Marcus Bonfanti

Marcus Bonfanti (born 5 May 1983) is a British blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released three albums and one EP, and works both as a solo musician and, from 2014 until 2024, as the frontman for the British blues rock group Ten Years After. His most recent solo album was Shake the Walls released by Jig-Saw Music Ltd.

Bonfanti has opened shows for Robert Cray, Chuck Berry, Shuggie Otis, Philip Sayce, Jack Bruce, Beth Hart, John Mayall, Beth Rowley and JJ Grey & Mofro. He once fronted The Ronnie Scott's Blues Explosion and, at times, has worked with P. P. Arnold, Ginger Baker, Earl Thomas, Joe Louis Walker, Robbie McIntosh, Hamish Stuart, Mark Feltham, Eric Burdon and Buddy Whittington.

Life and career Bonfanti was born in London to an Italian father and an English mother. In his youth, Bonfanti played the trumpet in several brass bands. His musical tastes changed when he heard Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" from their album, Led Zeppelin IV. What Good Am I to You? was listed as one of the Top 50 albums of 2010 in Classic Rock.

The period following the release of his second album was marked by a series of setbacks. He was dropped by P3 Music, which had released his first two albums, and was subsequently dropped by another label while attempting to record a new collection.

Eventually, Jig-Saw Music Ltd offered him the opportunity to record at the Grange Studios in Norfolk. Bonfanti originally recorded all his work for his new album on an acoustic guitar. He also recorded what was to become, Shake the Walls, on analogue tape rather than the modern-day digital process. Shake The Walls was released in June 2013, and again listed by Classic Rock in the Top 5 Blues Albums of the year. In addition the album got airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music. Bonfanti won the 2013 and 2014 British Blues Awards for Best Acoustic Performer.

In 2014, Bonfanti was invited to front Ten Years After, which he continued to do for a decade, alongside his own solo career. In September 2024, it was announced that the Ten Years After line-up of Ric Lee, Chick Churchill, Bonfanti, and Colin Hodgkinson had split but that Lee intended to premiere a new line-up in early 2025.

Discography Albums Year Title Record label 2008 Hard Times P3 Music 2010 What Good Am I to You? P3 Music 2011 Medicine Man Self release (EP) 2013 Shake the Walls Jig-Saw Music Ltd