Robin Davey has accused Joe Bonamassa of damaging modern blues, claiming the guitarist’s influence has left a generation of players making music that is commercially driven, creatively stagnant and “devoid of soul.”
“The blues today has been screwed up by Joe Bonamassa,” says Davey, guitarist for American roots-rock band Beaux Gris Gris & the Apocalypse and the youngest player ever inducted into the British Blues Hall of Fame.
“His influence has permeated through the younger generations, and it hurts my ears. It is devoid of soul. It is all about maximizing profits and maximizing Joe’s ego.”
Davey’s comments coincide with the release of his second solo album, The Blues According to Gutbucket Slim, which he describes as his own vision of where the genre should go. He takes aim not only at Bonamassa but also at what he sees as the dominance of white blues guitarists on the festival circuit.
“I’m tired of the endless stream of white blues that dominates the Blues festival circuit,” he says. “These people can’t write songs; they have no creativity, and they all sound alike — their playing is so devoid of personality.”
Bonamassa, whose career began with high-profile support from B.B. King when he was still a child, remains one of the most prominent figures in contemporary blues. He recently appeared at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and at celebrations for Buddy Guy’s 90th birthday. Davey’s assessment, however, is decidedly less flattering.
The British guitarist is not setting out to recreate the blues of an earlier generation. Instead, he wants to push the music in new directions, drawing on a range of influences that extend well beyond the genre.
“The album is my vision of what the blues can be,” he says. “I grew up listening to Beck, Rage Against the Machine, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King. I grew up listening to Guy Forsyth, who sings a song on this record.”
The album incorporates elements of rap and hip-hop, with Davey ultimately envisioning a sound that falls somewhere between Jimi Hendrix and Gorillaz. He sees it as a challenge to the conventions that, in his view, have come to define modern blues.
“This album is not for the blues purists,” he says. “That generation is gone, and we as a new generation have to think differently about it.”
The record is Davey’s first solo release since 2010’s Blues Emporium, and he is under no illusions about its commercial prospects.
“This record will not be hugely successful,” he admits. “I don’t know if anyone will hear it, but I’m putting it out so that it may help people think differently about what the blues can be.”
Bonamassa, meanwhile, has recently been revisiting some of his own long-held views. The guitarist has acknowledged that he was wrong about digital amps and has also changed his tune on AI.
