The “King of the Blues”, guitarist BB King, has died aged 89: It is a case of “The King of the Blues is dead – Long live BB King”……although his physical presence may have gone, his soul will live on indefinitely!!

BB King, whose best known hits included My Lucille, Sweet Little Angel and Rock Me Baby, died in his sleep in Las Vegas. In the true tradition of the blues, BB King was born in Mississippi, and began performing in the 1940s, going on to influence a generation of musicians, latterly working with Eric Clapton and U2. He fused together both jazz and blues on his cherished guitar, a Gibson ES-355 he fondly dubbed “Lucille”.

The Record Press author saw BB King on stage with the Rolling Stones a few years ago. And what an ensemble it was, as BB King jammed with Keith Richard and Ronnie Woods. My overriding memory and impression of BB King was just how effortless guitar playing was to him, but also how pleasurable it was to him as his beaming smile lit up the stage. BB King was a total dude!!

Undoubtedly BB King was one of the greatest guitarists of all time, inspiring generations of guitarists. Rolling Stone magazine placed him No3 best guitarist behind Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. BB King had a revival in the late 1960s when musicians like Eric Clapton and Steve Miller introduced him to a new generation of music fans with songs like The Thrill is Gone. BB King’s career had a further revival in the late 1980s when he duetted with U2 on When Love Comes To Town.

Francis Davis probably sums up BB King’s contribution to music in his 1995 book The History of the Blues. “BB King is now the name most synonymous with the blues, much as Louis Armstrong’s once was with jazz. You don’t have to be a blues fan to have heard of King.”…….And that is so true. I don’t claim to be an aficionado of the blues, but I still have a total love and respect for BB King. God bless you Sir……

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