Rising Guitar Star Joe Bonamassa Will Join His Idols for the First Time at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival on June 26, 2010

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Jun 24, 2010, 08:00 ET

CHICAGO, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Joe Bonamassa will be among the talented group of artists playing Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010, a day-long musical celebration featuring legendary guitarists and artistic collaborations by Clapton and his friends including Allman Brothers Band, BB King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, ZZ Top, and more. The Festival will take place on Saturday, June 26 at Toyota Park in Chicago. Bonamassa is performing on the main stage and is also one of the featured conductors of the Master Guitar Clinics on the Ernie Ball Stage in the Guitar Center Village and will conduct his clinic at 3:30pm.

"I am very honored to participate in such a legendary event and support such a worthy cause," said Bonamassa. "Thank you Eric for inviting me and for keeping the blues alive."

Currently, Bonamassa is working on a side project with new all-star band Black Country Communion comprising legendary vocalist and bass guitarist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), powerhouse drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater). The band's sound is a devastating head-on collision between American and British rock influences—a true supergroup that delivers a titanic rock experience greater than the sum of its supremely talented parts.

Named after the industrial area in Britain where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised, Black Country Communion began rehearsing and recording tracks written by both Bonamassa and Hughes at Shangri-La Studios with producer Kevin Shirley in early 2010. Their debut album will be released in North America on September 21, 2010 on Bonamassa's J&R Adventures imprint. The band is planning a tour of select venues in 2011.