I may be misinformed. But after watching the Royal Albert Hall video and watching some Youtube clips, it seems like JB was bred for playing music. Like he grew up with a silver spoon of music in his mouth, was encouraged and supported every step of the way. This really shouldn't matter because the guy has talent. But when I hear "prodigy". I think of someone who has an amazing affinity for something. JB seems like his virtuosity was manufactured. As such his playing seems a little too contrived. It feels cheaper in some way. And it probably shouldn't.
While he had the advantage of being in a family with strong musical influences, I don't think it's accurate to say he "grew up with a silver spoon of music in his mouth". His father was a local musician who ran a music store and Joe got his first guitar when he was 4 years old. But the "prodigy" talent was there and it was apparently his own love of playing that drove him, not the parental influence. He's often commented that, when other kids were playing sports or hanging out at the mall, all he wanted to do was practice on his guitar. By the time he was 7, he was playing SRV solos note-for-note, and he had his first professional gig at the age of 11 or so, as I recall. It is true that he attracted the attention--and tutelage--of Danny Gatton around that time, but this was based upon his talent and potential, not through any special connections or family influence. His biggest musical influences (other than Gatton, of course) were the great British blues/rock guitarists of the late '60's and early '70's, notably Clapton, Page, Beck, and Paul Kossoff (Free).
It's interesting that, in his mid-teens, Joe played in a band called "Bloodline" with a bunch of young guys who
did have the benefit of a silver musical spoon--Berry Oakley Jr. (the deceased ABB bassist's son), Waylon Krieger (Robby's son) and Erin Davis (Miles' son). Of the four, AFAIK Joe is the only one to make a real dent in the music biz as a performer. That despite being the only one
without a famous musician father.
After considering throwing in the towel on pursuing a musical career in his early 20's, Bonamassa decided to stick with it and labored on the blues touring circuit in relative anonymity for many years. Though he caught the attention of the blues crowd in the early 2000's and released a series of albums that were critically well received, it really wasn't until around 2008 or so that he really started getting wider attention. The Royal Albert Hall show was something of a "coming out party" for him. Up to that time, he was more popular in Europe than he was here in his own country.
My point is that, aside from what you may think of his music and guitar stylings, he has gotten to where he is through a combination of talent and MANY years of hard work, period.
