Joe Bonamassa - British Blues Explosion Live

In 2016, Joe Bonamassa paid tribute to his British blues heroes during a small but memorable tour of the UK. One of those shows was recorded at Greenwich Music Time at the Old Royal Naval College on July 7.

The impact of the British Blues Boom on Joe Bonamassa cannot be overstated. From a young age, he was impressed by the gritty, edgy, hard-rocking sound that emerged in the mid-1960s. In particular, the innovative and challenging guitar playing of the three heavyweights Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page left an indelible impression.

Joe considers it essential that both current and future generations of blues musicians continue to discover this music.

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

And that is certainly true. The explosion of British blues at the time created an essential bridge between blues and rock and had an enormous influence on so many musicians.