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Joe Bonamassa: The Quiet Prince

One reason that Bonamassa can do all of these projects is that he has been putting out his own product for years. J&R Adventures, his label/ management company, is a venture that he started with his manager Roy Weisman some years ago so that Bonamassa could be, in a sense, his own boss. This situation allows him the flexibility to do things that he wants to do, and, as he proclaims with a laugh, “Freedom is awesome!”

During a late summer break in touring, for example, he spent a week in the studio with his drummer, Tal Bergman, recording an album of instrumental funk music and he didn’t have to worry about label interference warning him that this project might be bad for his brand image.

J&R Adventures came out of necessity, Bonamassa admits, not because of a grand plan. “No one would freaking help out” to get on major label deal. The big labels, he says, all viewed him as someone who was still playing “BBQ joints and Holiday Inns.”

But he has had the last laugh. J&R now releases Bonamassa’s records, books the shows, sells merchandise and he controls his destiny more than if he were on a major label. While Bonamassa’s sales aren’t at Beyonce levels, his albums consistently top the Billboard blues charts and his latest release, Driving, reached No. 2 in the U.K., less than 100 copies from the highest spot. (Bonamassa modestly adds that it was the lowest selling week of the year.)

He openly acknowledges that his fans have helped him succeed and he is grateful for this support. In the ever-changing music business environment, Bonamassa views concerts as being critical to an artist’s success and says the recipe for a memorable gig is to put on an “honest and authentic” show because the “ticket-buying public is hip and savvy.”

He states that he knows how hard it is to play Peoria, Ill. on a Tuesday night, because he has performed for a handful of Peorians on a Tuesday night, and is “happy that I can now attract a couple thousand people to see me.”

In talking to Bonamassa, you get a sense that he doesn’t take his accomplishments for granted. To him, being a working musician is the definition of making it. When mentioning how lucky he is to be making a living as a musician, he talks about personally knowing talented but poor musicians who “who have to eke a living out playing $50 jingle sessions.”

Even after his many years of heavy touring and prolific recording, Bonamassa professes to have more enthusiasm now than a decade ago, and he has some good reasons, too.

In his younger days, he was struggling for his daily bread and now, he can not only afford his bread daily but also a house in Malibu, too. And when he goes to guitar store, he doesn’t have to just window shop.

Considering his renown among guitarists, it’s not surprising that Gibson has produced several Bonamassa Signature Les Paul models. An inveterate guitar collector himself, Bonamassa finds that this is an honor that is “pretty fantastic.” Gibson, however, wasn’t a Johnny-come-lately in courting Bonamassa. The fabled guitar company believed in him back in the day and signed him up early, which makes the business relationship feel organic to him.