"Famously private bluesman tells all."

Anyone who has Joe Bonamassa’s career pegged as ‘album, tour, repeat’ might be surprised by Guitar Man. Early on, the guitarist posts a disclaimer for anyone foolish enough to expect rock piggery (“I’m not exactly showbiz material”). But this engaging documentary unearths drama, humor and heartache you never knew was there. Bonamassa is excellent on the knotty gear-shift from child star to adult artist(“Suddenly you’re 18, and no one cares”). He’s good-humored on the exhumed footage of his floppy fringed alt. rock youth, and enjoyably snippy on losing his major-label deal (“I ain’t playing this pop shit any more”). The best chapter finds a heartbroken Bonamassa and his band draining 12 bottles of wine daily during recording sessions for 2009’s The Ballad Of John Henry, while it’s fascinating to learn that if he hadn’t filled what turned out to be his breakthrough show at London’s Royal Albert Hall that year he’d have gone bankrupt.

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"High-quality hat-tip to one of the world’s great guitarists."

Despite more No 1 Blues albums than any other artist, the unassuming Bonamassa still has something of a branding problem. Cue this expertly assembled profilepiece, which charts a blues-rocky road from teen prodigy to arena-filler in 140-odd minutes. It’s a great watch, soundtracked by sparkling guitar playing and crunched with entertaining interviewees: step forward production honcho Kevin “Caveman” Shirley and Jason Bonham, Joe’s bandmate in Zep-a-like supergroup Black Country Communion. A Clapton geek and self-confessed “student of the students” of the blues, his life story doubles as a light essay on the genre’s legacy in the 21st century.

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"An incredible dive into the creative process."

When I heard this documentary was on the horizon I must admit I was a tad excited, I have long been a great admirer of Joe Bonamassa, but it wasn’t always the case. Many moons ago whilst standing in my hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland whilst waiting outside one of our top live venues The Limelight I was looking up at a poster on the wall, a Mr. Joe Bonamassa had just recently played, and on this poster, there were quotes from the press praising Joe as the next guitar god, as I stood there looking at this poster I thought to myself “Who the fuck is Joe Bonamassa?”

Kevin Shirley explains it better than me, Joe’s had more No.1 Blues albums than B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Eric Clapton and still, people will ask Joe Bona-who? And that kinda sums up Joe’s journey to the top, here we have a really intriguing story about a man who is a relatively quiet person in private and an absolute animal on stage. As Kevin once again helps to explain he is almost two people in one. Picking up the guitar at 4 years of age Bonamassa set out at a very young age on a path that would not only define him but change the landscape of modern-day Blues for all who would follow him.

Blistering his way through his childhood he gained notoriety in his hometown and any six-string-slinger who would come through had this scrawny kid on their heels showing them how it was done. Gaining notoriety and press attention he was given the opportunity to open for B.B. King one day before his 12th birthday, can you even comprehend that? 8,500 people watched an 11-year-old wail on that guitar as he shot out a statement of intent of what was to come. What do you do with a child prodigy that is so ready to make his mark but realistically the industry and public just can’t fully embrace at such a young age? Find yourself the perfect management team to help shape the career of the next big thing, Roy Weisman was the man who stepped up to help guide Joe through the murky waters of the music industry after beating off stiff competition for his signature, but his family-style hands-on approach was exactly what was needed for such a young talent to help him grow and develop into a stellar musician. Weisman knew of the need to provide Joe with a healthy musical education and Bloodline was formed, a band of brothers all with one thing in common, famous musical parents, from the son of Myles Davis to the son of Robby Kreiger of the Doors and so on, in the mix was Joe a gawky teen who was taking the guitar world by storm. A deal with EMI, one record and a second on the horizon, 5 years of graft all came to nothing as the peasants started to revolt, Joe’s work ethic was Cleary at odds of other band members and alas they disbanded.

Steve Van Zant of Bruce Springsteen fame stepped in to guide Joe beyond Bloodline but it wasn’t going the direction Joe wanted and lead to a few years of frustration through the challenges of the day giving and taking away, Joe becoming a casualty of a troubled and cruel industry and it’s an ever-changing landscape and it’s open ability to keep up. Eventually, Joe and Roy worked out that the only way they could ever do things their way was to go it alone and J&R Adventures was set-up. The adventure had indeed started and the search had begun to find the producer who could take Joe to the next level. Enter Kevin Shirley, Kevin has been a stalwart in Joe’s career ever since and the two bounce off each other in such a way that is mesmerizing to see, Kevin has worked at the very top with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Dream Theater and Aerosmith to name but a few and Bonamassa have benefited from his guidance and mentorship together producing some of the finest Blues albums over the last two decades. The documentary takes you through the crazy highs and lows that come with such a high level of dedication from everyone involved. You follow the evolution of Joe through his recordings and the way in which Kevin pushes the boundaries each and every time getting the absolute best out of him, the risks they take through their constant need to remove themselves from their comfort zones and into unchartered waters with unknown levels of success out the other end. Blind faith if you will in each other and a level of trust that few musicians and their producers have that allow for total freedom of expression.

You follow their various approaches on each album and the level of dedication required to achieve the very best results, the journey across their now 14 year collaboration that has brought Joe to stratospheric levels and the reality of what was required to get there, the personal sacrifices and unwavering belief that it was possible. Unbelievably Joe now in his early 40’s has been working for three decades as a professional musician, it’s something that I can barely comprehend and fully understand what that takes, as an individual especially in an industry that takes so much from those who fully give themselves to it.

A truly fascinating insight into the man himself, set up beautifully for fans of Bonamassa and the Blues alike with an incredible dive into the creative process, pull up a pew sit back and enjoy.

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Joe Bonamassa’s “Guitar Man” documentary is released by Paramount Home Entertainment on video-on-demand and digital.

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