Joe Bonamassa’s love of the British blues is at the heart of his musical inspiration; and, for the first time, is pleased to announce five special concerts paying homage to the British blues rock guitarists that inspired him – Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page - for UK fans in July 2016. This one-time only UK event will be billed as Joe Bonamassa In Concert: A Salute To The British Blues Explosion.

“If it wasn't for certain British musicians of the early 1960s, the Blues may well never have exploded into Rock music as we know it today, and indeed may have passed into history,” says Bonamassa.

Tickets for the  UK concerts will be available as a special pre-sale from Tuesday, January 26th from Planet Rock (www.planetrock.com), 72-hours in advance to the general public – which will go on sale Friday, January 29th from www.ticketmaster.co.uk  and www.jbonamassa.com.  The dates will feature two special concerts performed at heritage castles at Hoghton and Newark, a headline show at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, plus indoor shows in Glasgow and Bristol.

Bonamassa will play Hoghton Tower, Lancashire (Saturday, July 2nd), Glasgow Clyde Auditorium (Sunday, July 3rd), Bristol Colston Hall (Tuesday, July 5th), Greenwich London Music Time Festival (Thursday, July 7th), and Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire (Friday, July 8th).

Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page are some of the greatest guitarists of their time that influenced Joe Bonamassa’s career. All three are Yardbirds alumni, and indeed actually all played together at one time in the same band. Jimmy Page went on to form Led Zeppelin, which became the ultimate electric Blues band and both Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck became international superstars in their own right.

Bonamassa recently announced his brand-new studio solo album, Blues Of Desperation (Provogue), will be released March 25th. Like his previous solo disc, 2014’s Top 10 Billboard hit Different Shades Of Blue, the new album features all-original material, and it sees the maverick superstar guitarist, singer and songwriter tossing away the rule book as he continues to reinvent and redefine the blues-rock genre like no other artist working today.

“I want people to hear my evolution as a blues-rock musician,” says Bonamassa, “somebody who isn’t resting on accomplishments and who is always pushing forward and thinking about how music can evolve and stay relevant.”

The writing sessions for Blues Of Desperation took Bonamassa back to Nashville, where he’d composed Different Shades Of Blue, to work with some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, people like James House, Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Flowers and Gary Nicholson.

“These are some of the best guys in the business,” Bonamassa raves. "Lyrically, you’ll hear the proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about heartbreak and loneliness, but there are also some poignant moments about getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with your special someone. I think anybody will be able to relate.”  

Bonamassa and his long-time producer Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey) convened at Nashville’s Grand Victor Sound Studios (formerly known as RCA Studio A), and during an intense, five-day period they recorded 11 galvanizing songs with a crack group of musicians including drummers Anton Fig and Greg Morrow, bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans, horn players Lee Thornburg, Paulie Cerra and Mark Douthit, and background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae and Juanita Tippins.

Tracklisting:

“This Train”
“Mountain Climbing”
“Drive”
“No Good Place For The Lonely”
“Blues Of Desperation”
“The Valley Runs Low”
“You Left Me Nothin' But The Bill And The Blues”
“Distant Lonesome Train”
“How Deep This River Runs”
“Livin' Easy”
“What I've Known For A Very Long Time”

Trailer: