“I got to go backstage at the Whisky, and Joe Bonamassa knew who I was! I immediately took a picture and texted it to my dad”: Sophie Lloyd on the time she met Joe Bonamassa – her childhood guitar hero

As she gears up for her debut US date at LA's Whisky a Go Go next week, Sophie Lloyd has looked back on one of the blues rock veterans who played an instrumental role in her early days – and still does, to an extent, when she sneaks in a blues lick or two.

“When I was growing up, my dad would drive me to school, and he'd always have Joe Bonamassa on,” she tells Guitar World. “I think his playing was just so beautiful and moving, and really told a story.

“People might not see the connections, because a lot of time I do more shred rock stuff, but I always try and end things with a cool blues lick, or put bluesy licks in there, because it just sounds so good. It's what everyone can grab onto. Joe just embodies that whole bluesy cool vibe.”

Blues Jam with the BOSS Katana 100 || Sophie Lloyd - YouTube

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Lloyd finally met her childhood blues guitar hero in person – backstage at the very venue that will kick off another chapter in her career (talk about a full circle moment).

“When I saw Glenn Hughes at the Whisky, Joe Bonamassa was there playing a few songs. I got to go backstage, because we knew some of the guys in Glenn Hughes’ band, and Joe Bonamassa knew who I was!” she exclaims.

“I immediately took a picture and texted it to my dad, ‘You'll never guess who I met!’ It shows that, you know, posting videos on the internet and all of that, you can reach these people. You never know what eyes are on you.”

Head to TicketWeb for tickets for her LA show on January 16, and to Sophie Lloyd for special VIP packages.

Guitar World's full interview with Sophie Lloyd will be published later this month.