Farewell to the King

First of all, thanks to all of you who checked out the Psychedelic Jukebox post from last week. Many thanks to Kevin Anthony for taking the time to talk and if you haven't checked out this terrific internet radio station yet, do so at www.psychedelicjukebox.com. You're missing out if you haven't.

Though this really isn't about garage rock, I cannot let the passing of B.B. King, perhaps the greatest bluesman of our time, go without saying something about it.

There is a very direct connection between garage rock and the blues. Of course, you already know that rock and roll started out as little more than speeded-up blues. Rock's founding fathers, namely Chuck Berry and Little Richard, paid massive dues in blues clubs around the country and for all intents as purposes, their music was full-on blues.

Many of the riffs, particularly in '60s garage and freakbeat, are refined blues licks. Obviously, many garage/freakbeat bands copied wholesale what the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Yardbirds were doing at the time, themselves grabbing as many chunks of Albert, Freddie and B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf as their grubby paws could get.

Bands like The Nashville Teens, Captain Beefheart, the Blues Magoos (duh!) and countless others continued the blues-in-rock tradition, but really, when you talk '60s garage it's impossible to wander very far from the blues.

That said, I'm not going to try and make some convoluted case that King had a strong direct involvement or influence on garage rock, which really found a lot more inspiration in the direct-from-the-delta grit of Muddy Waters and raw-dog wailing of Howlin' Wolf.

I'm writing this because he was one of the legendary American musicians of our time. Also, the blues have played a gigantic part in my life, opening up things I could scarcely have imagined without them. And, of course, B.B. King was a huge part of that.

I won't recount his biography here because many other blogs and websites will probably do that better than I would. Instead, I'd just like to share some observations and suggestions.

In 1982, the ABC news program 20/20 did a profile of King. Hearing that music just touched something inside of me. That, along with the then-recent passing of the great country bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins were the immediate inspiration for me pursuing a blues radio show, which, at least for now, I still do. (station website: www.kucr.org)

I saw King in concert at least 10 times. The amazing thing is that none of those shows were anything alike. They were all amazing, but perhaps the most incredible thing of all was that none of the two were alike. Each show had it's own vibe. Now I know how he could play "The Thrill is Gone" gazillions of times and not get sick of it -- it never sounded the same, at least in those times that I saw him. Tempos changed, mood changed but he always stayed true to the spirit of that song, as well as all others.

The most memorable show was a 1989 gig, actually opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. I loved Stevie Ray as well, but I thought King played circles around him that night, ending the show by bending and stretching the final note of "How Blue Can You Get?" for what seemed like 15 minutes. I'll never forget it.

I was lucky enough to meet King. He gave a press conference at the 1984 Long Beach Blues Festival, and I got to sit right next to him (blind luck!). He was as friendly and down-to-earth as could be. I mention this not to name drop. I have met others who were lucky enough to interact with this great man, and their stories are all like mine. My experience with blues artists in general is that they are a very personable, humble lot, almost without exception. But King, despite a much higher profile, never seemed to let his status affect how he treated other people.

American blues is now left without a real King. B.B.'s daughter, Shirley, is no small talent of her own and I know she'll do a terrific job carrying the torch. We still have a few amazing old-guard stalwarts like Buddy Guy and Charlie Musselwhite, but the blues artists from this generation are getting really long in the tooth and we can't expect them to be around forever, especially when you think about that life on the road.

A generation or so newer, Robert Cray and Otis Taylor have also carved out a very worthy legacies of their own. There are a few outstanding younger artists, such as Ben Harper, Zac Harmon and Jarekus Singleton that have much to offer. The blues, for now at least, is in good hands, but it still just bewilders me that we now live in a world with no B.B. King.

If you're only aware of B.B. King through the news coverage of his death, a few suggestions for you. He left a considerable catalog of music, but he was at his best when in front of an audience. The consensus seems to be that "Live at the Regal is his best album. I have no problem with that, but I also might suggest "Live at the Cook County Jail, which came along a little later.

With regards to films, I would definitely suggest "B.B. King -- Life of Riley" (http://www.hulu.com/watch/691662). I believe you can access this biographical documentary on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. It features some great interviews of King and views from other great people, such as Morgan Freeman, another native of the delta who did pretty OK for himself.

Two books I can suggest: his very candid autobiography "Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography" which I think perfectly captures who this man is, warts and all (but, ultimately, a very good man) and a lesser known but very good read, "The Arrival of B.B. King" by Charles Sawyer, which documents his rise from just another Chitlin' Circuit performer to a man rightfully considered a true American great.

In closing, I just have to say most of all, Thanks, B.B., for the many years of great music and your inspirational life, speedbumps and all. This is one life you've touched and I just can't imagine what it would have been like without you.