[crowd cheering][upbeat rock music playing]

♪ Tell me how high♪

♪ Cotton has to grow♪

♪ Tell me how high♪

♪ Cotton has to grow♪

[Roy] Here we are now,

and we'’ve been touring
for four, five,
six years in Europe,

and Joe is really starting
to generate some traction
with the audiences.

He'’s moved from clubs
to small theaters.

We just played Shepherd'’s
Bush Empire in London.

And the opportunity
to book Royal Albert Hall
presents itself.

And of course,
we were gonna take
that opportunity.

How could we not?
But I'’m gonna be
honest with you,

I had no idea if
we could fill that place.

And we had to record it.

You just can'’t--

You can'’t just
get a gig like that.

You never know if you'’re
ever gonna get back to it.

But it'’s also a quarter
of a million dollars.

At that point in time,
we were all in.

We had just
that amount of money

to keep our company
running for the year.

And we went to a bank,
and we asked for a loan.

We were declined.

[Roy] This moment was
the biggest risk
that Joe and I

were ever gonna
take in our career.
We literally put the house up.

So on one hand,
you'’re on top of the world,

you'’re at the Royal Albert Hall
on paper,

and life is grand,
but behind the scenes,

we could have went
out of business.

So we were really at
a crossroad with our company,

and we were playing
in the big sandbox,

but we didn'’t have
big sandbox money.

I remember when I was four,
like really taking
interest in it,

and my dad would sit me down
and, you know, play me records.

He brought home, one day,

the video cassette,
farewell Cream concert,

recorded at the Albert Hall.

And I remember so clearly,

watching everything that
Eric Clapton played,

and going,
"I don'’t know what that is.

But that'’s really cool."

I asked my parents for a guitar,
and I would sit in my room

for hours and hours and hours,
my parents would
have to kick me out,

"Go outside, play basketball,

go ride your bike, do something,
get some exercise,"

'’cause I would just be fixated
on trying to recreate the sounds

and I made a decision
right then and there.

I said, "This is
what you need to do.

I don'’t want a real job.
I want to be a guitar player.

And I want to play
the Royal Albert Hall."

[Lindsay] This has been
20 years in the making.

And this is sort of--
not graduation,

but accumulation of, you know,
all these years of hard work

and, you know, day after day,
and so we'’re all very excited.

[Len] He'’s been performing
in front of people since
he'’s been five years old.

He has more miles on a guitar

than most 60 year olds do,
that played all their life.

[Joe] So here we are,
at age 32

and 20 years in the music
business professionally,

and I'’m about to do this.

It is as daunting
as it is exciting.

And it'’s as scared
as I'’ve ever been, really,

because we can only
get one shot at it
to make it right.

And I really wanted
to make it right.

We have the date 2009, May 4th,

and we had to fill it.

So at the end,
we had the whole
house of cards on it.

And we didn'’t know
what was gonna happen.

[Joe]
It weighed heavily on me,
'’cause I had to be good.

Well, you could wake up
with a head cold.

I mean, I can list 10,000
things that could go wrong

and one thing they can go right.

And it was really,
really critical

that not only we perform,
but perform well.

[crowd cheering]

[slow synthesizer playing]

[no audible dialogue]

I'’d written
Eric Clapton a letter

that Paul Stewart
had hand delivered.

And I gave Eric my e-mail.

And it took a few months,

but I got an e-mail
from a very strange
e-mail address.

And I was like,
"I don'’t know who this is,

but I think
I know who this is."

And I replied, and it was Eric,

and we'’d come up with
the idea of doing

"Further On Up the Road."
And nobody knew about it.

The only tell was,

there was a small
Tweed amp on stage.

And it was the sixth song.

And I remember very vividly
when we were playing,

and I stopped after
the fifth song,

and I go,
"Ladies and gentlemen,
Eric Clapton."

And he walks out and I go,

"I can'’t believe
I pulled this off," right?

I mean, this is, like,

if it all ended that day,

you'’d have been like
"Man, this is, like, I did it."

Thank you
and good evening, London.

[crowd cheering]

Good evening,
thank you very much.

My family'’s here,
my mom and dad are here.

This is the greatest honor
of my life to play
this building.

I set out 20 years ago to,
you know, play the guitar,
and I said,

"One day, if I could ever
make it to the Albert Hall,

that would be the coolest
thing in the world."

And here I am,
so thank you very much!

[cheering continues]

And the first song
I ever learned how
to play on electric guitar

was "Further On Up the Road,"
and we'’ve been playing that

on our tours in celebration
of the Albert Hall.

So, I'’m very proud to say,
the first song

and the man is here tonight,

Mr. Eric Clapton
is gonna come out
and play and sing with us.

[crowd cheering]

It was all so full circle.

It just was a lifelong dream.

And it really meant the world
to me that Mr. Clapton came,

and I can never repay him.

♪ Further on up the road♪

♪ Someone'’s gonna hurt you Like you hurt me♪

♪ Further on up the road♪

♪ Someone'’s gonna hurt you Like you hurt me♪

♪ Further on up the road♪

♪ You just wait and see♪

♪ Gotta reap
Just what you sow♪

♪ That old saying is true♪

♪ You gotta reap
Just what you sow♪

♪ That old saying is true♪

♪ Just like you
Mistreat someone♪

♪ Someone'’s gonna
Mistreat you♪

♪ You been laughing
Pretty baby♪

♪ Someday you'’re
Gonna be crying♪

[Joe]
I owe him a debt of gratitude
that I could never repay.

The fact that he took
time out of his busy life

to come and play,
solidified and gave the moment

the weight that
I was hoping it would get.

It wasn'’t just the gig
that came and went.

It was like the night
Eric Clapton came out with me.

Because when we
started this thing,
and we took that chance,

we had no idea what
the outcome was gonna be.

[Joe] You know,
a lot of people say,

"You don'’t really know when
your big moment'’s gonna come,

and a lot of times,
you don'’t even realize it."

I realized it very, very clearly
that that was the day.

[Roy] And it'’s turned out to be
a turning point in his career,
without question.

I mean, after that night,
I think the British press
saw that as almost like

a handing of the baton.

That was the big moment,
and then it came out on DVD.

And it just,

in America,
it exploded in the sense
where all of a sudden,

I was playing 500 seaters,
now I'’m playing 5,000 seaters.

That'’s the story.

But damn, I look like
I was having fun on that DVD.

I look back at it and go,
"Man, I was having a lot
of fun that night." I wasn'’t.

[crowd cheering]

It was pedal to the metal,
and I knew...

Thank you!

...that my whole career
was on the line.

[cheering continues]

Eric Clapton.

My name is Joe Bonamassa.
It'’s been an honor
to be in this building.

Thank you very much.[crowd cheering]

One of the great things about
working with Kevin Shirley
over the years,

and I have this genome as well,

is every so often,

Kevin feels the need,
and I second that motion,

feel the need
to throw a cherry bomb
in the world.

Like, just going,
"Well, we'’ve done this,

let'’s do something
completely different."

So, we did the Albert Hall.
We kept touring.

[no audible dialogue]

I had been having
long conversations with Joe

about embracing world music
and incorporating it into blues.

♪ It'’s been an Athens
To Athens kind of
Day and night♪

Kevin had found this
studio in Santorini, Greece.

And the idea was
to make like more of
a world-sounding album.

And we were gonna import
some musicians from Athens
that didn'’t speak any English

and they were gonna
play on these tunes
that weren'’t written.

When language and
physical expression

sometimes are at odds,

and you can'’t communicate
with somebody,

rhythm and tonality
all speak to each other.

There is a universal
language of music.

You could go in and do
the juras and the bouzouki
and the baglamas,

all these Greek
instruments that we used.

[Joe] And it was great.
And it was really,

probably the most fun
we'’ve ever had making a record.

Hello, Japan. Greetings
from Santorini, Greece.

We'’re just finishing up
recording my brand-new CD.

♪ Don'’t cry♪

♪ Don'’t cry♪

♪ Anymore♪

♪ It'’s over now baby♪

♪ Don'’t cry no more♪

I was very happy
with the results,

even more so when
Claude Nobs heard the record,

and was so taken
with our approach

to this universal
language of music,

which I think he totally got.

And then he invited Joe to play
at the Montreux Jazz Festival

and bring the Greek
musicians with him.

The first time I heard this,
I said,

"One day you have to do
an acoustic set."

Well, thank you!I'’m so proud
that it will occur.

[Joe]
It restarted the conversation
about this acoustic thing

that we wanted to do.

And why don'’t we
put together a group

of, like, world musicians.

And I remember when
we worked on Dust Bowl,

we just kinda
huddled in the corner

and just went through
a couple verses,

and the band glued
itself together in ways--

I was like,
"This is gonna be great."

♪ Lifting me up♪

♪ Tearing me down♪

♪ All you give me
Is indecision♪

♪ The classic runaround♪

♪ Bringing me higher♪

♪ Keeping me whole♪

♪ Now I feel like I'’m living♪

♪ Living in a dust bowl♪

To say we did
an acoustic show live
at the Vienna Opera House,

it just had a nice ring to it.

And maybe
we'’ll fall on our face.

You know what?
Maybe this will be
a complete and utter disaster

from the first note.

Or it could be one of
the coolest things we ever do.

And there'’s
no guarantees in life.

And they could say
a lot of things about me.

But they can'’t say
we don'’t take a risk,

and we don'’t put everything
out there on the table.

And it'’s gonna be
something else.

♪ Hard to find true within♪

[Kevin]
Rehearsals went really good.

I mean, the foundation
of this whole show

is Joe playing
the acoustic guitar.

And then we have to introduce
all these elements to it,

and so that becomes
more three-dimensional.

[man] That'’s the beautiful
thing about music
is it'’s constantly changing.

It'’s morphing.

It'’s doing things that--
It doesn'’t stay the same.

It keeps you fresh,
it keeps your mind sharp

and it keeps you young.

[Kevin]
It'’s about music in general.

It really is
the universal language.

Even English changes
and German changes,

and all the languages change,
and they develop over time.

Yet somehow, the music
language is the same.

And it goes across the ages.

The same melodic structure
has been around forever.

I mean, it'’s different
from country to country,

but they get incorporated
going back almost to birdsong.

Before music,
with the Gregorian chants

and all the music
through the middle ages
through classical,

they'’re all based on
the same thing.

That language never changes.
From the beginning of time,

there'’s 12 half steps
in the Western scale,

there'’s quarter notes
in Indian scales,

but these same 12 notes make up
the way everything gets played.

You know, the emotions
we get from music

all come from these
very basic 12 notes

and thumping something
to keep the tempo.

It'’s really...

It'’s really...

inexplicably wonderful music.

Amazing.

♪ Devil rises...♪

[Joe] Something I'’ve learned
traveling the world,

playing blues rock
to everybody from, you know,

people in the UK to Hong Kong
to Australia to Russia,

to Tel Aviv, Israel
and Mumbai, India.

They clap in the same spots,
it'’s uncanny.

And it just
blows me away every time.

And you go, "Wow, really,
music is a universal language.

It'’s in the DNA."

♪ See that
Brown-haired woman♪

♪ Coming back this way♪

♪ Yeah♪

[crowd cheering]This is one of the coolest
things I'’ve ever done.

And it'’s one of
the coolest things

that a musician can do,

is to take your basically
your strong point,

which is basically
my guitar playing

and reduce it down to the point
where you play a little bit,

but not all the time.

And now you have to sing.
Now you have to rely
on the songs.

I learned that people
will still cheer

if there'’s not
a four-minute guitar solo,

at the end of a song.
They actually like the song.

[acoustic guitar playing]

♪ Everybody knows you♪

From the top.

[acoustic guitar playing]

[Joe] Since Kevin came
in the picture in 2005,

it'’s always been song first.

But this is really now
the beginnings of where,

you know, like, "Okay,
let'’s try to get the best song."

Yeah, so solo,
but we need to go to--

It needs to go to
a different place.

Is that going to be fun
to solo over, at D minor?

Yeah, you can record that.
You can...

Just D minor to A minor.

Before we write it.

Before, you know,
I'’m not Mozart.

You know, we'’re not...I'’ve already done it.

We'’re not going
straight to disc here.
Hold on. Let me...

It'’s gotta serve the solo,
melodic solo.

That'’s what it'’s gotta serve.

[Joe] D minor is a good choice.Yeah, I thought it was nice.

[Joe] I can tell you, just
having a bag full of good songs

makes the recording
process a lot easier

and also makes the process
of putting together

a live show a lot easier.

You are Mozart.
You just didn'’t realize it.

[laughs]

[Kevin] Yeah.

[Anton] When you play music,
it'’s very difficult
to be objective

and subjective all the time.

It'’s almost like looking
at a puzzle.

You can look at it from above
or you can be involved

in the pieces going together.

So when you'’re playing,
sometimes you can be
too involved

in the pieces
to see the big picture.

And that'’s where
a producer comes in,
'’cause they'’re able to.

♪ Different shades of blue♪

By the riff.Yeah.

I think a riff,
and I don'’t think do the retard,

and I think end on the tonic.

Don'’t leave it hanging there.[strumming]

Yeah.[Joe] All right.

Anton, I think that you want
the chorus just to be big.

The solo is gonna be monstrous.

It'’s gonna be titanic.

Titanoboa.

[song playing through speakers]

♪ The sun'’s been shining♪[Kevin] How good is he?

♪ Down on me day and night♪

Sounds great.

[Joe] Well, I mean that'’s
the nature of blues music

is to play spontaneous
and improvise over changes.

In theory, it shouldn'’t
be the same way twice, you know?

I'’ve never engineered a solo.

I never liked that.

I never liked doing it that way.

So you gotta be able
to push yourself

and try new things
and try things that are not

in your comfort zone.

♪ Broke your heart♪

[Kevin] You gotta
record the first notes,

when he'’s playing.

Bonamassa doesn'’t
like to feel safe.
He likes a challenge.

It'’s a rock blues album,

but curved differently.

So that'’s Bonamassa,

'’cause we never
do anything traditional.

♪ You won'’t admit♪

♪ But it'’s starting
To make you weep♪

♪ When you got
Nothing left to lose♪

♪ Might sound good♪

♪ But I'’m not sure
That'’s true♪

♪ You carry the pain around♪

♪ And that'’s what
Sees you through♪

♪ The different shades
Of blue♪

[Carmine]
Joe, he searches, he wanders.

You know, he tries
many different things.

He tries different
kinds of music.

He plays in different
kinds of bands.

He'’s always searching,
which is actually beautiful.

♪ Tell by the way
You hang your head♪

[Joe]
I can'’t keep just using
the same playbook.

And I have to challenge myself.

If it'’s your playing,
can you take it outside?

If you keep doing this
and you could do this,

if you have a different bunch
of musicians behind you,

how is that challenging?
How is that, you know--

Are you getting pushed enough?

The better the musicians
are that Joe plays with,

the better he plays.

♪ In my eyes Every way that'’s nice♪

♪ You show you'’ve got a heart That'’s made of ice♪

♪ And I know♪

♪ Fire and water♪

♪ Must have made you
Their daughter♪

♪ You'’ve got what it takes♪

♪ To make a poor man'’s Heart break♪

Kevin'’s great about
changing up the band
every once in a while.

Even the greatest players
in the world, if they stare
at me long enough,

they'’d be like,
"Ugh, he just did this."

♪ Well, my trying♪

♪ Ain'’t done no good♪

♪ I said my trying
Ain'’t done no good♪

♪ You don'’t make no effort♪

♪ No, not like you should♪

♪ Lazy♪

♪ You just stay in bed♪

♪ Lazy♪

♪ You just stay in bed♪

♪ You don'’t want no money♪

♪ You don'’t want no bread♪

♪ Ah! Come on♪

[music continues]

[Kevin] One of the things
that I really wanted

to have on this album was
I wanted to experiment

with two drummers playing.

And I wanted to try and make
it a real rhythmical powerhouse

behind Joe playing and I wanted

to cut everything
without keyboards.

So it was really about
getting some more aggression

out of Joe and having
him be quite vital.

♪ On the stone and steel♪

[blues music playing]

♪ Done my fair share of♪

♪ Mountain climbing♪

♪ Mountain climbing♪

♪ Whoa
Troubles I'’ve got them♪

♪ Mountain climbing♪

♪ Mountain climbing♪

♪ Whoa, it'’s blues
At the bottom♪

[Anton] There'’s perfect
metronomical time.

You know, you put on
a metronome.

And then there'’s
the human time,

which is like
your heartbeat,

you know and...

But when people play,

they tend to kind of
push certain sections

and pull back on certain
sections, you know?

I always say like time
and heartbeat equals feel.

[blues music playing]

♪ Feel like I'’ve been A prisoner♪

♪ Of my own design♪

♪ I'’ve been such
A bad listener♪

♪ But I hear you tonight♪

♪ Let'’s drive♪

♪ Into the night...♪

[Joe] You know, sometimes
we'’re self-loathing
blues rock people.

We question ourselves a lot.
We question if what
we'’re doing is right.

We question what we'’ve done
in the past, has it been right?

Is it right or wrong?
It'’s all obviously
worked out for me.

I went to him
after we came up with a song

that he suggested
I write a melody,

I came up with
the melody on the spot.

And we recorded it in
like two or three takes.

A song called
"No Place for the Lonely."

And we were at dinner afterwards
and we were just talking
about the day,

and I go, "You know what, Kevin?
You know what you and I

know how to do pretty well
at this point?

It'’s make blues rock."

♪ Someone to hold me♪

♪ Like you used to hold me♪

♪ But there'’s no good place For the lonely♪

♪ '’Cause this place
Is no good♪

♪ For the lonely♪

[Kevin]
Sometimes I give him a solo,
and I'’ll key it up,

and he doesn'’t even
know what key it is.

And so I'’ll just say,

"All right, here we go, Joe.

Here comes the solo.
It'’s coming in two bars,

and it'’s about that tempo.

And then you'’re in."

And so he'’ll sit with the guitar

and not know what'’s coming in,

what key is coming in.

And then I get...

him without thinking too much,
then he has to be reactive

to what'’s going on,
'’cause he has so much
that'’s cerebral.

I need him to be visceral.

When we get those moments,
I love those moments.
They'’re amazing.

Like the solo on
"No Good Place for the Lonely."

Was voted in the top 100
guitar solos of all time.

And that was a one-take,
one-performance, unedited take.

And when I heard that,

I'’m like, "We don'’t have to do
that again, we'’ve got that."

And that shows,
like, true genius.

[energetic guitar solo playing]

[Joe] But at the end
of the day, I mean,

we'’re talking about music
that'’s 100 years old or more,

that everybody'’s
played and perfected

and the masters perfected it
and the British reinterpreted it

and reinvented it and
I reinvented or reinterpreted

what the British did
and so on and so on.

And then there'’s been
all these new kids

that are doing great.

So at the end of the day,
what are you gonna do with...

We can do it one, four, five.

You fuck it up. Make it sound...

Make it challenging
to the listener.

Make it challenging to yourself
to play and come up with

and make it something
that can actually...

be listened to,
but they also know that

that'’s you.

It couldn'’t be anybody else.

Like, "Who'’s that?
Oh, that'’s gotta be Joe.

He'’s at it again.

Messing with tradition
and all things

that we hold near
and dear to our hearts.

Let me give it a one-star
review on Amazon.com."

[sharply crescendoing music]

[rock music playing]

I'’ve always had
an affinity for the blues.

I always default to the blues.

I always love the blues.

But I'’m not a blues musician,
in the sense that

I'’m too musically adventurous

to just stick to those paths.

So that'’s why making records

with Black Country Communion
was so exciting

because it allowed me
to play music

that was in my wheelhouse

but didn'’t fit in
my wheelhouse as a performer.

It allowed me to
be unapologetically

a rock and roll guitar player.

[rock music playing]

♪ It'’s cold on the mountain♪

♪ It'’s cold in the wood♪

♪ My life is a fountain♪

After we worked in Greece,
I had met Glenn Hughes

and we had jammed together
at this Guitar Center thing.

And Glenn came out and played
and we did "Mistreated"

and it was fun.

And Glenn was great.

And we figured out real quickly

that he and I played off
each other very well.

And in the
audience that night,

was Joe'’s manager, Roy Weisman,

and Kevin Shirley.

I remember coming off
into the dressing room

and I heard the unmistakable
foot stomping

of Kevin rushing down into
the dressing room to announce,

"I got it!

We need Jason Bonham,

and we need

Derek Sherinian. Okay?"

And we were like, "Uh, okay."

So, I saw Glenn and Joe
performing on stage,
and they were really good.

It was actually great.
I was knocked out.
I was like, "Wow!"

There'’s a rock thing going
on with Glenn'’s voice

and Glenn'’s great bass playing.

And then Joe is such
a talented musician.

He could have been playing
in a bluegrass band

or a soul band or whatever.

I mean, he'’s really got
all of these elements

in his guitar playing
and they'’re all in his head.

And I saw him
playing this rock stuff
and I was like, "Wow!

We have a real opportunity here

to open up the fan base."

The English radio and press,

I knew would eat him up
if he started playing rock.

[blues music playing]

[Joe]
And before you know it,
we did one album

in like four days.

Half the time we were waiting
for Jason to show up.

It'’s just my inside joke
of always being late.

I'’m never on time.

And for a drummer
that has bad time,

it just shouldn'’t happen.

Which actually kinda
gave us the opportunity

to get our shit together,
song-wise.

Like so many of these bands
that are made up,

they are four unique characters.

Glenn has got this history
of classic rock.

But since the '’70s,
he'’s been doing everything
from funk to metal.

Jason is, you know, obviously
rooted in Led Zeppelin

and has played with them

and he'’s a great exponent
of the kind of style

of drumming of his dad.

And then I'’d known
Derek Sherinian

from my days when
I produced Dream Theater.

And I'’ve always been wanting
to do something with him,

because I love
the technicality of his playing.

Well, it'’s rare that you
can find a band, four people,

that all have that same skill
to hear the song, learn it,

and to not only learn
how to play the song

in preparation to record it,

but to come up with cool parts.

And the sounds that are
gonna be on the record.

Some of these songs,
they just started as little
ideas and Glenn did his thing.

He has this great way of words.

He'’s got this great swagger.

He'’s a true rock guy.
It'’s like I pretend to be that,

but he is that guy for sure.

Bro, I don'’t think
I should do this.

I just said it to Kevin.

It'’s so like
Seven Dwarfs shit.

It'’s so metal.[laughing]

♪ Oh♪

It'’s so not me to do that.[Joe] Don'’t do it then.

I'’d rather just let
the audience figure it out.

[vocalizing]

It'’s the whitest thing
in the world.

We really finished
up the first record

and it was sort of an experiment
to see if it would work.

It really took me by surprise,
when we first get it

and I saw where it charted
on the first album.

Yeah, I think that
the band was skeptical

until the record came out
and did so well.

Especially in England.
It was the number-one
rock record.

And when it did so well,

I think they realized that
there was a market for it

and was something
that was serious.

[Joe]
We did the second one at
a studio on Sunset Boulevard

called East West
and we had a great time.

You know, Kevin is
the fifth Beatle.

Yeah, he'’s the fifth
Beatle in that band,

because really,
he helped put it together,

and he really is
a member of the group.

[Kevin] They each have
their own solo careers.

And this is one of those
things where there is

an idea for the band,

it'’s like, "Let'’s be
a classic rock band."

If you left each of them
to make the decisions,

it would be a different band
and that'’s where I come in.

I'’m sort of, I channel all
these brilliant musicians

into like a toothpaste tube
with the red and the whites

and the blue and the green,
and put them all onto the brush,

and then it becomes
the toothpaste, you know?

To brush the teeth
of the rock world.

[chimes]

It'’s a band full of sergeants

but we do need
a general sometimes

to kind of make a decision.

[upbeat drum solo playing]

We then toured
the following summer in 2011.

And we did nine weeks.

And, as I put it,
about seven weeks too many.

The nature of this group is it
really is great in small doses.

[blues music playing]

For me, after the second week,
it became hard work.

And after the third week,

it became really hard work.

After the ninth week,

it was like, I was ready to go.

There were some
great nights of music

and then there were some
average nights of music,

and it just couldn'’t...

A lot of factors had to line up
for it to be a great night.

So I returned home,

armed with a high dose
of burnout,

and a high dose of, I don'’t
wanna even look at the guitar.

So much so, that I didn'’t play
the guitar when I got home.

But we had a session booked
to finish Dust Bowl.

And I remember sitting at
the village in Santa Monica,

blowing takes and blowing solos

that I normally could
play in my sleep.

It'’s just because I just...

It wore me down.

That was just the universe
telling me I was doing too much.

And that was
the universe telling me

that I shouldn'’t be
in a band, at that point.

You know, it was just
the universe telling me

a lot of things,
that you can'’t be all things

to all people and you
have to prioritize

and kinda slow it
down a little bit.

Downshift a gear
and be happy with that.

And I learned
a lot of good lessons

in the summer of 2011.

And it was very difficult
to keep perspective.

♪ I'’m looking for redemption♪

♪ Love'’s hallowed ground♪

♪ Yeah, I'’m praying
For forgiveness♪

♪ And I'’ve searched around♪

♪ But there'’s none
To be found♪

[Kevin] The history
of blues music

is very closely associated

with the "Crossroads"
and Robert Johnson

who was a performer
in the 1930s.

He used to crash all these
juke joints looking for a gig,

and mostly people didn'’t
think he was very good.

And then he disappeared
for a year or two

and no one knows
what happened to him.

And he came back and started
playing in these places

with a style and technique
that no one had even
seen before.

He apparently sold
his soul to the devil

at the Crossroads for a life
as an incredible musician.

[crowd cheering]

And these 29 or 30 recordings
that we have of him,

stand as like the benchmark
for all blues music

as we know it today.

♪ I got stones in my passway♪

♪ And my road seem
Dark as night♪

[Joe] We went down
to the Crossroads,

and it was kind of a pilgrimage

to come down to
the Mississippi Delta

and see where
the forefathers of the blues,

the music that
you love so dearly

and play every day and listen
to, see where it all began.

[music continues]

And you start thinking
about it in terms of this place,

and while we'’re here,
it'’s Robert Johnson,

Mississippi John Hurt,
Charlie Patton, Son House.

All these guys, you know,

they'’ve been covered and talked
about and revered and loved.

All this mystery
basically started,

basically where I'’m standing.

[music continues]

♪ I got a good woman
That I'’m loving hard♪

♪ She don'’t mean a thing♪

Right now, I'’m looking
at Highway 61.

You know, a sign for Highway 61.

And it'’s like, you know,

I learned how
to play slide guitar

from listening to Johnny Winter.

And doing the Dylan cover
of "Highway 61 Revisited."

I mean, there'’s
something about this part
of the world musically

that'’s mystical,
and the Crossroads represent...

where blues began.

♪ Stones all in my pass♪

When you go down to Rosedale,

and you go down,
there'’s one street,

a strip of buildings,
and then there'’s levees,

and you go, "Okay, this is
where Charlie Patton wrote
about '’High Water Everywhere.'’"

This is where it all felt right

and it all book-ended
from myth to story to music,

but this feels authentic to me.

This is where they said
Robert Johnson sold his soul.

But, you know,
in our world, Kev,

this is where it all
started for Robert Johnson,

who paved the way for guys

like Muddy Waters
and Howlin'’ Wolf

the generation later.

[Kevin]
The story was that if
an aspiring blues man

waited by the side of
a deserted country road

in the dark
of a moonless night,

then Satan himself
might come

and tune his guitar,

sealing a pact for
the blues man'’s soul

and guaranteeing a lifetime
of easy money, women and fame.

And this is where they
said Robert Johnson

sold his soul to the devil,
right there at the Crossroads.

Wow.Is there anything
attractive about fame,

women and money that
you'’d sell your soul for?

I mean, when you put it
in those terms, it doesn'’t
seem like a bad deal.

And you get your guitar tuned.

By the way, I'’ve sold out
for much less in my career.

[both laugh]

[Kevin] Just a mile
down the road,
there'’s a farm...

There'’s the levee.
I can see the levee.

They said
the levee'’s around here...

And so the idea came
up to celebrate the music

of Muddy Waters
and Howlin'’ Wolf.

I was born in a little
town called Rolling Fork.

I was raised up in Clarksdale...

raised up out on
the Stovall Plantation.

And finally in 1943,
I moved to Chicago.

[Joe]
The first concert, we pay
tribute to two of the seminal

figures in Chicago blues.

Two huge influences on me

and, really, my conduit
into the British blues,

which I really got
into when I was a kid.

The program begins
with Muddy Waters.

♪ I put a tiger in your tank♪

[Joe] One of the things
I'’ve always noticed

about the blues
forefathers, our heroes,

there'’s a dignity to their life.

It wasn'’t that
they were rich men.

They were destitute and poor,
but there was a dignity,

it was a quiet dignity that they
all carried themselves with.

♪ I put a tiger in your tank♪

♪ I like the way
You'’re looking♪

♪ Love your little car♪

♪ But the tires are too slow♪

♪ They can'’t go very far♪

I found with the tribute shows
in the last three years,

my limitations as an artist
and singer, especially,

have given the music
a different twist.

You know, I can'’t walk up
there and sing "Spoonful"
like Howlin'’ Wolf.

I can'’t walk up there and sing
"Spoonful" like Jack Bruce.

But I can sing it
like myself

and do it with
my utmost conviction.

♪ Want you to feel good So you jump and you shout♪

[blues music playing]

[Anton]
Yeah, we were actually
on the bus kinda studying

some of the old tapes,
and it'’s just classic.

And they had
such style and grace,

the way Muddy Waters
and Howlin'’ Wolf

and a lot of the other guys
were playing.

It'’s just so beautiful
and so it'’s kinda really

like an honor to be
playing the music.

You know, the thing about
Joe is that he has been able

to take the blues and put
it on a stadium level.

So it'’s like really, like huge.

It'’s almost like arena blues.

♪ I would rather be dead♪

♪ Sleeping six feet
In the ground♪

[blues music playing]

♪ How many more years♪

[Roy] That'’s a big opportunity
for Joe and for us in general,

to be able to celebrate
other people'’s music,

do it in a way that supports
a whole category of music
known as the blues.

And ultimately it is
a tribute to my influences,

but it'’s also done under

the Keeping the Blues
Alive Foundation.

And the idea is to not
only bring the blues

to another generation,

but it also is
to raise money

so we can get kids some
instruments in schools.

And if you give
one kid the seed

and it grows and it comes out

to be the next big
blues rock star.

Then I go, "You know what?
I'’ve done my job."

I'’ve done what I set out to do
so many years ago.

Not only have I developed
a little career for myself,
but I'’ve also helped others

the same way B.B. King helped
me when I was 12 years old.

So that'’s kind of full circle.

Unfortunately,
the funding for that stuff

has really dried up.

And if you don'’t keep the blues

somewhat in people'’s minds
and in their hearts,

you know,
it could easily fade away.

♪ Don'’t you know We'’re riding with the kings♪

[Roy] And consequently from
that, the Three Kings was born.

And you know, this is
a really interesting

opportunity for Joe,
because talk about three artists

that really meant
something to him,

in that, at the soul
of who he is.

[blues music playing]

♪ When your down and out♪

♪ And you feel real hurt♪

♪ Come on over♪

♪ To the place where I work♪

♪ And all your loneliness♪

♪ I'’ll try to soothe♪

♪ I'’ll play the blues
For you♪

[crowd cheering]

♪ If you'’re down and out♪

♪ And you feel real hurt♪

♪ Come on over♪

Freddie, Albert and, of course,

a mentor of mine, Mr. B.B. King.

And by paying tribute to them
is not saying I'’m one of them.

It'’s music that I'’ve adored
and loved and worshipped,

and to get
the opportunity to play

in front of people
with these great giant bands,

you know, 7-piece,
8-piece, 11-piece.

♪ Just come on in♪

♪ You might run across♪

♪ Some of your old friends♪

♪ All your loneliness♪

And the third concert,
we paid tribute

to more on the guitar side,

Eric Clapton,

Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck,

book-ending it.
The difference being the people

that Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton
and Jimmy Page learned from,

we were tributing at the front.

And by the time,
three years later,

we got to the students.

And I'’m a student
of the students.

And that'’s one of
the biggest things

that'’s not lost on me
is the fact that this music

is passed down.

Almost, you know,
it takes on a different form

every time it'’s passed down.

[rock music playing]

And every so often,

you kinda have to
shuffle the deck of cards

and bring the blues
back into the forefront,

or at least attempt
to do that.

And that'’s what the whole
Keeping the Blues Alive
Foundation is designed to do.

It'’s designed to give away
instruments and money

and promote all things blues
in whatever, what style

of blues you like
or what background
or culture you'’re from.

I mean, it'’s like, that music
moves people for a reason.

It has been for 100 years.

And it'’s all done without
the help of computers

and it'’s honest,
and it'’s honest music.

And whether it stacks up
to what stuff'’s supposed
to sound like today,

I don'’t care.

♪ I get lost in alibis♪

♪ Sadness can'’t prevail♪

♪ Everyone knows Strong love can'’t fail♪

♪ Don'’t be pretending♪

♪ About how you feel♪

♪ Don'’t be pretending♪

♪ That your love is real♪

♪ Don'’t be pretending♪

[Roy] I sometimes wonder myself,
how hard is it to do this
day in and day out?

And there'’s nobody more
passionate than Joe Bonamassa.

when it comes to playing
an instrument as a living.

There'’s no question in my mind
that he loves what he does.

But you gotta wonder, still,
how hard is it to do that

day in and day out?

To pick up an instrument,

and to give yourself
to an audience in a way

where you'’re leaving every
bit of emotion and soul

that you have on the stage
when you walk off.

I mean, I don'’t think
most people understand
how hard that is.

♪ Pretending♪

♪ Pretending♪

[Joe]
The next generation
of the blues is gonna look

completely different
than what it does now,

and what it did in the '’60s,

and certainly what it
sounded like in the '’20s.

The youth of this generation

has access to an infinite
amount of information,

an infinite amount of music,

an infinite amount of influences
that will be mixed up

and it'’s gonna sound
completely different

than how people like myself
and my contemporaries

who are now in their
early 40s listen to it.

I can say I played slide
at the Crossroads, there you go.
There'’s a bucket list thing.

So I'’m very interested to
see where the influences
are gonna come from,

and how the blues is
going to be interpreted

in the next 10, 20,
30, 40, 50 years.

After I'’m dead, I don'’t care.

[interviewer laughs]

♪ Who draws the crowd
And plays so loud♪

♪ Baby, it'’s the guitar man♪

♪ Who'’s gonna steal the show You know, baby♪

♪ It'’s the guitar man♪

♪ He can make you love♪

♪ And he can make you cry♪

♪ He will bring you down And then he'’ll get you high♪

♪ Something keeps him going Miles and miles a day♪

♪ To find another
Place to play♪

♪ Night after night
Who treats you right♪

♪ Baby, it'’s the guitar man♪

♪ Who'’s on the radio♪

♪ You go and listen
To the guitar man♪

♪ Then he comes to town
And you see his face♪

♪ And you think you might
Like to take his place♪

♪ Something keeps
Him drifting...♪

That was in that photo.

It'’s what? Four?

Four generations.Four generations.

That trumpet is
from about probably

the mid-1920s
to early 1930s.

But it started
the whole--

Yeah, it started it.

The whole musical thing.

♪ You want to get
The meaning♪

♪ Out of each
And every song♪

♪ So you find yourself
A message and the words♪

♪ To call your own♪

♪ You take them home♪

But you can'’t be in
Rosedale, Mississippi without...

stopping here.

One of my favorite
Robert Johnson songs

is a song called
"Hot Tamales."

And here is most likely
the inspiration for that song.

And oddly enough,
it says Joe'’s.

So, White Front Cafe,
Joe'’s Hot Tamale place.

So there you go.

You can'’t come all
this way not say

a little something
about that.

And it'’s a Mississippi
historical preservation site,

as it should be.

See, just a gem.

There you go.

♪ Something keeps
Him moving♪

♪ But no one
Seems to know♪

♪ What it is that
Makes him go♪

♪ Then the lights
Begin to flicker♪

♪ And the sound
Is getting dim♪

♪ The voice begins
To falter♪

♪ And the crowds
Are getting thin♪

♪ But he never
Seems to notice♪

♪ He'’s just got to find
Another place to play♪

♪ Fade away♪

♪ He'’s got to play♪

♪ Fade away♪

♪ Got to play♪

♪ Fade away♪