May 15, 2015
The Thrill Is Gone
We lost one of the true legends of the music industry today. BB King, best known as "The King Of The Blues", passed away at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 89.
Mentor to other guitar heroes like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Buddy Guy, he also inspired countless number of blues performers and fans worldwide. Like many rock fans my age, I was introduced to him via the band U2, who featured him on the Rattle & Hum song "When Love Comes To Town," which they wrote specifically for him.
More recently, he hit the radio waves once again with his collaboration with Eric Clapton, "Riding With The King."
As it turned out, BB King hated to sing while playing Lucille, his guitar, so he had a unique call-and-response style to his songs. That's clearly heard in "The Thrill Is Gone," of course, but I'm fond of the tribute song he wrote for his guitar as well.
More than that, he had a distinctive sound to his playing, in a way that almost no other guitarist did. Silky smooth but with a hint of dirt to it. Drop him in a group of guitarists, and you'll always be able to tell which was him.
For music fans of all genres, the loss of BB King is immense. He will definitely be missed around The Pond, and around the world.
Mentor to other guitar heroes like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Buddy Guy, he also inspired countless number of blues performers and fans worldwide. Like many rock fans my age, I was introduced to him via the band U2, who featured him on the Rattle & Hum song "When Love Comes To Town," which they wrote specifically for him.
More recently, he hit the radio waves once again with his collaboration with Eric Clapton, "Riding With The King."
As it turned out, BB King hated to sing while playing Lucille, his guitar, so he had a unique call-and-response style to his songs. That's clearly heard in "The Thrill Is Gone," of course, but I'm fond of the tribute song he wrote for his guitar as well.
More than that, he had a distinctive sound to his playing, in a way that almost no other guitarist did. Silky smooth but with a hint of dirt to it. Drop him in a group of guitarists, and you'll always be able to tell which was him.
For music fans of all genres, the loss of BB King is immense. He will definitely be missed around The Pond, and around the world.
Posted by: Wonderduck at
02:03 AM
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1
A big loss. I saw him for the first time in college in the '80s, when I ushered for his show. His band played for nearly an hour before he got on stage, which was no problem since they were amazing. I wasn’t actually looking at the stage when he came on, because I was keeping an eye on some activity in the back rows. But I could feel that he was there because of the electricity pulsing through the crowd. It was an amazing show. He was resplendent in a lavender suit. And Lucille sounded great.
I had a chance to meet him briefly after the show and shake his hand! He was very gracious.
I had a chance to meet him briefly after the show and shake his hand! He was very gracious.
Posted by: Vaucanson's Duck at May 15, 2015 07:38 PM (G6R3M)
2
Holy crap... Vauc wins the whole internet!
Posted by: Wonderduck at May 15, 2015 10:24 PM (jGQR+)
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