Joe Bonamassa names the five greatest frontmen of all time
Oozing the essence of Americana, blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa is symbolic of a type of playing that is very much rooted in the past. Putting a modern twist on the genre, the suited Les Paul wielder has succeeded with this formula by carrying on the torch for the greats that established it.
I first came across Bonamassa when I was a bare-chested and clueless 15-year-old taking his first steps into adulthood by dedicating a week to work experience. Saving myself from the languor of stacking bread supermarket shelves or the mind-numbing chore of filling in spreadsheet cells, I enquired at a local guitar shop to see if they’d have me, and luckily, they did.
A few things stick out about that rather enjoyable week. Primarily, I did very little work to do with guitars and spent most of my time making tea for the men who worked there. Yet, it was a consequential experience that reinforced sentiments I still hold today. Furthermore, a constant presence in those five days was Joe Bonamassa’s 2009 release Live from the Royal Albert Hall, almost constantly playing in the background.
I absolutely despised it. The widdly technicality on display and blues scales were then anathema to my younger self. I cared much more for the entry-level angst of Nirvana than I did for the commendable work of the American guitarist. However, in the years since, I’ve developed a respect for Bonamassa due to his refined work on the fretboard and his excellent understanding of music.
Not only does Bonamassa approach the blues with the utmost respect in reworking it for the contemporary era, but the way he approaches discussion of other musicians’ work is underpinned by a level of genuine insight that only someone who has dedicated their whole life to the craft could have – an increasingly rare feat.
While he has produced many intriguing accounts, one particularly stands out: his five greatest frontmen of all time. When speaking to Classic Rock, in 2021, Bonamassa revealed that he thinks Bono, Mick Jagger, and Free’s Paul Rodgers are the greatest to ever take the stage, behind his hero, the iconic bluesman B.B. King, of course.
His mention of this list came by way of U2’s 1988 song ‘When Love Comes to Town’, which features B.B. King himself. “To me, Bono is right up there with Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, and Paul Rodgers as one of the greatest frontmen in rock,” Bonamassa asserted. “But when you watch the video of this song that was broadcast on MTV – back when the ‘M’ stood for ‘music’ – you can see that even Bono himself knows there is only one King on that stage – first name Riley.”
Listen to ‘When Love Comes to Town’ below.
