Joe Bonamassa launches extensive tour

Hard-working blues-rocker Joe Bonamassa [ tickets ] has mapped out a tour itinerary that will take him across North America and beyond through next year.The singer/songwriter/guitarist is scheduled to play a May 18 gig at the Doheny Blues Festival in Dana Point, CA, before officially launching the tour June 8 with a two-night stand in Alexandria, VA. Bonamassa will visit venues across the US, including a host of blues and jazz festivals, and cross over to Ontario, Canada, for a few shows in October. He'll also jet to the UK for a short run of dates in July and November.The performer's North American itinerary, which stretches into March 2009, is listed below. Overseas dates can be found at Bonamassa's website.The guitar virtuoso continues to support his seventh solo album, "Sloe Gin," which surfaced last fall, snagged the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart and remains in the Top 10 after 38 weeks. The set includes several originals along with the Ten Years After classic "One of These Days," Paul Rodgers' "Seagull," the John Martin classic "Jelly Roll," Charles Brown's "Black Night," the Chris Whitley-penned "Ball Peen Hammer" and a version of the Bob Ezrin/Michael Kamen-penned "Sloe Gin" that clocks in at eight-plus minutes. The latter two songs are streaming at Bonamassa's MySpace page.The New York native, who began playing guitar at age 4, has been showered with praise over the years for his post-modern fusion of electric British blues, traditional Delta blues and rock and roll. He started his career at age 12, touring with legendary bluesman B.B. King, and went on to work with guitar greats including Buddy Guy, Danny Gatton, Robert Cray and Stephen Stills.Now at age 31, Bonamassa is the youngest member of the Blues Foundation's Board of Directors and is the lead spokesperson for the organization's Blues in the Schools program. The musician was also recently named Best Blues Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine's Reader's Choice Awards for the second year in a row.