Joe Bonamassa | MARTY MOFFATT PHOTO

Selena Fragassi - For the Sun-Times

MUSIC 03/08/2017, 12:30pm

The latest edition of “Guitar Player” magazine is a great big S.O.S. for rock and blues music. “Who will save the guitar?” the cover asks, offset by an image of a high schooler crowdsurfing amongst a sea of his dead-eyed peers. The magazine’s editor-in-chief Michael Molenda, citing studies that show 90 percent of teens quit playing guitar after a year of owning the instrument, calls the trend a “potential extinction-level event.”

While many will continue to either scoff at or painstakingly discuss the lifeline of rock and blues in light of shifting tastes, staunch guitar ambassadors like Joe Bonamassa aren’t wasting any time doing something about it.

The blues-rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, one of the most prolific of his era with 16 albums all ranking in the No.1 spot on the Billboard blues charts, founded the nonprofit Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation several years ago. Its mission is to “pass the torch” to a new generation, with scholarships and music programs reaching more than 30,000 students each year.

Though it’s not all solely based on blues formats, the point is to get kids playing music, “which to me is the magic,” Bonamassa says, especially with the threat of arts defunding in public schools. “Music gives kids a positive outlet and something creative, and we can see the benefits of those programs in real time.

Joe Bonamassa | CHRISTINE GOODWIN PHOTOSSLE

Bonamassa estimates the foundation has collectively raised about $500,000 in the last five years through corporate sponsorships with Guitar Center and Ernie Ball and an annual “Blues Alive at Sea” cruise alongside self funding from Bonamassa’s own record sales and tours…

Source: Chicago Sun Times