The blues hit young Joe Bonamassa like a lightning bolt. At the time, Bonamassa was reciting classical music pieces verbatim on guitar. But when at 8 years old the guitarist discovered British blues rock guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Paul Kossoff, he was electrified with the possibilities of playing the rawer, more emotional music of the blues.

“I think the fact I was drawn to it was that it was dangerous,” Bonamassa says from a tour stop in South Carolina. “Blues is more exciting than the classical music I was playing.”

Investing himself fully in the music, Bonamassa made big strides playing the blues at a young age. When he was 12, the budding bluesman started touring with elder blues statesman B.B. King and was invited to sit in with the legendary guitarist. “It turned out to be my big break,” Bonamassa says.

King galvanized the young player’s confidence by praising Bonamassa’s guitar skills. “This kid’s potential is unbelievable,” the blues master says on Bonamassa’s website. “He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface. He’s one of a kind.”

A year after playing with King, Bonamassa joined a band called Bloodline, which featured the offspring of famous musicians including Robbie Krieger’s son, Waylon; Miles Davis’ son, Erin; and the Allman Brothers’ Berry Oakley’s son, Berry Oakley Jr. After releasing one self-titled album, Bonamassa felt a strong urge to move on. “We were complete Amateur Hour from the moment go,” he says of his former band.

Bonamassa struck out on his own in 2000 with A New Day Yesterday, which included guest spots by famed players, including Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers, and Leslie West of hard-rock band Mountain. Since that auspicious debut, Bonamassa has garnered a legion of admirers. In addition to being named Blueswax newsletter’s 2005 Artist of the Year, Bonamassa has been receiving high marks from fans of guitar-based music. One recent distinction for Bonamassa is that he has won Guitar Player Magazine’s Reader Choice Award for Best Blues Guitarist for the past two years.

Bonamassa’s latest CD, 2007’s Sloe Gin, is a mix of pop-rock numbers, like “Richmond,” and raw blues rock, including “One of These Days,” which features a ferocious, oversized riff worthy of the White Stripes. One highlight of the release is “Ball Peen Hammer,” an ominous acoustic blues number that gets a lift when a big rock drumbeat is added to the mix.

Following a two-disc album due out in August titled Live From Nowhere in Particular, Bonamassa hopes to finish work on an as-yet-untitled, back-to-the-basics blues rock CD. He also dreams of having a career as long lasting and as passionate as the man who gave him his first boost in the blues world.

“He has 60 years of being on top of his game,” Bonamassa says of King. “He is a real idol of mine.”

JOE BONAMASSA performs on the Monterey Bay Blues Festival’s Main Arena Stage Saturday from 2:10 to 3:10pm.