B.B. King Has Died
- Thread starter Mr. Laser Beam
- Start date
Crosspost from Facebook. A spot of shameless self-promoting to follow.
Memory is a funny thing.
Why am I moved by the death of a King? (B.B., to be specific) Well, first is my mom. Second off, well, uh, I'm a guitar player.
My mom loved the blues. She didn't know how much she loved it until much later. According to her, I was the one who put it together for her that she liked all her Motown and soul music because it was rooted in the blues. The blues. What does one say about the blues 'cept that it's like religion; it either moves ya or it doesn't!
My mom loved B.B. King. Why? Cause he played the blues. We finally got to see him in 2001, in Fort Wayne at the grand Embassy Theater (Anybody from northeast Indiana may know what I'm talking about).
The kicker to the night was my mom, working her magic (did I mention she met Johnny Cash? yeah. ask me about that one!) once more for me. We'd brought the pickguard off of my first guitar, my Casino (yeah, the pink one.). Mom was waving it over her head like an eager auction bidder! Through the chatter we heard B.B. was meeting people on his bus, around the back of the theater. Back there, mom still waving her auction card, we caught the attention of a fella around the side of the whose name escapes me. An usher, we thought. Come to find out, he's B.B's COUSIN and sure, we can get in line to meet him. My mother the marketer telling anybody who would listen about her boy the guitar player might have helped.
So we stroll up in the big ol' bus, have an incident with the manager ("B.B. ain't signing no pickguards, you could put that on a Fender or something" whatever man, I get it but screw you too!), and we go back there with nothing to sign but who cares I'M SITTING WITH B.B. KING.
As I started with, memory is a funny thing. We didn't talk for long, just briefly about that I was a guitar player. What do you say to a legend? What would I say to Elvis, John Lennon, anybody that I adore, musically speaking? The one thing that sticks in my mind is him saying to me something along the lines of "well, you keep playing and maybe I'll join you on stage someday". I thought "yeah, right." Sadly, I was right. Guess I have to wait a little longer for that privilege.
Bless you, B.B. I love you, Mom. Play a show just for her, Mr. King please.
Beautiful story BeatleJWOL. B.B. is irreplaceable.
A sad day. There are fewer and fewer of that generation of bluesmen with us. It's some comfort that he lived to a ripe old age and got the acclaim he richly deserved.
RIP King...
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajJBmcuzktw[/yt]
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajJBmcuzktw[/yt]
Clapton just posted a pretty moving farewell video to his old buddy B.B. on his Facebook page:
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6568338/bb-king-eric-clapton-tribute-video-obit
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6568338/bb-king-eric-clapton-tribute-video-obit
RIP B.B. King, you'll be missed 
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As a kid, although I thought he had a great voice and liked his records, I would always rag on B.B.'s playing. I thought his playing just didn't live up to his reputation.
One of my co-workers scored some tickets to a B.B. concert back in the early 90's. Boy, did he shut me up. This is back when he was still standing while performing. He went off on some extended jams with his band and fellow guitarists. I like to describe his playing that night as "savage" in it's attack. I was left speechless at how little I actually knew about his playing. Needless to say my respect for B.B. was off the charts after that night.
That was a great night. Pat Benatar sat in the seat directly in front of me, Bobby Blue Bland and Albert King were also on the bill, but B.B. was the star.
RIP.
One of my co-workers scored some tickets to a B.B. concert back in the early 90's. Boy, did he shut me up. This is back when he was still standing while performing. He went off on some extended jams with his band and fellow guitarists. I like to describe his playing that night as "savage" in it's attack. I was left speechless at how little I actually knew about his playing. Needless to say my respect for B.B. was off the charts after that night.
That was a great night. Pat Benatar sat in the seat directly in front of me, Bobby Blue Bland and Albert King were also on the bill, but B.B. was the star.
RIP.
Rest in Peace, BB King you will be missed and you were and always will be a legend.
RIP.
A very sad day for the BLUES for sure.
The King is gone, the King of Blues is gone today.....
RIP, B.B.
RIP, B.B.
R.I.P. sir
I remember this Cameo from Married....with Children
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY58YAfVAm4[/yt]
I remember this Cameo from Married....with Children
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY58YAfVAm4[/yt]
I can see how you'd think that; a lot of B.B.'s reputation came from coming first in some ways.
These YT videos are also excellent examples of his playing:
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49zfyzSBM1s[/yt]
and [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAW2uysA5l0[/yt]
I saw on CNN that BB's daughters think he was intentionally poisoned. What the actual fuck? 
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