If you have never seen BB King live, then this is as good
as it gets!
The nickname "B.B." - which is short for
"Blues Boy" - was first bestowed upon him in Memphis on Beale Street.
It stuck. And the sound that he created has spawned a generation of guitarists,
some equal to, and some even surpassing, this legendary musician.
This is a very personal performance, one in which B.B.
seems a little nervous as he gets ready to field requests for any one of the
hundreds of songs he has written and recorded over the past 60 years. And aside
from the music, the stories he relates between phone calls and requests are
gems; some of which appeared in his autobiography, and some that didn't.
The story of his guitar, named Lucille (he is currently
on Lucille 18, though this film from 2003 has him playing Lucille 16) began in
1949 in a town called Twist, Arkansas. It was in a "juke joint", with
a 55 gallon drum filled halfway with kerosene for heat. Two guys fighting over
a woman knocked it over, burning the place down. BB ran back to get his guitar,
(he claims to have been the first one out the door) and almost got killed. The
next day he found out the 2 guys were fighting over a woman named Lucille, and
so he named his guitar for her, as a reminder to never do that again!
Between each number he explores the impact that his music
has had upon 3 generations, with particular emphasis on "The Thrill Is
Gone" in 1969, which was on my first B.B. King album. That was the song
that opened up the whole world to him, thanks in part to the "British
Invasion", which had its roots in American rhythm and blues. Due to that
influence, he went on his first world tour in 1970. And he hasn't stopped
since.
Jeff Beck takes stage with B.B. for 2 numbers, "Rock
Me Baby" and "Key to the Highway", and also helps him close the
show with "The Cost to Be the Boss." With his inimitable style of
playing, he is proof of the impact that B.B. King has had on so many musicians
over the years, and by extension, us.
Calls for requests came from everywhere! All over
America, North and South, even as far away as Argentina. One man called,
relating how he met his wife 25 years ago at a B.B. King concert. In between
playing and taking requests, B.B. also offered his advice on going to school,
graduating, majoring in something that you like to do, while learning something
you can make a living at. He also advises that young folks stay single until
they're 40.
B.B. even had a story to tell about meeting Pope John
Paul II, he gave him a guitar as a gift. Though you are never to directly touch
the Pope, instead of handing the guitar to the Pope's aides, he offered it
directly to the Pope, who took it. He was strumming it when B.B. left.
Packed with some of the best songs he has ever done, and
playing with his long time band, B.B., who had a real problem playing during
the '90's due to the constant pricking of his fingers to monitor his diabetes,
has never sounded better.
This DVD came to me through the courtesy of George
Peterson, one of the librarians at the Cornelius branch of the Mecklenburg
County Public Library. We are both Buddy Guy fans and he bought this DVD in
from his personal collection for me to see. That's what I love about the
libraries; not only are they are a refuge for the soul, but also a place where
ideas are exchanged and friendships are formed.
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