Joe Bonamassa teams with Buddy Guy for B.B. King tribute

Joe Bonamassa has released B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, Vol. III, the latest installment in his tribute project honoring what would have been B.B. King’s 100th birthday. The five-song collection arrived through KTBA Records and features collaborations meant to showcase the range and legacy of the King of the Blues. The tracks include “Sweet Little Angel” featuring Buddy Guy, “Don’t You Want A Man Like Me” featuring Larkin Poe, “Heartbreaker” featuring Trombone Shorty and Eric Gales, “Watch Yourself” featuring Jimmie Vaughan, and “When It All Comes Down (I’ll Still Be Around)” featuring Larry McCray.

Bonamassa also revealed details for one of the project’s most anticipated collaborations, “The Thrill Is Gone,” featuring Chaka Khan and Eric Clapton. The song will appear when the full album is released on February 6th.

Vol. III is led by “Sweet Little Angel,” accompanied by a new music video that mixes archival and live performance footage of B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Co-producer Josh Smith said, “Buddy Guy is obviously the first call you make when putting this project together, and ‘Sweet Little Angel’ was his preferred song. This take shows you why Buddy is the living legend he is. Our most important living blues artist. In regards to the track, both Buddy’s vocal and guitar playing are from the same live track. No messing around, old school. The Real Deal indeed!!!”

The collection continues with Larkin Poe on “Don’t You Want A Man Like Me.” Smith said, “Larkin Poe are such a talented pair, and they both killed this track. They brought such a unique spin and attitude to the original that flips it on its head. Mostly, it is just such a fun rocking track. The vocals are incredible as is the lap steel guitar solo!!”

“Heartbreaker” brings together Eric Gales and Trombone Shorty. Smith said, “Man, Trombone Shorty and Eric Gales together?!?! What a combo. So much talent. Shorty kills the vocals and plays all the horns on the song, and Eric does what he does!!! Pays tribute to B.B. while always being himself. This one just came together magically!!”

Jimmie Vaughan appears on “Watch Yourself,” a track Smith called a personal favorite. Smith said, “What an honor to have Jimmie Vaughan. This is one of my favorite B.B. shuffles ever, and Jimmie brought so much fun and attitude to it. Jimmie also cared so much about the track that he recorded his own horn section unprompted (not knowing we were going to add the horns later anyway)! So cool and such a great performance.”

Larry McCray closes out the volume with “When It All Comes Down (I’ll Still Be Around).” Smith said, “This song is a personal favorite from B.B.’s magical 60’s and 70’s era. Larry is truly the top of the heap, the greatest contemporary bluesman in the world. We just knew he would kill this song, and he does nothing less. The best!!!”

Produced by Bonamassa and Smith, B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 is unfolding in monthly volumes through February 2026, culminating in a 32-track release. The project is being developed with support from the B.B. King Estate, The B.B. King Music Company, and the King family.

Bonamassa said, “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.”

Previous volumes have featured artists including Gary Clark Jr., Keb Mo, Paul Rodgers, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Pat Monahan, Aloe Blacc, Michael McDonald, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Bobby Rush, George Benson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and D.K. Harrell.

The project takes its name from King’s 1993 Grammy winning Blues Summit and continues that collaborative spirit. Bonamassa said, “B.B.’s only wish was, ‘Do what you can to keep the blues alive.’ Well, hopefully this album gives a B12 shot to his legacy, and to the legacy of the blues.”

The announcement follows a notable moment in Bonamassa’s own career. His latest studio album Breakthrough earned his fifth Grammy nomination, while Eric Gales’ A Tribute To LJK, produced by Bonamassa and Smith, was also nominated in the same category. Bonamassa is currently on his Fall 2025 U.S. tour, which runs through December 6th and marks his final tour with longtime keyboardist Reese Wynans, who recently announced that he will step back from everyday touring after this season.

The full tracklist for B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 and Bonamassa’s 2025 and 2026 touring schedule were released alongside the announcement.

B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 – Full Tracklist

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

*Just announced

JOE BONAMASSA

U.S. FALL TOUR 2025*
November 14 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater
November 15 – Houston, TX – Hobby Center
November 18 – Corpus Christi, TX – Selena Auditorium
November 19 – Abilene, TX – Abilene Auditorium
November 21 – Midland, TX – Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
November 22 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
November 23 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 25 – Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center
November 26 – St. Louis, MO – Stifel Theatre
November 29 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre
November 30 – Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Centre
December 2 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre
December 3 – Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
December 5 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena
December 6 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live

* Final tour with Reese Wynans

U.S. SPRING TOUR 2026
February 21 – South Bend, IN – The Morris Performing Arts Center
February 23 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Paramount Theatre
February 25 – Madison, WI – Overture Center for the Arts
February 27 – Peoria, IL – Prairie Home Alliance Theater
February 28 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
March 2 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
March 4 – Springfield, MA – Springfield Symphony Hall
March 6 – Westbury, NY – Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair
March 7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center
March 8 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center for the Arts
March 10 – Reading, PA – Santander Performing Arts Center
March 11 – Virginia Beach, VA – Sandler Center
March 13 – Durham, NC – DPAC
March 14 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
March 17 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium
March 19 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
March 20 – Macon, GA – Atrium Health Amphitheater
March 21 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound
March 25-29, 2026 – Miami, FL – Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea XI +
April 10-12, 2026 – Miramar Beach, FL – Sound Wave Beach Weekend +

+Sold Out

EUROPE TOUR 2026
April 22 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
April 24 – Rotterdam, NL – Rotterdam RTM Stage
April 25 – Paris, FR – La Seine Musicale
April 27 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU  – Luxembourg Rockhal
April 29 – Mannheim, DE – SAP Arena
May 1 – Chemnitz, DE – Stadthalle Chemnitz
May 2 – Nürnberg, DE – PSD Bank Nürnberg Arena
May 3 – Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion
May 6 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
May 7 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
October 21 – Helsinki, FL – Veikkaus Arena
October 23 – Stockholm, SE – Stockholm Avicii Arena
October 24 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum
October 25 – Gothenburg, SE – Göteborg Partille Arena
October 27 – Copenhagen, DK – K.B. Hallen København
October 29 – Rostock, DE – Stadthalle Rostock
October 30 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
October 31 – Dortmund, DE – Westfalenhalle
November 4 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
November 6 – Toulouse, FR – Zenith Toulouse Metropole
November 7 – Barcelona, ES – Barcelona Sant Jordi CLub
November 8 – Madrid, ES – Madrid Palacio Vistalegre