The story so far has been mine and explains why I was compelled to make the long journey to London to be a part of the crowning event in Joe Bonamassa’s career. I know that it is truly a new beginning. Joe’s story is much more complex and many know his story of opening for BB King at twelve. His stint in the band Bloodline and his solo career that started in 2000. Really 20 years toiling at his craft. Changeing his band his stage show and his style of playing. All things that played apart in his rise in popularity.

I remeber his first trip to Europe and how well he did. The Rockpalast appearance latter released on DVD. The feeling that he was really going to break there first. Something about American Blues Based artists being better received much better there than here. I don’t know all the pieces of the puzzle that came together to make not only the date possible but to sell it out in 6 days. I only know that it was a much deserved that Joe made every lucky break he recieved. My friend Mike Williams has a saying about the harder I work the luckier I get. Well that my friends is Joe.

In the fall of 2003 Joe was booked to open for Peter Frampton. There was a date at a fesival in Richardson Texas. Fellow forum member and future friend also attended this show. Although we never actually met there it did start an email relationship after we realized that our paths did cross in Texas. I bring this up now since I am telling this story in a chronological order which helps me remember things a little better. The tour went on to include many theatres across the US. One such stop was in Ardmore Oklahoma where a fan of Framptons who also was a fan of Joe’s had booked the show.

Aubry Harris contacted me because he knew I was a fan in OKC 90 mile to the north of Ardmore. He had booked Joe to play an after party at the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Ardmore. He was selling VIP tables and I was more than happy to buy one. During our conversation he said while talking to Joe’s manager my name had come up and he encouraged me to pursue booking Joe in OKC again. Something he probably later regretted but that is a whole other story.

One of my motivations to get Joe to play Oklahoma City was simply just to build his fanbase here so he would return and I would no longer have to make these roadtrips. He would come to me. I was in the middle of one of my most successful periods in my own contracting business which proved to be also one of the most stressful times as well. Joe I guess was my therapy. I had something else to occupy my mind after 5:00 when I would often resort to the worries of the upcoming day.

The few shows I attended during this time I would arrive early and have a chance to talk to Kenny Joe’s drummer at the time and Roscoe his tourmanager. I never really wanted to bother Joe who was alway cordial but I would say warry of this new fixture at their shows. He was a little perplexed that someone would travel distances to see him and possibly wondered at the state of my sanity. I gave him his space because I wasn’t in to guitars which is a common language he speaks I just dug the band.

I saw something in Joe as an artist that I connected with. It took me back to the time when my love of music began. I thought of the first concert experience I had sitting at the feet of Jimmy Page in 1970 and the energy that he displayed. Those early shows at the Oklahoma Civic Center when acts Like Mountain, Grand Funk Rail Road, Jethro Tull, Tapeze, Black Sabbath, and many more would transform that venue in to a raccous thundering house of blues based rock. The Joe Bonamassa at that time was a Power Trio at its truest form. Edgy in your face, take no prisoners, balls to the wall band.

In 2002 I got a promo pack for an artist by the name of of Joe Bonamassa. It was a CD A New Day Yesterday which was produced by legendary producer Tom Dowd. There also was a video press kit with very quotes from the likes of BB King and Phil Ramone. There also were two clips from a live video. After watching the video I knew I had to see him form myself.