Joe Bonamassa drops new tracks from B.B. King LP

Joe Bonamassa is an artist who’s contributed an extraordinary piece to modern blues mythology; a kid from upstate New York who, at just 12 years old, opened for B.B. King and never looked back. Three decades later, he stands as one of the genre’s great torchbearers, a living bridge between the old masters and the next generation. His music has always been a dialogue between tradition and progress, the past whispering through the frets while the future hums beneath his fingertips. With over 40 albums released under his own J&R Adventures label, two Grammy nominations and a staggering 23 number-one records on the Billboard Blues Chart, Joe has built a legacy on virtuosity, endurance and heart.

Beyond his monumental career as a performer, Joe’s devotion to music’s greater good has been just as significant. In 2011, he founded the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting music education across the United States, funding classrooms and giving young musicians the tools to make music. During the pandemic, his Fueling Musicians Program also raised over $350,000 to help touring artists get back on their feet.

Now, as he continues to develop both as an artist and a curator of legacy, Joe Bonamassa turns his attention once again to his greatest influence, B.B. King. His latest project titled B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, Vol. III, marks the newest instalment in an ambitious tribute series celebrating what would have been King’s centennial year. Released through KTBA Records, this latest volume gathers an incredible roster of collaborators to reimagine the timeless spirit of King’s music, artists who carry the blues flame in their own distinct ways, from veterans to visionaries.

Among its highlights are five sensational collaborations that cut across genre and generation including “When Love Comes to Town,” the U2 classic that famously paired Bono with King in 1988, which gets a bold reimagining with Shemekia Copeland taking King’s vocal parts, Myles Kennedy stepping in for Bono and Slash adding his stellar guitar work. Marcus King lends his voice and guitar to “Don’t Answer The Door,” a song co-producer Josh Smith describes as “massive,” recalling an earlier jam session that planted the seed for this performance.

Jade MacRae and Robben Ford bring equal parts fire and panache to “Ain’t Nobody Home,” pairing powerful vocals with Robben’s soulful, fluid guitar phrasing. In “Paying The Cost To Be The Boss,” Christone “Kingfish” Ingram channels his sonic brilliance into one of King’s most defining anthems, embodying what Josh calls “the future of the blues.”

The collection closes with “You Upset Me Baby,” featuring the deeply respected Chris Cain, whose reverence for King shine through every moment. Across these tracks, Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith’s production balances respectful tribute with new energy, resulting in an outing that’s at once a superb standalone release as well as a thrilling taste of the highly anticipated full record. With the thirty two-track version of B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 set to drop on the 6th of February, fans will have much to look forward to from this expansive homage to one of the greatest musicians of all time.

Listen to B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, Vol. IV below