The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 410

Number 410

BB King

"The Thrill Is Gone"

(1970)

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409

.........Genre: Blues.............

411

art by DaneRot

I watched the Watchmen [2009] last night, I didn't know one thing about it, other than the short comic mini series by DC was written by Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins, which i knew, them from their 2000 AD days [have every single issue from 1977 onwards, starting from #1]. So, knowing nothing about it, I have to say .... It was thoroughly enjoyable and captivating, well worth the view if you are into intellectual films with a bit of fantasy.

John, "the blue dood" aka Dr Manhattan reminded me of Kevin Spacey [and I'm talking about the facial bits and not the other bits]. Also, the film had a great soundtrack, but alas i did not hear one BB King song ... Sorry folks ~ crowbarred

I is the KING [even at this age]

Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century. His bent notes and staccato picking style have influenced legions of contemporary bluesmen, while his gritty and confident voice -- capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric -- provides a worthy match for his passionate playing. Between 1951 and 1985, King notched an impressive 74 entries on Billboard's R&B charts, and he was one of the few full-fledged blues artists to score a major pop hit when his 1970 smash "The Thrill Is Gone" crossed over to mainstream success (engendering memorable appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand). Since that time, he has partnered with such musicians as Eric Clapton and U2 while managing his own acclaimed solo career, all the while maintaining his immediately recognizable style on the electric guitar.

Legend, needs no other words

The seeds of Riley B. King's enduring talent were sown deep in the blues-rich Mississippi Delta, where he was born in 1925 near the town of Itta Bena. He was shuttled between his mother's home and his grandmother's residence as a child, his father having left the family when King was very young. The youth put in long days working as a sharecropper and devoutly sang the Lord's praises at church before moving to Indianola -- another town located in the heart of the Delta -- in 1943. Country and gospel music left an indelible impression on King's musical mindset as he matured, along with the styles of blues greats (T-Bone Walker and Lonnie Johnson) and jazz geniuses (Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt). In 1946, he set off for Memphis to look up his cousin, a rough-edged country blues guitarist named Bukka White. For ten invaluable months, White taught his eager young relative the finer points of playing blues guitar. After returning briefly to Indianola and the sharecropper's eternal struggle with his wife Martha, King returned to Memphis in late 1948. This time, he stuck around for a while.

You know why i'm smiling

The 1950s saw King establish himself as a perennially formidable hitmaking force in the R&B field. Recording mostly in L.A. (the WDIA air shift became impossible to maintain by 1953 due to King's endless touring) for RPM and its successor Kent, King scored 20 chart items during that musically tumultuous decade, including such memorable efforts as "You Know I Love You" (1952); "Woke Up This Morning" and "Please Love Me" (1953); "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta' Love," and "You Upset Me Baby" (1954); "Every Day I Have the Blues" (another Fulson remake), the dreamy blues ballad "Sneakin' Around," and "Ten Long Years" (1955); "Bad Luck," "Sweet Little Angel," and a Platters-like "On My Word of Honor" (1956); and "Please Accept My Love" (first cut by Jimmy Wilson) in 1958. King's guitar attack grew more aggressive and pointed as the decade progressed, influencing a legion of up-and-coming axemen across the nation.

art by Jean-Mark Borot

Across-the-board stardom finally arrived in 1969 for the deserving guitarist, when he crashed the mainstream consciousness in a big way with a stately, violin-drenched minor-key treatment of Roy Hawkins' "The Thrill Is Gone" that was quite a departure from the concise horn-powered backing King had customarily employed. At last, pop audiences were convinced that they should get to know King better: not only was the track a number-three R&B smash, it vaulted to the upper reaches of the pop lists as well. In 1976, he teamed up with his old cohort Bland to wax some well-received duets. And in 1978, he joined forces with the jazzy Crusaders to make the gloriously funky "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" and an inspiring "When It All Comes Down." Occasionally, the daring deviations veered off-course; Love Me Tender, an album that attempted to harness the Nashville country sound, was an artistic disaster.

Shhhh, white man not talk about Katrina [wink and yanno's]

Although his concerts were consistently as satisfying as anyone in the field (King asserted himself as a road warrior of remarkable resiliency who gigged an average of 300 nights a year), King tempered his studio activities somewhat. Nevertheless, his 1993 MCA disc Blues Summit was a return to form, as King duetted with his peers (John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Fulson, Koko Taylor) on a program of standards. Other notable releases from that period include 1999's Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan and 2000's Riding with the King, a collaboration with Eric Clapton. King celebrated his 80th birthday in 2005 with the star-studded album 80, which featured guest spots from such varied artists as Gloria Estefan, John Mayer, and Van Morrison. Live was issued in 2008; that same year, King released an engaging return to pure blues, One Kind Favor, which eschewed the slick sounds of his 21st century work for a stripped-back approach. ~ [Bill Dahl, All Music Guide]

The Thrill Is Gone

Hell yeah!

"The Thrill is Gone" is a blues song written by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins in 1951 and popularized by B. B. King in 1970. The song was first recorded by Hawkins and became a minor hit for the musician. King recorded his version of the song in June 1969 for his album Completely Well, released the same year. The song's polished production and use of strings marked a departure from both the original song and King's previous material. When released as a single in December of 1969, the song became the biggest hit of King's career (#3 R&B / #15 Pop) and his signature song. B. B. King's recording earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998. King's version of the song was also placed at number 183 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs ever. Memorable live versions of the song were included on King's albums Live in Cook County Jail (1971), Bobby Bland and B.B. King Together Again...Live (1976), and Live at San Quentin (1991).

The song has been covered by numerous artists since B. B. King's hit version, including Dishwalla (1995), Aretha Franklin (1970), Willie Nelson (2000), Buckethead (2004). ~ [Source: Wikipedia]

For Eric Clapton see Number 537

For U2 see Number 661, MM Vol 1 #038 & MM Vol 1 #129

For John Lee Hooker see Number 530

For Van Morrison see Number 987

For Aretha Franklin see Number 563

For Willie Nelson see Number 664

What does RS think of the King of Blues?

B.B. King is universally recognized as the leading exponent of modern blues. Playing his trademark Gibson guitar, which he refers to affectionately as Lucille, King's voice-like string bends and left-hand vibrato have influenced numerous rock guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, as well as modern blues players such as Buddy Guy. An eight-time Grammy winner, King has received virtually every music award, including the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 1987. ~ [Source: from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)

For David Gilmour see Number 923

For Pink Floyd see Number 497 & MM Vol 1 #138