“This is the earliest known black Strat in existence. I first saw it when I was 11 years old – Guitar World featured it as the centerfold poster. I fell completely in love”: Joe Bonamassa on the guitar that represents his journey above all others
JoBo tells the story of the legendary 1955 Howard A. Reed Strat as he shares his favorite licks by blues great Ronnie Earl
(Image credit: Future)
A track I covered on my new album, Blues Deluxe Vol. 2, is I Want to Shout About It, originally recorded by one of my favorite guitarists, Ronnie Earl. Ronnie recorded the song with [Ronnie Earl &] the Broadcasters for their 1990 album, Peace of Mind.
Ronnie plays in a traditional style that I refer to as “East Coast blues,” as exemplified by Ronnie, Duke Robillard and a few others. To me, it has a very specific vibe that’s predominantly a Fender Stratocaster sound.
The guitar I’m using to play these examples is the Howard A. Reed Stratocaster, which was built specifically for Howard in 1955 and is the earliest known black Strat in existence. At the time, Howard was the guitarist for Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps.
I first saw this guitar in 1988, when I was 11 years old. Guitar World featured it as the “Collector’s Choice” centerfold poster. I fell completely in love with this guitar and put the poster on my wall. I didn’t have Sports Illustrated models or Daisy Duke on my wall; I had guitar posters!
The first time I saw the guitar in person was in 2002, while getting a tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I freaked out and said, “I can’t believe I’m in the same room with this guitar!” The person giving the tour said, “You are one of the only people that even knows what this is,” and I said, “Guitar World, April 1988 – this is my dream Strat!”
Cut to 11 years later, Bill Blackburn, who bought it from Howard’s family in 1979 after Howard died, put the guitar up for sale at Gruhn’s in Nashville. I got a text from my friend Mat Koehler saying that this guitar was available. He earned the “most expensive text of the day” award!
(Image credit: Future)
It’s a November 1955 black Strat that weighs about nine pounds, which is rather heavy for a Strat. I called Gruhn’s, made the deal to buy it and picked it up on the day that I made my debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2013.
That was a very special day, and it’s a special guitar because, for me, it represents my journey in music. When I was 11, I decided I wanted to be a guitar player and to try to make it in music, and this guitar represents my journey from back then until today.
(Image credit: Future)
Ronnie Earl is a master of the Stratocaster, and likes to use the #4 position on the toggle switch, which is the sound of the neck and middle pickup together. Figure 1 is a classic slow-blues type riff played in Ronnie’s style in the key of A.
Ronnie is a student of T-Bone Walker and utilizes phrases in T-Bone’s style, as exemplified in Figure 2.
(Image credit: Future)
A riff I always steal is bar 2 of Figure 3: coming off the V (five) chord, E7, in bar 1, I play a D7 arpeggio in bar 2 into more standard blues licks in A.
Figure 4 illustrates the beginning of I Want to Shout About it. After the one-bar pickup, the progression is two bars of A followed by two bars of F#m, with little licks added between the chords.
Next month I’ll be back with more on my approach to I Want to Shout About It. See you then.
Joe Bonamassa is one of the world’s most popular and successful blues-rock guitarists – not to mention a top producer and de facto ambassador of the blues (and of the guitar in general).
