Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive 2nd annual Stream-A-Thon raises more than $45,000 to aid artists financially affected by COVID

Joe Bonamassa recently hosted the Keeping the Blues Alive 2nd annual Stream-A-Thon, which featured more than three-and-a-half hours of performances from over 35 electric guitar and acoustic guitar artists, including Warren Haynes, Joanna Connor, Jared James Nichols, Emily Wolfe, Toto, Dion, Ana Popovic, Bobby Rush and others.

According to Bonamasssa, the event “raised over $45,000 in an afternoon, all of which will be given to artists in desperate need of relief.”

He continued, “I want to thank everyone who participated, contributed, and donated their time to make this happen. Reaching as many musicians as possible has been our goal from the beginning and I am pleased to see that we will be able to help hundreds of musicians get the music started again. The more donations we receive, the more help we can provide.”

In just over a year, Bonamassa and the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation have brought in $500,000 to benefit their Fueling Musicians Program. The initiative provides immediate $1,500 cash payments to musicians to help them get back on the road after being sidelined for over a year following the COVID-19 touring halt.

In addition, Keeping the Blues Alive Records released a collaboration digital album created by Conan music director Jimmy Vivino, The Blue Quarantinos Phoning It In With Special Guests, to help raise money for musicians in need.

The Blue Quarantinos is made up of Vivino on guitar/vocals together with Jesse Williams on bass and Rob Paparozzi on harp. The album was recorded quarantine-style via Zoom, Skype and studio tracking and features 20 guests, including Bonamassa, Dion, North Mississippi All Stars, Shemekia Copeland and more. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of the record will go to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians program.

You can download or stream Phoning It In With Special Guests here.