In just over one year, Joe Bonamassa and the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation have exceeded expectations for their fundraising goals, by bringing in $500,000 to benefit their Fueling Musicians Program. The initiative provides immediate $1,500 cash payments to musicians to help them get back on the road after being sidelined for over a year following the COVID-19 touring halt.

The Keeping The Blues Alive 2nd annual Stream-A-Thon, hosted by Bonamassa, was a spectacular display of musicianship and featured more than 3 1/2 hours of music performances from over 35 talented musicians including some of Joe’s legendary friends and rising stars. Fans in more than 42 countries tuned in to watch the lineup which included Toto, Dion, Ana Popovic, Warren Haynes, Bobby Rush, Joanna Connor, Jared James Nichols, Emily Wolfe, and many more.

“I am so proud of this event. Our wonderful team did a magnificent job on our second KTBA Stream-A-Thon. We raised over $45,000 in an afternoon, all of which will be given to artists in desperate need of relief.” commented Joe. “I want to thank everyone who participated, contributed, and donated their time to make this happen. Reaching as many musicians as possible has been our goal from the beginning and I am pleased to see that we will be able to help hundreds of musicians get the music started again. The more donations we receive, the more help we can provide.”

In addition to Joe’s philanthropic endeavors, Bonamassa recently performed a critically acclaimed Blues Rock Trio concert from “music’s best address”, ACL Live, on April 1 to a socially distanced crowd and a global audience via livestream. This incredible performance is ONLY available on-demand thru the end of the week (May 2). Each ticket includes a donation to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians program. Head here to watch and support the show.

Keeping The Blues Alive Records released a very special collaboration digital album created by the legendary Jimmy Vivino (music director, Conan), to help Joe raise money for musicians in need. The Blue Quarantinos is made up of Jimmy on guitar/vocals together with Jesse Williams on bass and Rob Paparozzi on harp. The aptly named album Phoning It In was recorded quarantine-style via Zoom, Skype and studio tracking. 20 special guests including Dion, Joe Bonamassa, North Mississippi All Stars, Shemekia Copeland and many more donated their talents on 12 amazing tracks. 100% of the proceeds will go to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians Program. Download / stream here.

(Photo - Robert Sutton)