BB King
March 20th, 2007 Posted in MusicAn interview with America’s Most Legendary Blues Man.
There aren’t many artists out there who have had a truly profound impact on American music. At the top of that list is a man from Mississippi who scratched his way to the top.
He is a kind, gentle soul who has endeared himself to the music world – fans and artists alike.
Riley “B.B.” King is a true legend in his own time. With over sixty years of experience playing on the road, he is one of the only remaining members of the original American Blues movement. He brought the genre to the mainstream spotlight and opened the way for countless other performers who have followed in his footsteps and the countless more who will come. The number of musicians who site B.B. King as an inspiration has to be a figure that astounds historians. Today, I had one of the greatest pleasures of my life – the chance to interview the man who largely sang the blues into our collective consciousness.
The first thing to understand about B.B. King is that he does what he loves and loves what he does. If that wasn’t already evidenced by the fact that he has been playing live music since the baby boomers were born, consider the tour schedule he keeps. Most major performers book large block tours played throughout the course of a few months, and then they go on hiatus to relax or record for a few months. Not B.B. King. This man is on the road twelve months a year with only breaks of a week or two interspersed throughout.
“It is hard, but when you choose to be an entertainer and you perform the kind of music I do, well, you can’t do it all in one place. This ain’t Broadway, so we carry the music to the people. Soon enough you learn that it is just a part of the gig and only a slight drawback for doing what I love.”
The majority of B.B.’s performances are public affairs. B.B. King is an artist that truly transcends race, age, gender and politics. Everyone “gets” the blues on some level and certainly no one is excluded from that. Concerts, festivals and performing arts halls filled with all kinds of people and ages are standard at any one of B.B.’s shows. One interesting new area B.B. concentrates on are casinos. With Indian casinos popping up all over the country, more and more entertainers are finding them a viable venue to present their craft. It’s not just a novelty entertainer’s ball game anymore.
“People from all walks of life come to the casinos,” B.B. says, “so the casino’s know the more of a draw they have at their particular establishment, the more folks they can get through their doors.” There are certainly few performers who have the name recognition and draw of B.B. King for any promotional purpose. “The casino’s are very nice to work generally, because the production is top notch and the perks are great. The main reason I’m there is to headline and get people in the door so they can do their gaming. Even when I am not on-stage, the casino gets the benefit of the draw from the marquee. They treat us great between shows and all of the staff are generally very nice, courteous and professional people.”
Besides being one of the great guitar heroes of the twentieth century and one hell of a blues singer, B.B. King is also an unbelievably nice and personable guy. This geniality 
obviously leaks through during his live shows, as B.B. is famous for banter with the crowds and a truly interactive show. Fans say they return to B.B.’s shows so often not just to see the man and hear the music but because they feel like a part of the show.
“I like to be personal with the audience. I like to have them be a part of the show. Some times during the show I talk to the audience. It could be about anything. Then sometimes we just chug right along on stage all on our own while the crowd enjoys it. You pick up your guitar and you play a song, A,B,C,D, Simple as that.”
B.B. enjoys telling stories and is known for his sense of humor and ability to make the audience laugh. “We may have a little fun and play something with some humor in it; it is all a part of the show. I always just try and do my show, never anybody else’s. I only do B.B. King and the people who know me, well that’s what they want to hear.”
Anyone can get their hands on one of the over 400 singles and about 90 albums B.B. King has cut, but if you ever wanted to get that real feeling of intimacy and personality in B.B.’s show (and you can’t go in person for some reason), you are in luck. B.B. recently shot footage for a DVD that he is especially proud of. While he has had video releases before, this time B.B. feels they were able to really capture the essence of one of his shows. The new DVD will be available in the coming months.
It takes quite a level of notoriety to be considered a household name, especially in our celebrity-centric society. How impressive is it then, when you have a performer who is so indelibly ingrained in our culture that even his instrument is almost as famous as he is? Such is the renown of B.B. King. Lucille, a Gibson ES-335, is his ever-beloved guitar and has been with B.B. for longer than most can remember. There probably isn’t a person who hasn’t heard of the infamous guitar and wondered for just a moment about the story and significance behind this instrumental icon. Well dear readers, we have the exclusive story, uncut and unedited from the mouth of the man himself.
“I used to play quite a bit over in Arkansas when I lived in Memphis,” he says. “I was a disc jockey at the time, so we would play any place we could, as long as it was within 2-300 miles so I could get back on the radio the next day. One little place we played was in a little town named Twist, Arkansas. It used to get quite cold during the winter months in old Twist. They used to take something like a large pail, a pitcher or a round garbage pail that would hold say, ten or fifteen gallons of fuel. They would only take oh, maybe five or six gallons of fuel and put it in this container and light it and let it burn for heat. They placed it in the middle of the dance floor and the people in the club would dance around this pail to stay warm.
“One night, a couple of fellows started fighting and one knocked the other over on this container of fuel. When they did, it was already burning and it spilled over. It looked like a river of fire. Everyone started running for the front door, including B.B. King.”
B.B. was of the same mind as the crowd until he got outside and realized something was missing. “I realized, ‘Damn! I left my guitar!’ The building was a wooden one and it was burning rapidly. By the time I got in and out, it was almost completely engulfed in flames. I almost lost my life saving my guitar, but I got it.”
The next morning, B.B. found out that the fight and resulting fire broke out over one of man’s most basic subjects for quarrels; love. “The morning after, we found out that these two guys had been fighting over a lady. She worked at the little nightclub, though I don’t
know if she was there that night. I never did meet this lady, but I learned that her name was Lucille. I named my guitar Lucille then and there, to remind me never to do a thing like that again. Through the years I kept calling her Lucille and today, she is about as popular as I am.”
So popular, as a matter of fact, that world famous guitar maker, Gibson, teamed up with B.B. in 1982 to produce an exclusive, customized, signature version of the ES-335 in honor of B.B. and Lucille. Now anyone with the passion to play and money to spare can own a piece of blues history.
B.B. says he always carries two guitars to his gigs, but the only reason is in case something happens to Lucille (like a broken string) while he is on stage. Other than that, B.B. says he never got into the rock star-like habit of playing a different instrument for every song. “I don’t do it like a lot of guitarists. I guess they are great and they can do it if they want. They carry different guitars for different sounds, but I don’t know how to do that, so I just have one. And I play that one.”
And play it he does. B.B. King has been recognized inside the guitarist’s community as one of the greats, even a pioneer in the technique of modern music. Though B.B. never realized it, he even has a special technique of producing vibrato (the rapid raising and lowering of a note in pitch to give it a ‘wavy’ soulful sound) named after him. The “B-Sting” is legendary in that it is produced purely at the wrist instead of with a “whammy” bar connected to the body of the guitar, a simpler technique widely employed in all types of modern music. “(Laughs) I wasn’t even aware of such a thing. I see a lot of guitarists touch that lever and make it go wild. I do it all with my hand, I don’t know anything about the other style.” Modest as he is, this is an incredibly difficult technique to master in real life. “I don’t know any other way to play,” he says.
Some of B.B.’s most commercial successes have resulted in partnerships with other performers, much like Carlos Santana’s unbelievable success with various artists like Rob Thomas and Everlast on Supernatural. “I wish I could do something with Carlos. He is a good friend and one of the great, great musicians. We have never talked about it, so I have no idea whether that could happen or not, but I would like it very much.”
The most recent and memorable example of this is 2000’s Riding With The King, an album he recorded with British blues legend Eric Clapton. “I enjoy doing projects with other people, especially Eric. But I would like for people to like me for what I do though and not have to depend on me working with other people just to listen to my music. I don’t want to be too eager and get people thinking I won’t do records alone. I would like very much for people to think of me as B.B. King and my music. I don’t want to have to get with someone else just to sell some records.”
We wish B.B. continued luck in the future and look forward to seeing more music from this legendary and prolific artist.
“Thank you and I hope everyone will see more of me. I am now 81, but I am still playing and enjoying it.”
BOOK IT!
Barry Jeffrey
William Morris Agency
(615) 963-3000