Over a year into the COVID-19 touring halt, blues-rock artist and philanthropist Joe Bonamassa stepped in with the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation to host the second annual Stream-A-Thon. The event exceeded its fundraising goal of $500,000 to benefit sidelined musicians in a time of dire need. In order to get them back on the road, the initiative provides immediate $1,500 cash payments directly to the musicians.
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Fans from 42 countries tuned into the three-and-a-half-hour event which featured performances from over 35 acts ranging from legendary friends to emerging artists. Highlights included Toto, Dion, Ana Popovic, Warren Haynes, Bobby Rush, Joanna Connor, and Jared James Nichols.
“I am so proud of this event. Our wonderful team did a magnificent job on our second KTBA Stream-A-Thon. We raised over $45,000 in an afternoon, all of which will be given to artists in desperate need of relief,” Bonamassa shared. “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.”
Keeping The Blues Alive Records released a very special collaboration digital album created by the legendary Jimmy Vivino (music director, Conan), to help Joe raise money for musicians in need. The Blue Quarantinos is made up of Jimmy on guitar/vocals together with Jesse Williams on bass and Rob Paparozzi on harp. The aptly named album Phoning It In was recorded quarantine-style via Zoom, Skype and studio tracking. 20 special guests including Dion, Joe Bonamassa, North Mississippi All Stars, Shemekia Copeland and many more donated their talents on 12 amazing tracks. 100% of the proceeds will go to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians Program. Download / stream here.
Additionally, Bonamassa’s recent Austin City Limits performance with Blues Rock Trio, is available for on-demand streaming through May 2, here. Each ticket includes a donation to KTBA’s Fueling Musicians program.
Photo by Robert Sutton
