Joe Bonamassa celebrates B.B. King with A-list ‘Blues Summit 100’ LP

It’s widely undisputed that B.B. King was truly a king — of the blues, that is. His work redefined the genre in his time, string-bending and staccato picking his solos in such a style that influenced so many artists since.

It helps that he was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta…

Home of the Delta Blues, B.B. King taught himself guitar and brought himself up playing alongside renowned players like Bobby Bland and Johnny Ace on Beale Street, gaining the name “Beale Street Blues Boy” — shortened later to “Blues Boy” before landing on just “B.B.”. A star was born, hitting charting on Billboard by 1952 and soaring to the tippy top of the blues rock world for the remainder of his lifetime.

Passing away in 2015 at the age of 89, B.B. King will always be a name synonymous with the blues… but he also gave major musicians their start, including GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Joe Bonamassa (of Black Country Communion, Bloodline, Rock Candy Funk Party).

Turns out, Bonamassa was only 12 when he started opening for B.B. King.

The blues titan owes a lot to his mentor, which is why Bonamassa decided to head up a tribute project to King come his 100th birthday celebration last year. “What we figured out was that nobody was really doing a tribute record to him,” Bonamassa explains. “It wasn’t really on anyone’s radar. So in January of 2025, we decided to start the B.B. King Blues Summit 100 album.”

One year later, as of last week, the 32-song, star-studded collection is now available for the masses. Of course, B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” had to be included, now featuring the talents of Eric Clapton and Chaka Khan. With the song holding such weight in blues history, Bonamassa and co-producer Josh Smith made sure this reimagined track had no room for oversight. “We used real strings, real horns,” Bonamassa comments. “The budget was whatever it cost, because you only get one chance to do this correctly. And I think we nailed it.”

Beyond Clapton and Chaka Khan, Blues Summit 100 includes 50 other features from big industry names like Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Keb’ Mo’, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, George Benson, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Marcus King, Warren Hayes, Dion, Larkin Poe, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bobby Rush, Michael McDonald, Slash, Aloe Blacc, Trombone Shorty, and more.

“In my opinion,” Bonamassa states, “this is the greatest gathering of blues artists in the last 50 years for a bespoke album that started from scratch. And it came together because of B.B. King himself. No other person could have made this happen.”

And what a tremendous gathering it is.

Available now on all digital outlets, as well as physically via 180-gram triple LP vinyl and 2-LP CD (with a wonderful insert detailing B.B. King’s accomplishments and accolades from Bonamassa himself), B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 proceeds support the Keeping Blues Alive Foundation — commemorating King’s life through the education and preservation of the music, as well as by supporting contemporary blues musicians in need.

To memorialize the release, Joe Bonamassa plans to bring the spirit of B.B. King on the road, with select performances planned with some artists featured on the album around the US. For more information or to get your copy of the limited edition album pressings now, visit the links here.

Track listing:

Disc 1:

1. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, feat. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
2. Don’t Answer The Door, feat. Marcus King
3. To Know You Is To Love You, feat. Michael McDonald, Susan Tedeschi, & Derek Trucks
4. Let The Good Times Roll feat. Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Noah Hunt
5. Sweet Little Angel, feat. Buddy Guy
6. When It All Comes Down (I’ll Still Be Around), feat. Larry McCray
7. When Love Comes To Town, feat. Slash, Shemekia Copeland, & Myles Kennedy
8. The Thrill Is Gone, feat. Chaka Khan & Eric Clapton 
9. Watch Yourself, feat. Jimmie Vaughan
10. Why I Sing The Blues, feat. Bobby Rush
11. Sweet Sixteen, feat. Jimmy Hall & Larry Carlton
12. Don’t You Want A Man Like Me, feat. Larkin Poe
13. I’ll Survive, feat. Keb’ Mo’
14. Heartbreaker, feat. Trombone Shorty & Eric Gales
15. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere, feat. George Benson
16. Chains And Things, feat. Gary Clark Jr.

Disc 2:

1. How Blue Can You Get, feat. Warren Haynes
2. You Upset Me Baby, feat. Chris Cain
3. Ghetto Woman, feat. Ivan Neville
4. Night Life, feat. Paul Rodgers
5. Ain’t Nobody Home, feat. Jade MacRae & Robben Ford
6. Bad Case Of Love, feat. Joanne Shaw Taylor
7. Never Make A Move Too Soon, feat. Dion
8. Three O’Clock Blues, feat. Marc Broussard
9. Think It Over, feat. Train & Chris Buck
10. It’s My Own Fault, feat. Kim Wilson
11. Every Day I Have The Blues, feat. D.K. Harrell
12. Please Accept My Love, feat. John Nemeth
13. So Excited, feat. Aloe Blacc
14. When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer, feat. Dannielle De Andrea
15. Playin’ With My Friends
16. Better Not Look Down, feat. Kirk Fletcher

Stream ‘B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100’ album”

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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.