BB King (1925 -) – The King of the Blues

There are many reasons why BB King is known as the "King of the Blues", but listing them is a hard task. It could be his feeling, his innovations, his influence on other guitar players, his soulful vocals, his guitar phrasing or his tasteful solos. The truth is there’s only one BB King and all blues guitar players look up to him.

Guitar Style

Famous for his vibrato and bending techniques, what amazes me the most is how he delivers his art with such a simple usage of notes. He has an impressive control of the instrument. Every note he plays sounds exactly the way he wants it to. Few guitar players can do this.

His playing is like a dialogue. He plays an array of musical sentences that altogether make a conversation. Listening carefully to BB King is the best learning experience for solo phrasing I can think of.

Also, he can play the sweetest note followed by a harsh one. He can mute it or make it last an eternity; he can make it vibrate like no one else, or he can let it just sound until it fades away. He can play it clean, or add his rich, yet subtle overdrive sound.

One of his many innovations is the famous "BB. King Box", which is a sequence of notes widely used by blues players such as Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, among many others.

See BB King’s influences on the Guitar Family Tree

The first thing that comes to my mind is BB King’s signature guitar "Lucille", which is a beautiful black model based on the Gibson ES-345. The ES-345 is a semi-hollow body, based on the ES-335, only that it it doesn’t have the f-holes of the 335. I just love the sound of these two humbuckers! Lucille is a luxurious model with gold-plated hardware and ebony fingerboard.

His first choice of amp is a Gibson Lab Series L5 (2X12 solid state) since 1979, and occasionally uses a Fender Twin Reverb due to his touring needs. He uses the popular mike Shure SM57 for his amps and Shure SM58 for vocals.

His chosen string gauge (.010 .013 .017p .032w .045w .054w) provides flexibility for bending and vibrato while still allowing a nice, full sound from Lucille.

His gear is consistent with his simplicity and good taste. Lucille gives him ample range of sounds, going from quiet and sweet to loud and rich.

Album Highlights

There is a noticeable rawness in BB’s music in the late 40’s and early 50’s, while he was developing his sound and style. It is in the mid 50’s when a more recognizable BB King sound was present in his recordings.

There are multiple BB King’s anthologies out there that have his early material. Whatever you choose, make sure it has the following songs:

These are some of my favourite albums from BB King (in no particular order)

Videos

B.B. King on Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual 1968.This is a nice video showing a mature BB King at age 43. His trademark sound is already present in this performance.

The Thrill Is Gone. A classic performance by Mr. King. I like the vintage style of this video, showing an energetic B.B. in 1970. This song was originally recorded in 1969 and it reached No.15 on the pop charts in 1970, around the time this footage was shot. The soloing is particularly simple, but is one of the best examples of B.B.’s mastery of phrasing, elegance and feeling. It’s worth to mention the innovative turnaround featuring a VI maj7-V7 progression instead of the traditional blues V-IV.

When Love Comes to Town, 2006. This song was written by U2 for the film "Rattle and Hum", released in 1988. This is a good example of what a B.B. King show is like. He is a great story teller and likes to involve his audience in all his concerts. He also gives space to his band and is very well known for recognizing their talent and importance.

Extract from "The Road to Memphis", part of "Martin Scorcese presents The Blues".Great example of Mr. King’s sweet sound switching to a nice rich overdrive. Also, it shows his raking technique and signature vibrato.

B.B. King and Eric Clapton. Riding with the King. Commercial video of the feature track of the album "Riding with the King", awarded double platinum in 2000 and Grammy Award winner for "Best Traditional Blues Recording" the same year.

Discography

With over 60 years of an active recording career, it’s kind of hard to compile the complete list of BB King’s material. Having this said, this is my best effort at listing such a prolific career: