Gibson.com

​Tonight, at the House of Blues, current great white hope Joe Bonamassa will be on hand to perform and mentor the five finalists of King of the Blues, Guitar Center's version of American Idol for fledgling axemen. Roosevelt Collier (Kissimmee, FL), Joshua Gooch (San Diego, CA), Kirby Kelley (N. Dallas, TX), Dan Peters (Morton Grove, IL) and Graham Whitford (NYC) will be given the Sunset Strip star treatment for one night, as they compete for the music retailers' shredder crown (and 25 grand, which come in handy when your baby done left you).

Blues-as-Classic-Rock revivalist Bonamassa is not (yet) a household name, but his profile has been growing for years among those who follow the blues scene and he has shared stages with mentor B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, and Gregg Allman. The should tonight should confirm his reputation as a current keeper of the blues-rock tradition of Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan.