“MUDDY WOLF AT RED ROCKS”MUDDY WATERS AND HOWLIN’ WOLF
“They always try to write off the blues; well we’ve proven tonight
that at least 9,000 people like the blues,” says celebrated blues rock
master Joe Bonamassa who releases “Joe Bonamassa – Muddy Wolf At Red Rocks” on DVD, Blu-ray and CD set on March 23, 2015.
The exclusive concert experience, which is a tribute to blues legends Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, was filmed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre over Labor Day weekend in 2014.
Carved into the bedrock of Colorado’s majestic Rocky Mountains,
the famed amphitheatre sets the stage for Bonamassa’s fiery delivery
of over 2.5 hours of bluesy guitar-wailing and horn-filled tunes
honouring the two Blues greats. Playing to a sold-out crowd of 9,000
fans, this marks the biggest show of Bonamassa’s career, a major
milestone for the bluesman.
The Blu-ray and DVD contains over 1.5 hours of bonus features
including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, photo gallery, historic
footage of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and a featurette of Bonamassa and producer Kevin Shirley’s trip to The Crossroads.
Photo Credit:© Christie Goodwin
Unlike any Bonamassa show before, Muddy Wolf marks
the start of a tribute concert series that will display a different
band and catalogue of material that will vary from Bonamassa’s music as
a solo artist. For Muddy Wolf, songs were carefully selected from the catalogues of Howlin’ Wolf, one of Chicago’s most influential bluesmen, known for his deep, scratchy voice, and Muddy Waters, considered the “father of modern Chicago blues.”
Muddy Waters was a major inspiration for the
British blues explosion of the 1960s, a genre that has heavily
influenced Bonamassa’s original music throughout his career.
Photo Credit:© Christie Goodwin
The concert features a selection of songs from each artist,
followed by a 30-minute set of songs from Bonamassa’s own extensive
catalogue, plus a line-up of players different from Bonamassa’s touring
band, dubbed the “Muddy Wolf Band” which includes Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass), Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond organ), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, horn arrangements), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), Nick Lane (trombone), Mike Henderson (harmonica), and Kirk Fletcher (guitar).
“MUDDY WOLF AT RED ROCKS” (PRD 7457) 
2. I Can’t Be Satisfied
3. You Shook Me
4. Stuff You Gotta Watch
5. Double Trouble
6. Real Love
7. My Home Is On The Delta
8. All Aboard
2. Shake For Me
3. Hidden Charms
i. Band and Introductions
ii. Spoonful
iii. Killing Floor
iv. Evil (Is Going On)
v. All Night Boogie (All Night Long)
2. Oh Beautiful!
3. Love Ain’t A Love Song
4. Sloe Gin
5. Ballad of John Henry
6. Muddy Wolf Credits
2. Behind the Rocks – An Exclusive View Behind the Scenes
3. The Originals – Historic Footage of Muddy Waters & Howlin’ Wolf
4. Rockagram Gallery
Photo Credit:© Christie Goodwin
Of the experience, a humbled and grateful Bonamassa says – “Inspired
was the feeling that permeated the camp from the very downbeat. It was
the gig of a lifetime for me. What you see on this DVD is what it was
like to play in front of the largest audience of my career, playing
music that I loved, love, and fell in love with again in a much bigger
way than I had before.
The concert is presented by Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA),
which Bonamassa founded, and helps to promote the heritage of the
blues to the next generation, fund music scholarships, and supplement
the loss of music education programs in public schools. With ticket
sales from the show, KTBA raised over $40,000 for schools across the country.
What was proved on this night, with $40,000 raised for charity and
9,000 fans dancing to Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf songs, is that
blues music is alive and well.
Photo Credit:© Christie Goodwin