If it wasn't for certain British musicians of the early 1960s, the Blues genre may well never have exploded into Rock music as we know it today, and indeed may have passed into history. Though bands like John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones were instrumental in transplanting American blues music to Britain, in one crucial way The Yardbirds were the most important of the early British blues bands. For it was through The Yardbirds that arguably the three greatest British blues guitarists passed – Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Through the playing of these three extraordinary musicians, American blues became transformed into the harder-edged, more aggressive, grittier, and louder sound that constituted British Blues. This ultimately lead to a revolutionary transformation of not just blues but also rock music, with perhaps Page’s next band, Led Zeppelin, as the ultimate culmination of this blues-rock movement.

A young burgeoning guitarist named Joe Bonamassa became enthralled with this music and as he grew into a prodigy in his own right, the British blues always remained his most important influence. To pay homage to this music that so moved and inspired him since he was a kid, Joe Bonamassa is playing a special tribute concert to the music of Clapton, Beck, and Page. “A Salute to the British Blues Explosion” returns Joe Bonamassa to the gorgeous Red Rocks Amphitheatre where he recorded another famous tribute concert, that time to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

Bonamassa’s Salute to the British Blues Explosion is coordinated with his charitable organization Keeping the Blues Alive, whose mission is to do just that by providing resources and funding to music students and school music programs in need. Keeping the Blues Alive received the benefits of Joe’s Muddy Wolf tribute.

Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page changed guitar playing, the blues, and rock music forever. Don’t miss your chance to hear contemporary blues-rock superstar Joe Bonamassa pay homage to these three musical giants by playing deep cuts that represent them throughout their entire careers, from The Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin and beyond!

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