RIP, Mr. BB King
The world is a sadder place today because we lost BB King.
BB King – April 2014, Lynn Memorial Auditorium
Widely considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, BB regaled us with his talent and grace for many years.
I met him once in the late 1990s at the Blue Note in New York. I went upstairs to the ladies’ room before the show and when I was leaving it, he came out of the green room to get ready to head downstairs, graciously allowing me to go down the stairs before him. We exchanged smiles, and I told him that I had traveled from New Hampshire where I was living at the time to see him. He cracked some joke that I do not recall, and I headed down for the show.
I am grateful I saw him perform a number of times over the years, and he never ceased to impress me, even last year when his health was starting to fail. He played Lucille as he always had, with affection, passion and immense talent.
Heaven – if I believe in it – has better music today because he is there. The thrill is NOT gone; it lives in the hearts and souls of all those great bluesmen and blueswomen – from Eric Clapton to Quinn Sullivan and all those in between – and we will remember BB always.
Rest in peace, dear sir. Eighty-nine years of you was not enough.
For my review of the last BB King show I saw, click here.
Posted on May 15, 2015, in music, Uncategorized and tagged BB King, blues guitar, blues musician, obituary. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
suze reviews the blues 
I’ve seen BB numerous times, but the first time was the most memorable. It was at the Channel in South Boston. Johnny Copeland was the opening band. There was two shows scheduled. Copeland and his band did their thing. BB and his band did their set. The Channel never cleared the early crowd out and I don’t think a lot of people showed up for the second show. When BB realized that he would essentially be playing to the same audience, he decided to shake it up. So for the second show, he brought out Johnny Copeland and his band along with BB’s band and the two bands jammed together for over an hour. BB spent much of the jam, playing conductor, telling the various musicians when and what to play. It was a magical evening, and easily the best show I ever saw at the Channel.
Wow, what a memory! That sounds amazing… thanks for sharing it, Steve. I’m not sure when I saw him for the first time, other than early to mid 1970s.