Bb king’s 20 greatest guitar moments, ranked

[MarkRhodes]

BB King’s 20 greatest guitar moments, ranked | Guitar.com | All Things Guitar

Rankings are subjective, and there are things missing I wanted to see here (starting with You Upset Me, Baby and the instrumental version of "Darling, You Know I Love You") but this is a nice selection of BB's work.

[rpjazzguitar]

A Reno musician told me a BB King story.

BB is playing a show in Reno. 12 bar blues. He hits a high note and lets it ring. He uses that great vibrato, shaking the note through the turnaround and keeping it going. Shaking that note, squeezing it ... with the band smoking behind him. I don't recall if he did it for 1 full chorus or two, but when he kept it going through the next turnaround, the crowd went crazy, jumping up, screaming.

One note.

[digger]

Only saw him once, was back here in the UK in Bristol about 35 years ago, maybe even 40. I recall he had a big band that came on first - rhythm section, horn section, the lot - with a band leader who worked the audience up as they laid down a groove by talking about BB, gradually increasing the intensity, and then eventually announcing "Ladies and Gentleman, the king of the blues, Mr BB King!!" and then BB comes on and plays just one note and the whole place goes absolutely nuts.

Yep, one note!

Derek

[rNeil]

As a Younger Dude, I loved & played blues/rock but didn't care for BB. A wise and older friend said screw that, you gotta hear him live.

He came to a club in Vancouver WA, 90 minutes away, $10 tix, ok that's cheap enough. Went with wife and my bass player. Around 1980.

His band started with the backing guitarist as leader, played like 5-6 tunes. I'd have paid $20 at the time just to hear the band with his backing guitarist, that guy and the group SMOKED.

Then out comes BB hisself.

Holy ... woa ... live, in a club with that hot band, customers within 10 feet ... and they SMOKED the joint for two hours without a break.

And BB was the sweetest leader, gently praising all his band, everybody got featured multiple times including the backing guitarist.

And BB ... incredible player, vocalist, and personage to the crowd.

Love me some BB anytime since then ...

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Rob MacKillop]

He will always be the King of the Blues Guitar to me.

[ruger9]

BB is a fave. Alot of BB fans don't really know about his early years- the years where he sounded less like "Live at The Apollo" and more like T-Bone Walker. He was still developing his style, and he was a little more jump blues than what he became. But it's great stuff, sometimes my favorite stuff.

Here's an early BB track

[MarkRhodes]

Some of the earliest footage of BB that I've seen.
Love this tune, "Darling, You Know I Love You," especially as an instrumental. (We'll get to that next.) Nice changes, great slow blues.

[rpjazzguitar]

BB brought passion, humor and precision to his music.

He was also one of the best guests Bill Maher ever had, speaking beautifully about race issues in America.

[MarkRhodes]

BB King was much influenced by Louis Jordan. This is one of several Jordan songs (-or, songs Jordan recorded and put his indelible stamp on) that BB recorded.

[citizenk74]

BB is a deep and longstanding influence of my playing and my approach to performing. Obsessive listening to LaCCJ left an indelible impression which was further cemented with the acquisition of my Cherry Red ES-345TDSVT. In its case I keep a copy of the original sheet music to "Sweet 16" which I hoped I could one day get BB to autograph. Didn't happen of course - time and tides-... nonetheless, it's still in there as a reminder. LLtK!

[citizenk74]

A Reno musician told me a BB King story.

BB is playing a show in Reno. 12 bar blues. He hits a high note and lets it ring. He uses that great vibrato, shaking the note through the turnaround and keeping it going. Shaking that note, squeezing it ... with the band smoking behind him. I don't recall if he did it for 1 full chorus or two, but when he kept it going through the next turnaround, the crowd went crazy, jumping up, screaming.

One note.

The right note.

[ruger9]

BB King was much influenced by Louis Jordan. This is one of several Jordan songs (-or, songs Jordan recorded and put his indelible stamp on) that BB recorded.

BB did an entire album of Louis Jordan covers. It was great (of course)

[teeps]

I never saw BB live but I still remember seeing a TV transmission back in the 70s from a concert at Sing Sing where he had the audience in his hands. Also some in the backing band were residents at the facility, so to say, which also added to the intimacy. That was something special.

[MarkRhodes]

From his Thanksgiving 1973 performance at Sing Sing. (The whole thing is worth watching.)

[MarkRhodes]

Well, here is the whole thing, with an intro.

[teeps]

Yeah . Even if it is available on YT I bought the DVD when I got the opportunity. Just because its so eminent a performance. I was in my early teens at the time and my dad recommended that I saw the thing on TV. He had his Tandberg reel to reel recorder set up in the TV room with a microphone and recorded the sound on tape. No doubt that what the audience gave in to that evening was something differing from the daily experience at that facility at that time, and BB and the other performers were aware of that. How blue can you get?