Street Team Stories: How has Joe's Music Affected You? (Page 1 of 3)

Hi Eric
My story is attached below the @signs from a forum post back a few years ago. Sorry it is long. Joe has truely saved my soul and I will forever be grateful. So much has changed in a very positive way for me since the below post. I feel I have an angel in heaven by the name of Cindy looking after me.  I have met Joe many times and looking forward to link up with him again in Cleveland to give him something for his Blues foundation. Joe is a truly amazing person. I am proud to call him my friend. You should be very fortunite to have joined such a great team led by such a wonderful artist and his manager Roy. I would kill to be able to work in any capacity to help the cause.
Cheers Ron

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Hi All
It has been a VERY rough 7 months for me but I need to let all of you know my story and how Joe, even thought I have never met him, has brought me back from a very dark place. Below is an email I sent to Joe and his management a few months back that tells my tale. I now have the guitar in record time from the custom shop and I am sure we know who made this happen. What is important is I am sure that there are many other people that Joe has touched in a profound way such as myself. I will be working towards getting back my chops and focus on raising money via music for colon cancer research. This new direction and focus is a direct result of how Joe's music has impacted me. He truly has saved my soul.
Thanks Joe I will be forever greatfull, I look forward meeting you this Thursday 3/24 in Worcester to sign my new Les.
Cheers Ron Connatser
>>>>>>The email
Subject: Your music has saved my soul

Your music has saved my soul
Hi Joe
My name is Ron and I feel  I need to tell you what your music has done for me. I will try to be brief and I hope you get this note.
Up until September 17th 2008 my life could not be more perfect, I had married my high school sweet heart Cindy (married 30 years) we had two wonderful kids, my wife and I did EVERYTHING together, things could not be better until on September 17th 2008 ( my 911) we were informed that my wife had colon cancer. She was never sick a day in her life.  I never knew courage until I saw how my wife handled this and fought. I can only dream of being so strong. Unfortunately on August 3rd 2010 of this past year she lost her battle with cancer. As with everything she left us her way at home surrounded by me and my kids. My kids are also amazing for they knew how important it was to their mother and me that they went back to college. So three short weeks after the loss of my wife they went back to school.
So how does this tie to your music? For me more then you will ever know.
My kids went back to college then I found myself coming home to an empty house just staring at the walls not knowing what to do.
A little more history….Prior to meeting my wife some 35 years ago I played guitar in a band. Started at age 4 and was playing clubs by 12. Music was my world until I met my wife at which time she was it nothing else mattered. Well we got married I sold my Marshall, pedals and Strat for an acoustic and as the years rolled on I hardly played at all for my wife and I were enjoying life together. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Now back to above again…… as I said my kids went back to college then I found myself coming home to an empty house just staring at the walls not knowing what to do. I picked up my Ovation 12 string, that I have not touched for years and then after about an hour of playing it hit me. Playing was a comfort, it sent me to a wonderful place and helped the pain. Well then and there I decided it is never too late so I have started playing again. On day a few months ago I was talking to a buddy of mine and he said you need to listen to this young guitar slinger Joe Bonamassa if you want to hear rocking blues. So now this is where you come in. I went and purchased your live from Royal Albert hall DVD. I must have listened to that 100 times. Joe I know you have probably heard this a million times but your playing is truly amazing. Listening to you play has been the best medicine to help me through this hard time in my life. It has truly saved my soul. I have since purchased a Marshall and was hoping to buy one of your Gibson custom gold tops but I was informed  that they are out and do not plan on making any more. So I am doing the next best thing I am working with my local Guitar Center to see if I can have Gibson piece together a top quality custom Les Paul with the hardware of your gold top. I just purchased two tickets to your upcoming show on 3/24/2011 in Worchester Mass and I was hoping that I could bring it along for you to sign.
I hope you get this message and again thank you for your music as I said you will never know how much listening to your soulful playing is helping me heal.
Thank you so much a new fan.
Ron Connatser

Positively and absolutely...and essentially.

That's not all that involved an answer...but sums it up, nicely.

I have been of Joe for several years now. I have been lucky enough to meet him three times before shows. But this goes further than me.  My parents took an interest in Joe because they knew how much the music meant to me. I started by showing them Royal Albert Hall.  Then I gave them a few cd's.  I have to backtrack and explain I also play guitar and have since I was a teenager (now 48 years old).  But now my Dad wants to learn how to play guitar!!  He is 71 years old.  I got to teach him Smoke on the Water.  I just think it is so cool and makes feel like life has gone full circle in a way.  And I attribute a lot of this to Joe's music. I thank you for letting me connect with my Dad on another level

My story isn't all that spectacular but since I discovered Joe 3 years ago, I find it difficult to listen to anything else for any extended period of time. I carry on so much about him that even my dad knows him now (my parents watched Vienna on PBS) and often asks "What's Joe up to these days?" And he never paid much attention to the music I was listening to in my earlier years. I mean, what accordion player cares about Iron Maiden? Anyway, I'll see my sixth show in 2013 on November 2!

In short, Joe's music, along with the way he interacts with fans, makes me happy. It's that simple.

Wow, Bill! That's an awesome story! It's so cool you got to discover him when he wasn't so popular and the shows weren't so big! Seriously so cool!

A great story Tahoe Jo, and a tip. If you are doing a long post and it times out, open a new browser page, log in again, then go back to the first with the text and You're on again.

Joe Bonamassa Forum → Street Team → Street Team Stories: How has Joe's Music Affected You?
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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Street Team → Street Team Stories: Tell Us About Your First Time Hearing Joe

My first time ever hearing Joe's voice and guitar was at Barnes & Noble in 2006...fuzzy recollection of the exact date of that Sunday, whether late June or early July, but nonetheless "my date with destiny" "good fortune" "my dharma" "my good karma"....quite simply , the stars & planets were all in alignment!  Little did I know what a gigantic discovery I had just made!
  I was standing in the "B"section with headphones on listening to something when I looked down and saw BLUES DELUXE staring at me. My first thought,  " That guy is kind of cute and what does a Joe Bonamassa sound like?"   The first bar of the song, YOU UPSET ME BABY, I exclaimed too loudly, "Where's this guy been all my life? "  Heads turn in the store and my son Bobby  red in the face with embarrassment was trying to shush me.  Grabbed the other Joe CD's and out the door we went and I was on the first mile of this wonderful journey.
The next day was even more of a mind blower!  During a break at work, I was reading thru the Des Moines Datebook and looking under the concert dates and saw a totally unbelievable listing!  Joe Bonamassa Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA July 14, 2006!!!!! What are the odds of this? Two days in a row!  I knew at that point there was something very special in store.   I was on the phone in a flash to get tickets ordered and that segue ways into the next mile of this journey.  Joe was opening for Tesla.
We arrived early to the Surf Ballroom to be one of the first in.  With BLUES DELUXE in hand we secured a spot in front and when Joe came out onto the stage, I felt like I had known him forever.   The band at that time was Mark Epstein on bass and Bogie Bowles on drums.  LOVED EVERY NANOSECOND of that short set and Tesla fans were in disbelief that we were relinquishing our front positions to them.  "We came to see Joe, not Tesla!" 
Off to the merchandise table we went to await Joe's arrival.  If I asked Dennis (merch guy) once , I easily asked him a million times ,  "When is Joe coming out?"  In exasperation of me hounding him he told me I needed to settle down and be patient!  WHAT???!!!!!  I don't remember what I even said to Joe, but was taken by his kindness and gratefulness, Blues Deluxe signed, a couple of guitar picks and heaven was felt!  Little did I know at the time, that my soon to be lovely new friends Lee & Renee were also there!
Well one thing leads to the next,  Joe's Fan Forum!  Talk about solidifying the addiction, my new home away from home.  I had so much fun, posted too much, about anything and everything...lol..lol....but couldn't help myself.  And the chat room, oh my goodness some of greatest friendships I'll ever have we're formed there.  My best Bonabuddy Rhonda (photogal)and I met on a "blind date road trip" to see Joe ( once again at the Surf Ballroom) in November of 2006.  So in sync were we that we even had on the same jackets when we met the first time.....now many a road trip we have done and many an adventure we have encountered...some with secrets, but all filled with great "for the love of Joe moments."  Value of this: PRICELESS!   
Joe said one time that one of his greatest accomplishments was The Forum because of the countless relationships and friendships that have formed. No truer words have been spoken!
There are so many lifelong friendships I would make at so many different shows and each show has it's own story that I could write a book.  Joe has changed and affected my life in so many ways!  Things I would never have imagined possible!  A trip to London, not once but twice.....this small town girl would never have made it there any other way.  All the cities before and after..big milestones in Joe's career.....the belief and devotion that Joe would be a shining star and to have had a hand in some of it, is humbling in and of itself.
Some less than happy days that Joe and his music and his fans have pulled me thru.  Joe will never know the countless number of times he has helped many of us in so many tough situations.  I vividly remember a phone call to my Mom in the middle of the night for help and one of her answers was, "Why don't you put on a Joe  DVD and see if that helps...."  A lot of people might think we are a crazy bunch, but if they knew each and every one of our stories of Joe, it would be so evident to them.  I will always be eternally grateful to Joe for all that he is and all that he has done.  It is GREAT to be a Joe Bonamassa fan!

Currently on the eve of one of my greatest Joe adventures I will leave off with one more crazy example of what I call "my Joe luck."  On October 1st, 2008  my phone rang and it was Rachael Iverson from J&R Adventures.  She said ,"Patty, are you sitting down?"  I said, "No, I was just heading out the door to go see Joe at The Whiskey Roadhouse!"  She said, "I think you had better sit down.  YOU WON !  You won the JB Les Paul! ".   What a coinky-dink that she called me on a day , unbeknownst to her, that I was going to go see Joe!  Joe said that night with a grin he could just give me the guitar now , it was on the bus, to which I replied, "Heck no! You said you'd fly me to a show to get it!" And true to his word, he did and what a night of memories for me and my sister.  Joe has played Child #184 at two shows (The Ballad of John Henry and Just Got Paid) and one of the times was at where I work part time...how freaky is that?!!!!

  Joe really nailed that day and my whole journey with him so appropriately on my ticket,   "To Patty, It's your lucky day! Joe Bonamassa".   

...many an adventure to document with Joe  and many a more adventures with Joe to come.....

....Clear Lake,IA. Davenport,IA. Des Moines,IA.  Ames,IA.  Council Bluffs,IA. Iowa City,IA Omaha,NE. Kansas City, MO. St. Louis,MO. St. Joseph,MO., Chicago,IL., Elgin, IL., Rockford, IL., Aurora, IL., Cleveland,OH., Tulsa,OK.  and the trips of a lifetime London, England x 2!

                          pattyluvsjoe   

"I'm not nice to any guitar!"     
                 Joe Bonamassa 05-03-12

JBLP CHILD #184

DesMoines? Absolutely!