Live at the Regal
For many of the people of my peer group, most of us didn’t really get much exposure to BB King until the concert film U2’s Rattle and Hum. He had obviously been around and made his mark on many guitar players and blues aficionados. I actually came across an old episode of Sanford and Son that he had guested on in the 70’s. I’m sure as a kid I probably saw BB King on such appearances as Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas or Flip Wilson. He’s also listed as a guest performer on shows by the Captain & Tennille, Helen Reddy and Crystal Gayle too. So, he obviously did a round of the variety shows of the day too.
As I write this, I realize I “discovered” a lot of different artists after I was in college. Of course, working for a record store had a big part in that too. I remember after I had moved out of North Platte(moved to Hastings and spent at year in school at Kearney) an older friend of mine in North Platte asked me, “So, what kind of NEW or Old music have you discovered now that you’re in college?” I shrugged it off and said, “nothing much that I already didn’t know about.”…. Looking back, like many of us do, I realize I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. I knew more than most. But, then again, most people weren’t die hard music junkies like myself.
When ZZ Top became mainstream big in the early to mid 80’s, I became a big fan. So big that I began to dig into the old catalog and the history of the band. One of the things they stated was the band came up with the name “ZZ Top” to make it sound like an old blues singer’s name like BB King. In fact, in the early days of booking the band, they were mistaken for an old blues artist as opposed to a rocking blues trio of white boys from Texas. …or at least I think that’s how the story went. Well, ZZ Top is another blog(I promise). So, back to B.B.
Obviously, I had spent a lot of times in record stores and the record departments of department stores growing up. As my interest in the blues grew in the late 80’s, the more I became more familiar with B.B. King. I had been listening to those white interpreters of the blues like Zeppelin and Jeff Beck and Clapton. So, I was familiar with B.B. too. Probably the most identifiable songs that B.B. has ever performed is The Thrill is Gone. It’s been used in movies and TV. In fact, I remember seeing a performance of BB in the MIchelle Pfeiffer/Jeff Goldblum 1985 movie Into the Night. In fact, that may have been the first time I actually “noticed” BB King in a greater sense. I have actually seen footage of BB perform The Thrill is Gone (seperately) with Clapton, Gary Moore, and the Doobie Brothers’ Jeff (Skunk) Baxter.
But, I honestly think that BB’s collaboration with U2 on their song When Love Comes to Town catapulted his career another step up and put his name, image and music into the public consciousness. Many people who were U2 fans admitted to liking the song and BB fans acknowledged this pairing as a great piece too. When U2 released the album Rattle and Hum, I was working at Dustys and Forrest, Bob and myself were really into the album. Forrest was the resident U2 fanatic. The 3 of us thought this was an incredible album. I honestly remember Dusty telling Forrest that it was OK but the BB King song was the best on the album. In that moment, Forrest seemed a little hurt that Dusty didn’t like it as much as he did. But, he couldn’t deny how great the BB King duet was.
I added BB King to a list of artists that I wanted to hear more from. So, I bought an early “Best of “ LP and the Live at the Regal album. At first, I would listen to it casually. The album definitely captures the excitement that BB would exude to the audience. You can tell by this recording that the audience is fired up and BB has got them going. From the opening of Everyday I Have the Blues to Sweet Little Angel, He is an electrified bluesman worthy of his “royal” name. His personality shines through as he relates to every man on How Blue can You Get?
If you know the lyrics and have seen this performed and happened to be a man…You can relate more than we want to admit.
In 1994, I saw BB King on a Blues package tour that featured a Muddy Waters Tribute band, Dr. John, Little Feat and wrapping up the night…BB King. It was truly a great show and I saw so many great musicians in one night. I would really like to see BB another time before he dies.I’ve been down hearted baby
ever since the day we met
I said I’ve been down hearted baby
ever since the day we met
our love is nothing but the blues
baby, how blue can you get?
You’re evil when I’m with you, baby
and you’re jealous when we’re apart
I said You’re evil when I’m with you, baby
and you’re jealous when we’re apart
how blue can you get baby
the answer is right here in my heart
I gave you a brand new Ford
But you said: I want a Cadillac
I bought you a ten dollar dinner
and you said: thanks for the snack
I let you live in my pent house
you said it just a shack
I gave seven children
and now you wanna give them back
I said I’ve been down hearted baby
ever since the day we met
our love is nothing but the blues
baby, how blue can you get?
In 2000, BB King paired up with probably his most devout follower- Eric Clapton on the album Riding with the King. I have listened to this album many many times. It’s great to hear Eric and BB trade off licks. The clarity of the recordings when I first heard it was so good, it felt like they were picking away in my living room. Here’s the review I wrote on Amazon at the time! I was over-the-top excited about this album
For me, I love the deep baritone blues vocals of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. But, the voice of BB King is the only original Delta bluesman (aside from maybe Buddy Guy) still carrying on the music of the blues. That’s not to say that the music of the blues is dead. But, BB King is definitely one of the forefathers that the blues disciples will always look up to.
It will definitely be a sad day when BB passes away. But, right now, Let us celebrate the 85 years of life and music he’s given us.
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