One of the premier blues-rock guitarists of his generation, American musician Joe Bonamassa is better equipped than most when it comes to the awesome challenge of restoring the faded glory of the Golden Age of British Blues. The 32-year-old Bonamassa has devoted the lion’s share of his career to paying homage to that influential musical style, which flashed across the popular music scene on both sides of the pond four decades ago, spawning innumerable acts and sub-genres in its wake.

This preference for British and Irish blues may come as a bit of a surprise given Bonamassa’s background and training in the tradition of American blues. The gritty-voiced youth apprenticed under enigmatic bluesman Danny Gatton at the tender age of 11 and was opening for B.B. King by the age of 12. By 14, Bonamassa was already well versed in playing rock, country and even jazz, but it was the blues that held his interest. He soon formed his first band, Bloodline, with fellow up-and-comers Berry Oakley Jr., Erin Davis (Miles’s son) and Waylon Krieger (son of The Doors’ Bobby Krieger). Unfortunately, this dream-team only generated one album, which nonetheless produced two chart singles, “Dixie Peach” and "Stone Cold Hearted." According to Bonamassa, the demand for his particular style of music has never been greater.

“I think there’s a revival of ‘rooted’ music in the works,” he says of the rising tide of American and U.K.-based blues and folk acts. “We don’t really travel in those Americana circles, but we’re definitely fans of people doing honest stuff like that again. I say honest, because it’s not over-hyped; it’s more live, raw-sounding and indie than what you typically get from the major label machine. From their perspective, the means justify the end, but I’m more interested in putting out records that, hopefully, will be considered to be good 60 years from now. That was the idea behind my last album, The Ballad of John Henry. These days, people can become famous for doing the stupidest of things and putting it on YouTube. I’m more interested in being remembered for doing something extremely well.”

Creating memories fit to last a lifetime, Bonamassa celebrated his 20th year as a professional in the music business with a very special concert at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall this past May. During the event, he had the immense pleasure of performing the first song that he ever learned to play, "Further on up the Road," accompanied by his longtime idol Eric Clapton. Later that same evening, Bonamassa was joined onstage by harmonica and blues harp aficionado Paul Jones of Manfred Mann and BBC Radio’s Paul Jones Radio Hour. Bonamassa describes it as the best day of his life.

“It’s been an extremely good year,” he says. “I worked my whole life just to be able to set foot in that venue; to be the headliner is pretty wicked. We recorded a DVD of it that should be out this September — the advantage of digital technology being that they can make me look like Brad Pitt.”

“I’m a character,” he continues. “I’m controversial and I also have a big mouth. At the end of the day, you don’t want to be a boring artist. I give 110 per cent. I have my opinions and I like to express them. For example; I’ll go on my radio show (Planet Rock) and say Clapton’s version of “Crossroads” is better than Johnson’s and some people will want to take the piss outta me for it. But it’s only my opinion and who am I? I’m just a guy who happens to play guitar and has the chutzpah to try to interpret those who are bigger and better than I am.”

Bonamassa will continue his quest to reinterpret music history for the uninitiated when he attends this year’s Calgary International Blues Festival with his loyal four-piece band in tow. Audiences around the globe have been enthralled by his artful command of his instrument and his low-register vocal alchemy — something Bonamassa attributes to his burning desire to emulate the heroes of this youth.

“English blues has been dormant for 40 years,” Bonamassa explains. “People have forgotten that bands like Led Zeppelin paved the way for heavy metal. I would love to be able to sing like Steve Marriott or Steve Winwood, or play like Rory Gallagher and Paul Kossoff. I’m just trying to copy the greats and my limited ability to do so puts a new spin on their sound. My music is the result of my failure to clone the likes of Clapton and Moore; I think that’s what gives it a kind of charm.”