It’s been raining all day and there are no signs of it letting up anytime soon. I’m sitting in my dining room with the front door open so the dog can lie on the porch. A cup of coffee has replaced my normal after-work can of beer, and this B.B. King comp I picked up is on the stereo. It’s one of those surreal moments where you feel like it could be a scene in a movie or something, you know what I’m talking about?
The Best of the Early Years is a perfect starting point for anyone who has ever wanted to delve deeper into B.B. King, but found themselves overwhelmed by the hundreds of box sets, original cds and collections available. It’s the first “Best Of” collection by Ace Records to feature the original master-recordings from the 50′s and 60′s, and gives the listener a wonderful insight into the formative years of an undisputed blues legend. Coming in at 25 tracks, this album features such classics as “Rock Me Baby,” “Everyday I Have The Blues,” “Sweet Little Angel,” and “3 O’clock Blues,” and is perfect for both quiet afternoons with the dog or long nights of loving with the wife.
B.B. King – 3 O’Clock Blues
B.B. King – Sweet Sixteen Pts. 1 & 2
B.B. King – Sweet Little Angel
B.B. King – Everyday I Have the Blues
B.B. King – Downhearted (How Blue Can you Get?)
Party trivia moment: Just how did BB’s guitar come by the name ‘Lucille’? I quote from bbking.com:
Seems that while he was playing a joint in a little Arkansas town called Twist, fisticuffs broke out between two jealous suitors over a lady. The brawlers knocked over a kerosene-filled garbage pail that was heating the place, setting the room ablaze. In
the frantic scramble to escape the flames, King left his guitar inside. He foolishly ran back in to retrieve it, dodging the flames
and almost losing his life. When the smoke had cleared, King learned that the lady who had inspired such violent passion was named Lucille. Plenty of Lucilles have passed through his hands since; Gibson has even marketed a B.B.-approved guitar model under the name.
I’ve said before. blues is a genre best experienced live. I wanted to include some videos of these songs being performed live. Some are recent some are video’s from the 60′s. All 5 are worth watching. If not for the intro to Sweet Sixteen or the breakdown in 3 O’Clock Blues then maybe for the collection of talent on stage for Sweet Little Angel. If not for that or the Linda Hopkins duet on Everyday I Have the Blues or the 1972 performance of Downhearted at Sing Sing Prison then for the history of it all.
B.B. King – Downhearted (How Blue Can You Get?)
B.B. King – 3 O’Clock Blues
Linda Hopkins & BB King – Every Day I Have the Blues
B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck – Sweet Little Angel
B.B. King – Sweet Sixteen
Autopsy IV
Part time blogger. Full time hater.
I’ve said for years that the only thing I would save in a fire would be my favorite guitar. As it turns out, this is not a good thing to say in the presence of your girlfriend. Incidentally, if I followed the same naming logic as B.B. King, I’d probably have to name my guitar “Faulty wiring in an overclocked server.”