Spend even a little time researching the history of classic rock, and you'll keep bumping into the names of two blues giants, Buddy Guy and B.B. King. There are few classic rock guitarists who don't cite one or both as primary influences.

Take Eric Clapton, for example. He usually says only a few words during a live gig, and then only reluctantly. But just ask him about his influences. "Buddy Guy is by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive. [I]f you see him in person, the way he plays is beyond anyone. He really changed the course of rock and roll blues." And in 2000, Clapton recorded Riding With The King with another of his major creative muses, B.B. King.

One of the many South Florida events this week sandwiched between the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl was a major Blues Bowl, featuring Guy and King. Jim Smith reviews this gathering of guitar gods.

^{Photo by Scott Gries / Getty Images}

New from Asia
Asia have announced an April release for their upcoming studio album, Omega. They have also added European and Japanese dates to their 2010 tour. Add all of this to their 2008 Phoenix release, and it looks like they (Carl Palmer, Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, John Welton) are really serious about this reunion thing.

Oz Plays Album Name Game
A lot of fans really didn't like the name Ozzy Osbourne chose for his new album (Soul Sucka) so now Oz is going to let his fans bloody well name it themselves. He tells VH1 Radio Network that he's going to post a list of possible names on his website and put it to a vote. The album is due in June.

Fripp, Jones Talk Continuing Collaboration
Progressive rock guitarists Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Adam Jones (Tool) may be on the verge of finishing an album they started several years ago but have never finished. Fripp writes that he and Jones discussed the project over lunch recently, specifically the possibility of getting back to it.

Black History Month at The White House
John Mellencamp, Bob Dylan and Smokey Robinson will be among the headliners for a Black History Month concert at the White House. PBS will televise it on February 11.

Allmans Add NYC Dates
The Allman Brothers Band have added more dates to their two week residency in March at New York City's United Palace Theatre, for a total of 13 shows. Here's the full schedule.

Jeff Beck Blooms in April
The U.S. leg of Jeff Beck's Emotion and Commotion tour begins in April with 22 U.S. dates confirmed through June. Here are full schedule details.

Heaven and Hell Booked for Bloodstock Festival
Heaven and Hell are betting that their ailing members (Ronny James Dio, Tony Iommi and Vinny Appice) will be healthy enough to join Geezer Butler on stage for the final day of the Bloodstock Open Air Festival in Derbyshire, England on August 15.

Robert Plant Sings for a Cause
The Sound & Vision show at London's Abbey Road Studios on February 25 will feature ex Led Zepper Robert Plant. Couple of interesting twists: Plant will be performing with singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman and the London Oriana Choir, and tickets are only available via bidding on eBay. Proceeds go to Cancer Research UK.

You want a real treat? Give Joe Satriani a live audience, then just stand back and turn it up to eleven. Now more than 35 years into a career of teaching and shredding, he is still at his best in live performance, where he always manages to add new twists even to his most often played material.

Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock is Satch's fourth live solo album, recorded during his 2008 world tour. The onetime Deep Purple (and current Chickenfoot) lead guitarist was promoting his most recent studio album release, but he also found room for plenty of his familiar standards in this Paris performance.

Here's my review of the new double-disc CD / MP3 / DVD of Joe Satriani's Live In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock.

^{Album cover image courtesy Epic / Sony Music Entertainment}