Truly The King Of The Blues: The Thrill Is Gone

"Thrill is gone

The thrill is gone away

The thrill is gone, baby

The thrill is gone away

You know you done me wrong, baby

And you'll be sorry someday

The thrill is gone

It's gone away from me

The thrill is gone, baby

The thrill is gone from me

Although, I'll still live on

But so lonely I'll be

The thrill is gone

It's gone away for good

The thrill is gone, baby

It's gone away for good

Someday I know I'll be open armed, baby

Just like I know a good man should

You know I'm free, free now, baby

I'm free from your spell

Oh, I'm free, free, free now

I'm free from your spell

And now that it's over

All I can do is wish you well."

"As long as people have problems, the blues can never die." ~ B.B. King

It wasn't unexpected, but the best blues musician of all time passed away on Thursday evening at the age of eighty nine. A lifetime of performing the blues, well into the late years of his life, connecting with audiences, the influence he had on blues and rock and roll, the music he leaves behind. I never met him, but when I heard the news yesterday morning, it was as if I'd lost a friend.

B.B. came into the world as Riley B. King in the Mississippi Delta in 1925. His early life was hard and rural. Music first seriously came into the picture during Army days in the Second World War, listening and being influenced by jazz and the blues. Professionally he started out in gospel before shifting into the blues, picking up the nickname along the way. From the 1950s on, he was on the road, rarely letting up, building a following, becoming a giant in the industry, playing with a wealth of other musicians through the decades, his own style influencing their own. U2, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and many more learned from his playing style.

He played a Gibson guitar he called Lucille, and man, could he play. He sang and played- though rarely at the same time, moving from lyrics into bars with that guitar, improvising and bringing out a sound that was all his own. Rolling Stone designated him the third greatest guitarist of all time behind Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman; I would place him at first, but that's personal opinion. He could hypnotize an audience with his music, particularly that signature song The Thrill Is Gone. There were times he was perfectly happy to let Lucille speak for him.

He was acclaimed critically and commercially through his life. B.B. would acknowledge that the blues came out of despair, but he could bring many moods into the music. Over the course of his career he won fifteen Grammys, sold over forty million records worldwide, was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and had one of his albums of particular historical significance, 'Live At The Regal' preserved in the Library of Congress. 

As strong as his music was, he a gentleman and a humanitarian in person. He would encourage young people to make positive choices. In the early Eighties he donated over eight thousand recordings to the University of Mississippi, an archive of blues music for scholars. A museum bearing his name can be found in his childhood home town, telling not only his story but the story of the Delta blues. And in 2005, the Mississippi House and Senate designated a day in his honour. The great musician had never stepped into the state Capitol until then. He described it later as his proudest moment, saying, "I was in Heaven. I was so happy I that I cried."

I've loved listening to this great musician, and regret that I never did get the chance to see him live. The blues might be best heard when you're feeling down, because it lifts you up, and that's what B.B. did. Even late in life, he was on the road, performing, getting in front of audiences, playing for President Obama, drawing in his listeners, telling stories, playing the blues, raising spirits. His impact on music and culture is huge. The world's a lesser place with this great man gone.

I leave off with three of my favourite songs by the great man:  Lucille, The Thrill Is Gone, and a live rendition of  Love Rescue Me with U2.

Rest in peace, B.B., you were the best.