Joe Bonamassa was having dinner with a friend on January 8 when he received the wildfire evacuation alert for the Laurel Canyon neighborhood, where he lives and keeps his massive guitar collection at the Nerdville West Museum of Antiquities and Collectibles. Bonamassa recalls how they immediately left the restaurant, canceling their meal, and rushed back to his home using back routes since main roads were closed. Given the sheer scale of his collection—350 guitars and 300 amplifiers—he knew it would be impossible to evacuate everything. However, Bonamassa had a plan in place, something he had prepared for over the past decade. With his Range Rover and his friend’s Chevrolet Tahoe, they were able to rescue around 40 guitars and two amplifiers, placing them in a storage locker in North Hollywood. Fortunately, the rest of the collection survived the fire.
Bonamassa emphasizes the importance of having a plan in these situations and insists that his collection is not just “stuff” but a piece of American history. He notes that value and historical significance were the main criteria for selecting which guitars to save. “Tommy Bolin’s Les Paul had to go,” he says, adding that other iconic instruments, such as the first black Stratocaster and a set of sunburst Les Pauls, were also prioritized for evacuation. “It would be a major event if those 10 sunburst Les Pauls were lost in one night,” he explains. Despite the severity of the situation, Bonamassa remained calm and expresses gratitude for the firefighters and first responders who worked tirelessly to contain the flames.
While Bonamassa recognizes that his situation was fortunate compared to the tragedies that many people faced during the fires—citing the 40 lives lost—he is also angered by the arsonists responsible for setting some of the blazes. Following the evacuation, Bonamassa posted about the experience, sharing a photo of the Nerdville West marquee with the message, “It’s not in my hands anymore.” He also thanked the firefighters for their dedication. In the aftermath, he has begun rethinking the logistics of his guitar collection and is considering new storage arrangements. He plans to build a new storage facility in North Hollywood within the next three months, where 90% of the guitars will be kept off-site. However, due to space constraints, he intends to leave the amplifiers behind and reassess his options.
Bonamassa admits that this experience has led him to reconsider the idea of housing such a large collection in the Hollywood Hills. He acknowledges that maintaining one of the largest guitar collections in the world in a high-risk area may not be in his best interest. Still, the musician remains philosophical about the entire experience, noting that the collection “had a good run.” Bonamassa also reflected on his recent performance at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, where he played Bobby Bland’s “Twenty-Four Hour Blues” from his 2023 album Blues Deluxe Vol. 2. He describes the performance as an honor and enjoyed working with a talented band, including Lee Sklar and Dean Parks.
Despite losing the Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy to Ruthie Foster, Bonamassa remains indifferent to the recognition. “It doesn’t matter,” he says, pointing out that many legendary artists, such as Led Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses, have never won a Grammy. “It’s not going to move the needle.” He also adds that he doesn’t care about awards, and if he hadn’t been asked to perform, he likely wouldn’t have attended the ceremony.
In addition to his recent performance, Bonamassa continues to release new music. He recently dropped “Fortune Teller Blues,” a single featuring Sammy Hagar, and he is also featured on Dave Mason’s upcoming album A Shade of Blues, set for release on March 21. Bonamassa’s U.S. tour began on January 19 in Seattle, with plans for summer dates in the U.K. and Ireland. He also has upcoming shows with Black Country Communion. Looking ahead, Bonamassa plans to release more singles over the next several months before dropping a full-length album toward the end of the year. He explains that releasing singles consistently is now the best strategy for reaching a larger audience, despite not particularly liking the approach.
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