I had the opportunity to see Mr. King the year before he passed. What struck me the most about Mr. King, wasn't his musical prowness, which I already knew he had, but it was his generosity. There was a young kid in the audience (~10 yrs old) with his Dad. The kid had his guitar with him & he wanted Mr. King to sign it. Mr. King had his security people go over to the kid, pick him up out of the audience, bring him to Mr. King, who signed his guitar, & then they brought him back to his Dad. The look on that kid's face was absolutely priceless; it was a memory he will never forget.
My favorite concert was “Live at the Cook County Jail” in Chicago. I was not an inmate but heard it over the years. I saw him in Chicago with Bobby Blue Bland and they had the audience on their feet!
B.B. could make his guitar talk. That's what the best bluesmen can do. He felt every note and every word, and made you feel it too. Thanks for this video Jamel!
In the 80s and 90s I was blessed to see BB King three separate times. Those concerts to this day remain some of the best experiences I ever had with music. The man was a treasure and my heart was broke when he died. He died right here in Las Vegas where I live. Long live B. B. and the blues!
B.B. King wrung every single note that existed and then some from his guitar, Lucille. No one comes close to his playing and singing, True blues, delta country, smoky-voiced, growling blues. I can never get enough of BB
Best. Blues.. Song.. *Ever*! Best Blues line ever too "I gave you seven children and now you wanna give them back." Ah man, this is my favorite of his. Glad to see you do some more Blues.
I had the good fortune to be able to see BB King once before he died. It was in my hometown of Sacramento CA, and it was one of the greatest moments in my life because BB King is one of my biggest guitar heroes. He even pointed at me and gave me a thumbs up! I was so excited about that! Rest easy BB King!
I used to work at BB's place on Beale back in the 90's. When he would come to the club, he was always friendly and willing to talk to the staff as if he knew us. One evening, at an outdoor show on the river, a father lifted his child up to the stage to give BB a bouquet of roses. BB motioned for the band to keep playing while he retrieved the roses. He handed the roses off to a stage hand and took a gold chain from his neck and placed it on the child's neck. Myself and two Memphis PD stayed close by them for the remainder of the show and afterwards we escorted them to their car. He was a kind soul and always had time for his fans. He was a national treasure and is sorely missed.
he was on my plane like 15 years ago. he was in first class but not all his posse. one of them sat in my row and it was fun to hear his stories. very cool AF.
I had the great good fortune to actually run lights and sound for BB for several shows. These where straight up bar shows with just him and whatever band was scheduled to open and support him. Four different bars, four different band one awesome show regardless. Let me tell you those backing bands never sounded as good he just brought the peak out of them. Just a total pro. The first night he was late and said exactly four words to me, monitor, kick base and vocal. Sat down turned to the band said three bar blues on one and just went off, let the band settle and that was all he needed to get into it. Lucile was singing from then on. Did some shows with Muddy and Albert but with what BB had to work with it was transcendent. The Pros are truly Pros
When was this? Because I have never ever heard of BB King touring as a single with pick up bands and I am pretty sure never mentioned in his autobiography. His one-nighters in the 50s were with HIS orchestra. I can't even imagine he did this in the 60s, and post "Thrill is Gone" he absolutely did not show up anywhere to play with a bar band. If you said this about Lowell Fulson I'd say absolutely, that's how he rolled. Muddy - I also totally doubt. And Albert? He drove the damn tour bus himself! So I am calling BS unless you've got some proof. Oh and by the way, what the hell is a "three bar blues"?
@@dangould7679 sounds like you are pretty sure about all that, and why would it be worth alotta crap to impress people in you tube comments.... I think it's more possible that you have missed out on this tour time period, then the possibility that the sound person has any reason to make up a story.... I say they have their reciepts to prove thier story. I got to see BB King at the Hollywood Bowl at Griffith Observatory along with SRV , and it was sadly shortly before Stevie Ray Vaughan was called home.
@@dangould7679 1978 or 79 was a while ago. But that was right at the time he actually was not touring doing at best one concert a year and was surviving on Walk ons and bar gigs. Muddy and Albert managed to keep their bands with them, which was made BB really stand out. Heck James Brown as playing bars around that time was scheduled to do two shows with him one in a bar in Minot North Dakota that he skipped out of after a show at the Cabooze a bar in Minneapolis. Not really something you dwell on in an autobiography is it. It is a brutal business that he regained standing is a testament.
@@judedornisch4946 You mean this happened sometime in two years during which time he performed 65 and 84 concerts worldwide respectively? Including dozens of theaters, music halls, and centers for the performing arts??? www.setlist.fm/stats/concert-map/bb-king-2bd698fe.html?year=1978 Oh but he only did one concert a year 'at best'. You sir are full of it.
@@judedornisch4946 More: You say he 'sat down'? Why don't you check out the many videos on this site that come from 1978. BB hadn't started to sit down when he played yet. Didn't do so for at least a decade maybe 15 years. And check out those performances: they are NOT pick up bands. He had his set list including tunes like Caledonia - which is well-practiced, well-oiled OWN BAND played exactly like he wanted them to.
No argument with BB that this was a great performance. How Blue Can You Get?? BB reprised this song with an all-star band in a Blues Brothers movie under the name of The Louisiana Gator Boys. Look it up!!
I saw him twice, once in 2006 in Detroit with Al Green. Awesome show, and he had some amazing stories, then again some years later in the UP, he was noticably older, voice a little weaker, but he stayed after the show and talked with the folks in the first few rows for about 25 minutes after the show. My friend was working the front desk at the hotel and later that night BB came down and gave her some tour collectibles, a signed photo, and talked with her and her boyfriend for about 15 minutes. He was always generous with his time. One of the finest humans we have had walk a stage. It was an honor and a privilege to share a room with this man for a few hours out of my life. I'll never forget the electricity in the air when he would strike the first note on Lucille.
Smooooth, with that unmistakeable tang in each exquisite note. Both guitar and vocals vibrate and shine. Thank you, B.B., for your glorious, expressive, and authentic music.
That guitar is just as much a part of American history as the cracked liberty bell. If I could go to the Smithsonian back in 1980 and see The Fonz's original leather jacket, then this guitar deserves a spot front and center.
B.b. King with his guitar Lucille original he called that song "Downhearted" but when he released it the next year he renamed it "How blue can you get" Mr. BB King...the man who made his guitar talk. God-given Talent, and a Class Act. You are keeping Good Music Alive, my friend. Not that I doubted you. As usual, a pleasure. Thank you. Peace Rock on Being it Junetenth... well at least when I'm watching it it's extremely relevant, and well done. B.b. King helped Medgar Evers brother Charles he was very involved in civil rights movements.
Cook County Jail. September 10th 1970. One of my favorite recordings. I love BBs work with Albert King. Jamel, you should check out some of their stuff together. They have some great stuff with SRV too. They both loved SRV like a son
Got to see BB King and Buddy Guy together in Norfolk in 2011. One of the bests concerts I’ve ever seen, especially with those two legends. Buddy played for about an hour before Mr. King took the stage. He sat through his set, but he was totally in control. He tossed souvenirs into the audience and I was fortunate enough to get one. It was a necklace with a plastic replica of Lucille attached. I’ve still got it and will always cherish it in his memory.
I've been lucky enough to see Jerry Garcia play with The Dead too many times to count. I caught Pink Floyd twice with all the lights and pyrotechnics you can handle. I saw Roger Waters several times, with his surround sound and an amazing artistic visions. I can go on and on with the best of the best in shows I've seen, but nobody blessed me as much as B.B. King back in 98.
In the early '90s there was this music & food festival in the heart of my city and the last act to play the first night was B.B. King. Me and my buddy asked the guards/staff where the artists were staying, it was a hotel not far from the festival area. We went to the hotel and eventually Mr King himself arrived and i got his autograph and also got to shake his hand!! One of few things in my life i'm really proud of!
I was lucky enough to see BB late in his career (1990ish). Because of diabetes hurting his fingers he could only play for half an hour or so, but man, he could still make Lucille sing! What a treat!
My favorite is the thrill is gone the thrill is gone with Eric Clapton B king I didn't became an/and/and many others others the groove was amazing. Dorry I'm nlinde. Cheers for the video 😎 👌
This is from his performance at sing sing prison in NY, but some of your subscribers might know it from the stones concert, or "live at cook county jail' I know the song well ! Leonard Feathers wrote it for "the three blazers" originally in the late forties as blues with piano accompaniment, under the title, "downhearted," BB covered the song twice in the early 60's, both as "downhearted," and "how blue can you get,".. heard here, with added narration by King, extended riffs & runs and slowed down a bit from the original.
When i was young my dad would play thisrecorded tape he had of of different blues artist hes fav was bb king funny thing he dint even understand English at that time he would just feel the music .im so happy i grew up with the blues in the background
That concert was in a prison so the audience was not paying fans - many didn't even know who he was, and with his first song he pulled them in, he connected with them, and drove them to cheers. It is a master class in working an audience. The first part when he played so quietly made you be quiet and listen (The man has some skills, the guitar is saying something but I am not sure what, but I am listening), the drop (oh, changing is coming), the lyrics conveyed something we all can connect to the music (you got an evil woman, me too, you said it twice, she must be bad, tell me how that makes you feel), singing raised the volume and energy (yes it does hurt, cause I am a good man and she hurt me, you must be a good man cause you feel my pain, tell me what she did), and the humor sealed the deal (she did what - and that, and oh damn that woman is evil, and you best check to see if all of those 7 kids are yours, just saying cause I have been there). Even the women in the audience were like, yeah that happens. You can just tell he was invested in that audience and carried about a group of people that most had written off.
You should watch “B.B King : The Life Of Riley”. It’s an outstanding documentary of B.B. King. He talks about growing up and how he made it. I’ve watched it many times.
The name is How Blue Can You Get. Never heard this but Jeff Healy did a version that is worth checking out. Also Lynyrd Skynyrd did a thing called The Blues Medley.
this show was in Sing Sing prison which is why he was talking about getting processed in. probably a contextual thing for Mr King in his feeling it was a best show.
it was after all recorded in a prion cafeteria (Cook County Jail). I think the setting and event was as important to BB as his performance. He was GIVING to people in need ...
I dont know how many times I have watched this video. You had Jimmy Walker Introducing him, Joan Baez also performed in that show at the prison. (this was thanksgiving at Sing Sing Prison in 1972 i believe). And I believe the didnt make money of this. The one chance I had to see BB live i was busy with something and didnt go. A regret for sure. And the title is How Blue Can You Get.
