B.B. King, A true legend in music. R.I.P.

[Boomerang Man]

Incredibly sad news this morning, Blues Legend, B.B. King has died at the age of 89 after suffering ill health for several months.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32747861

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...attorney-says/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...obit/25381783/

I too loved his work. RIP

[Nikka]

R.i.p. Bb king

[Stavros]

One of the curious aspects of BB King is that he was a legend among musicians when most of the public here in the UK had never heard of him. The 'blues revival' which began in the first half of the 1960s was led by two men, Alexis Korner and John Mayall. Both formed various combos which included musicians who would later go on to fame with their own bands, like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Cream, and so on, and played in the student union, clubs and pubs around the UK which became the bread and butter for these bands when most labels would not record them. The problem is that if you didn't go to these venues you were not going to hear this kind of music -not until around 1966-67 and that was because some of the bands made more commercial records that got into the charts. Even the innovative John Peel on his pirate radio show The Perfumed Garden, which he took to BBC Radio 1 in 1967 was not a regular player of blues, and in those days US records were only available as expensive imports -a select few were on sale in the HMV shop on Oxford Street in London, or in an independent shop called One Stop which was round the corner on South Moulton Street but even when I was told I could get those classic recording of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and BB King they were too expensive for someone still in school, or on a low wage as I was at the time when working nights and weekends. The internet has completely transformed the world of communication and access to the most common and the most obscure music you can think of. So I became aware of BB King through other people playing his music, particularly Chicken Shack whose lead guitarist Stan Webb -the most under-rated of his day- used to play a heavenly version of Sweet Little Angel.

The same person I knew who worked for Stigwoood when he was managing Cream told me about the first tour Cream made to the USA when the band walked into a bar or a club somewhere and Eric Clapton realised BB King was playing, barged his way through the crowd and sat on the floor in front of the maestro, mesmerised. The name gradually filtered through, but King did not make it to the UK I think until the 1970s. King was simply a legend. If the first generation of recorded artists is made up of Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leadbelly, the 'second generation' if I can call it that, may be thought of as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and BB King, with all due respect to those not listed. The generations making music who were part of or descended from slavery and reconstruction are gone now, and you won't hear it in contemporary voices, but they live on in recordings, a lasting tribute to a singularly American form of music that has universal appeal.

[Laphroaig]

I have to admit that he only came to my attention due to his collaboration with U2 on "When Love Comes to Town" for the album Rattle and Hum.

I also regret not seeing him when he played in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh in 2001.

[waldo pepper]

RIP B B, against all odds what a great life you lived.

[natina]

B.B. KING is world famous and his music was used in Happy Days and countless movies and TV shows world wide.


B.B. KING is MUCH MUCH MORE FAMOUS THEN john peel or and Alexis Korner and John Mayall.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.B._King_discography


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Def..._Greatest_Hits

[Stavros]

B.B. KING is MUCH MUCH MORE FAMOUS THEN john peel or and Alexis Korner and John Mayall.

Can I suggest you read my post again? At the time, between 1960-67 in the UK BB King was known only to real enthusiasts of Blues, indeed it was because of people like Alexis Korner and John Mayall, and particularly Eric Clapton that BB King became known to a wider audience in this country.

[maxpower]

Come on Stavros, it's no use debating with Natina. After all, she did quote two whole Wikipedia entries, so her point is obviously well-researched.

[gmb]

Always love this pic (Elvin Bishop is to the right.)