Joe Bonamassa Once Named Eric Clapton His All-Time Favorite Guitarist and Now They’re Teaming Up on a B.B. King Classic

A New Collaboration Built on Admiration

Joe Bonamassa’s large-scale tribute to B.B. King was first announced in September, complete with an impressive lineup of guest musicians. Now, that list has grown even stronger. Bonamassa is joining forces with Eric Clapton and Chaka Khan for a new version of King’s iconic song “The Thrill Is Gone,” which will appear on the upcoming album B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100. The record is set for release on February 6.

For many fans, the pairing of Bonamassa and Clapton is a major highlight. For Bonamassa, it carries even more weight. In a Guitar World column published last year, he named Clapton as his favorite singer, songwriter, and guitar player of all time. The respect goes much deeper than simple admiration. On his own website, Bonamassa wrote about Clapton’s character, saying, “I find that the higher you go up the ladder sometimes, the more humble and nice people are. That’s truly the case of Eric Clapton; he’s my hero and the reason I play the way I play, just basically one of those guys who plus the guitar straight into an amp and it sounds like him.”

This upcoming track is not the first time the two have shared the stage. Their most memorable exchange came in 2009 during Bonamassa’s Royal Albert Hall performance, where they traded solos on Bobby Bland’s “Further On Up the Road.” That moment became a career breakthrough for Bonamassa and was later included on his Live From The Royal Albert Hall album.

A Build-Up of Monthly Releases and New Partnerships

While fans wait for the Clapton and Khan collaboration to be revealed, Bonamassa has continued to roll out new music connected to the project. The latest installment, B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, Vol. III, includes several fresh covers of King’s classics. Bonamassa performs “Sweet Little Angel” with Buddy Guy, joins Larkin Poe for “Don’t You Want A Man Like Me,” teams up with Trombone Shorty and Eric Gales for “Heartbreaker,” works with Jimmie Vaughan on “Watch Yourself,” and pairs with Larry McCray for “When It All Comes Down (I’ll Still Be Around).”

The full 32-track album is being released in monthly sections leading up to February. Bonamassa and Josh Smith are producing the project, which aims to honor King’s influence with care and respect. Bonamassa explains the responsibility he feels behind it, saying, “When B.B. was alive and active, he was the blues – he was the sun which all planets rotated around. You only get one shot to do this correctly. And I think we nailed it.”

What Comes Next

Bonamassa has not shared details yet about how Clapton and Chaka Khan approach their version of “The Thrill Is Gone,” keeping expectations high as the release date approaches.