Since this is the first entry in a blog about blues and rock music, I figured that it would be fitting to start with B.B. King. And I also figured it would be fitting to start with his most famous song. I don’t need to get into a lot of detail about his life and career, as there are many sources on the internet and books that can give a much more exhaustive and knowledgeable account than I can here. I’m glad to see that he is still fairly active at 85, despite both his age and his diabetes. He performs sitting down now, and I’m assuming he doesn’t tour or record as much today, but he is still out there, and still the premier blues artist in the world. His name is synonymous with the form.
It was over a period of several decades that King built his career and his reputation. The pivotal time was during the 1960’s, when blues music in general crossed over to a new white audience. From there, King’s influence expanded and grew to what it is today. There was a blues boom in England that spawned a whole new genre of guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Peter Green, all of whom made no secret of their debt to King. While that was happening in England, something else was happening simultaneously in America. Mike Bloomfield and Johnny Winter rose to the forefront, and like Clapton and Green, sold millions of records along the way. King and many other blues artists now had their sound taken to the masses. It was during that time, in 1969, when King released “The Thrill is Gone”, which became his signature song.
Of course, the above two paragraphs are far too little to explain King’s life or influence even in a nutshell. I didn’t even try to do that. But I do want to find something that will epitomize what this blog is about, which is sharing and discussing blues and rock music. I think it’s a good way to begin.
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