Joe Bonamassa joins the late Mike Finnigan for “20 Years of B.B. King”

Forty Below Records has announced “20 Years of B.B. King,” the debut track from the upcoming posthumous Mike Finnigan album, scheduled for release on November 14. The full self-titled record is set to arrive in March and highlights the blues-focused artistry of Finnigan, whose career included hundreds of studio and live credits with major artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Joe Cocker. Known as a master of the Hammond B-3 organ and a powerful vocalist, Finnigan spent his later years working on the project that will be released five years after his passing.

The song, written by Curtis Salgado and Dave Duncan, puts a clever spin on the blues tradition, featuring the lyric “I learned more about the blues from two weeks with you, than 20 years of B.B. King.” Finnigan delivers the vocal and B-3 performance, accompanied by Joe Bonamassa on lead guitar. The track also features Tony Braunagel on drums, Bob Glaub on bass, Josh Sklair on guitar, and horn arrangements by James McMillen.

The full album, projected for a March 20 release, includes contributions from Stephen Stills and Smokey Robinson. The material spans songs associated with the Staples Singers, Merle Haggard, Curtis Mayfield, and more. Producer and engineer J.J. Blair, whose credits include Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson, June Carter Cash, Kathleen “Bird” York, and Melissa Etheridge, spearheaded the project after years of working with Finnigan in the studio. The album’s development was delayed by the pandemic and by Finnigan’s death in 2021, but Blair continued the work with the goal of showcasing Finnigan’s full range as an artist.

Blair said, “Mike was a legend and a musical treasure – a great artist in his own right, even though he was usually cast in backing roles. Our aim was to shed light on him as a total artist, both as a vocalist and, of course, as an instrumentalist. ‘20 Years of B.B. King’ provides a terrific introduction to his undeniable presence that abides even after he’s been gone all these years.”