Riley (B. B.) King

[Admin]

It's sad that this thread didn't occur during his lifetime, but the "King" is gone, along with the "Thrill". Rest in Peace, Riley B. King.

www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/arts/music/b-b-king-blues-singer-dies-at-89.html?_r=0

[Admin]

bluestalk.proboards.com/post/1060/thread

As most know by now, we have lost a legend - B. B. King has passed.


Here are a couple of comments from his friends:

Bo Diddley

Musician toured with B.B. King



The Thrill Is Gone, Long Live The King

Riley "Blues Boy" King
Sept 16, 1925 - May 14, 2015

We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our friend BB King and wish him a peaceful homegoing. RIP, sir.

Buddy Guy



This morning, I come to you all with a heavy heart.

BB King was the greatest guy I ever met. The tone he got out of that guitar, the way he shook his left wrist, the way he squeezed the strings... man, he came out with that and it was all new to the whole guitar playin' world. He could play so smooth, he didn't have to put on a show. The way BB did it is the way we all do it now. He was my best friend and father to us all.

I'll miss you, B. I love you and I promise I will keep these damn Blues alive. Rest well.


All my love,
Buddy

[Admin]

Former WDIA manager recalls hiring B.B. King

www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/29079744/former-wdia-manager-recalls-hiring-bb-king

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - WMC Action News 5 talked with the woman who helped make B. B. King a star. She actually hired him at legendary radio station WDIA in 1949.
"I said 'let's put him on the air' and we did," said Christine Spindel.

B. B. King worked under Spindel when she was program director at WDIA long before he gained legendary status. She was just 23 when she helped hire King after hearing his music.

"B. B. sauntered in on a rainy day with his guitar under an umbrella, himself all wet," recalled Spindel. "And my boss called me downstairs and said 'come listen to him.'"

The nation's first radio station with an all-black format soon became even more special.

"He was just simply too hot for us," said Spindel.

King's true passion was always crystal clear. His radio career eventually took a back seat.

"He was so popular from the beginning," said Spindel.

Of course, everyone knows where King's musical talent took him. As for Ms. Spindel, she left radio long ago to, among other things, raise a family. But the pair would meet again during a ceremony in which King got a key to the city.

"I saw him and went toward him," recalled Spindel. "And he kissed me, and I was delighted."

She said King was the most courteous, gentle, and thoughtful entertainer she's ever encountered.

"He'll be missed by me," said Spindel. "I think of BB all the time."

Spindel said she last heard from King a few months ago through a mutual friend.

Copyright 2015 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved.

[Admin]

Elvis Presley and B.B. King : December 7, 1956, Radio Station WDIA Goodwill Revue Ellis Auditorium

www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pictures/1956_december_7.html

[garyblue]

I've been intrigued by the scarcity of his sessions using acoustic guitar. There is a track recorded for the "In London" album with Alexis Korner and Steve Marriott called "Alexis' Boogie"; I can't see any others in his discography?

He mentioned "his stupid fingers" in a couple of interviews (I think in connection with his frustration on trying to master slide) and wonder if this was part of his reluctance to go unplugged?

[alanbalfour]

Apropos of nothing I stumbled upon this book review whilst looking for something else.

Attachments:

BBKreview98.pdf (916.53 KB)

[garyblue]

Partial list of Books about B.B. King

B.B. King, the Authorized Biography. Charles Sawyer. Blandford Press (1981)

Blues All Around Me the Autobiography. B.B. King with David Ritz. Holder & Stoughton (1996)

There is Always One More Time. David McGee. Backbeat Books (2005)

B.B. King Companion, Five Decades of Commentary. Richard Kostelanetz. Omnibus Press (1997)

[alanbalfour]

FWIW Sebastian Danchin's BBK bio originally published in French by Edition du Limon, 1993 and expanded upon for the 1998 edition.

[garyblue]

The David McGee book looks in detail at each of the albums officially released by B. B. King. He gives track and fairly detailed musician information. It doesn't have 'One Kind Favor' obviously but it is a fascinating study linked with a narrative that, for example, illustrates the different context of 'Live At the Regal' with the follow-up live recording of 'Blues Is King'

B.B. King: There Is Always One More Time: David McGee, B.B. King: 9780879308438: Amazon.com: Books