B.B. King is known as one of the most influential blues guitarists in the music industry. He still continues to amaze fans worldwide and recently he was honored in his hometown of Kilmichael, Mississippi. King made a trip to the small town where he grew up for the unveiling of the Mississippi Blues Trail Marker called Kilmichael: Roots of B.B. King. I came across an article that provides a few pictures from the historic event that I’m sure you’ll enjoy and I also included a video excerpt from the music documentary, “Live at Sing Sing prison.” The performance is extraordinary and the pictures are very cool to see. I hope you enjoy it all as much as I did!
B.B. King made a special trip to Kilmichael, Mississippi for the unveiling of the “Kilmiachael: Roots of B.B. King” Mississippi Blues Trail Marker. Writer, Matt Dayhoff, put together a great article for The Eye photo blog featuring the event at http://blogs.pjstar.com/eye/2012/08/24/a-homecoming-for-blues-guitar-legend-b-b-king/.
Legendary blues guitarist B.B. King made a special trip home to his native Mississippi this week for the unveiling of the “Kilmichael: Roots of B.B. King” Mississippi Blues Trail Marker in the small town where he grew up, and then on to Indianola for the 32nd annual B.B. King Homecoming at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, a former cotton gin where he worked as a teen.
I also wanted to provide a video performance that is very memorable from the music documentary featuring B.B. King, “Live at Sing Sing prison.” Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWLAAzOBoBI.
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/LWLAAzOBoBI” height=”420″ rel=”0″]
B.B. King is one of the last original blues men to come out of the Mississippi Delta. I hope you enjoyed this little feature of the “King of the Blues.”
Thanks,
Griff
52 replies to "B.B. King Is Honored In His Hometown Of Kilmichael, Mississippi"
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BB is the blues man, to play the blues, you have had to live the blues!
Awesome, thanks
One of my favs from BB. His hand has slowed recently , but ; his talent remains.
~I would love to play my guitar like BB & I will
keep on trying…!
~I would love to play like this great guy-BB
the vidio is good ihave been lucky enough to see him in concert a few times and ive been a fan for about 40 years
I watch that great, appreciative audience, (you don’t think they know what the Blues means ? )
AND so many many are BLACK. What does this say about a country ? SHAME !
If the USA had never been a source of so much heartache for its black fellow countrymen, maybe the Blues never would had evolved ???
B.B. is the reason why I started playing the blues .I saw a show of him on the TV and just loved his simplicity ,then I heard the trill is gone and that was it.
When I was locked up myself, I ordered the “Bluesmaster” course to learn B.B.’s style. One of the other guitar players there, asked me if learning how to play B.B. King style I wanted to learn “all four notes” that he plays. While I’m pretty sure he knows more than four notes, I’d have to say if not, then he’s the best damn four note player out there. Who else can make the guitar say so much with as few notes as B.B. can? Actually, its this ability to put so much feeling into the music with an economy of notes that turned me on to the blues in the first place.
Check out what B.B. does with Willie Nelson’s “Night Life” on his 1968 “Blues Is King” album. Wow! Talk about making someone else’s song your own!
This why he is the king of the blues, there is no question.
I still get chills when I hear “Thrill is Gone”…I have played to it many times and can copy the first lead note for note but I prefer now to break off in to my own thing….yet if I hear the song anywhere anytime, the original studio version, the one he won the grammy for…I get all chilled up…one of the best ever…
I’m also a big fan of B.B., seen him many times, but I always thought Indianola, Mississippi was his hometown. That’s what the sign says as you enter town. The house he lived in was turned into a museum. Anyway, great video of young B.B.
BB Once Told Me ‘We Are Going To Get Together & Jam ” A Nice Thing For Him To Say To This Indian Boy, But I Don’t Think I’ll Be Holding My Breath For That One. But On The Reservation Concert – To Hear “Lucille” Go Off On A Clear Summer Night, It Went Straight To Your Soul.
I had the pleasure to meet and talk with Mr BB one day last year in Philadelphia Mississippi. I cannot put to words the feelings that were going through my body.He told me that if I had my guitar with me he would autograph it for me but my dumb self didnt bring my guitar with me to the concert. I didnt think I would get a chance to talk with him much less his autograph on my guitar. Man, I was really depressed for like a month afterwards.He is such a down to earth guy and he treated me (a white guy) as if I was a part of his family or something. Bobby Blue Bland was with him on stage and they really cut up toghther. I’ll never forget that night . Mr BB is one of my heros on the guitar and also as a person. If you get the chance , you MUST read his autobiography “Blues All Around Me”. This is definetly one of the best books I have EVER read. This man really has a giant heart along with a killer vibrato. Love him love him love him. GET THE BOOK.
Ive always liked the way he bends a string and then holds it to a stop
cool man dig it
Thank you.
Man I love this guy! No other like him.
Great video
Thanks
Love this man… I watched him this year every night for 41 nights… Just stunned every night th summer of 1970
Thanks for sharing Griff. BB don’t come to New Zealand much but the last time I saw him in the late 80’s he brought the house down. He had a skeletal band because some of them didn’t get back on the plane in Australia. But we didn’t notice. It could have been a BB King trio and we would have been happy. As much as we love his guitar, it’s his singing that is so BB. Put another way, which is easier for you to learn: his guitar style or his vocal style? Thanks for everything BB.
The best, simply the best–I agree that what BB does with one note can be so much more enjoyable than what many of us do with many notes. It’s so many aspects of his playing, but the trills, the vibrato, I mean who does not want to try and cop that?!
Ironically, all the great blues players were influencing me long before I even knew who they were, and I thanks them all, past and present!
Cheers Griff, Like it!
Magic clip Griff. Thanks for sharing.
when i saw him 30 years ago that was one of the best ever gigs besides cannedheat in 74 and deeppurple blacksaboth but ye its up there ummm cool
all three kings albert,freddy,and bb have inspired me along with stevie ray in the blues
pure inspiration
BB King Is the King of the Blues!
The term “Guitar Hero” is tossed around so freely. “Guitar Legend” is reserved for people like this.
Awesome 🙂
I live about 20 minutes from BB’s hometown of Indianola, Ms. Luckily, I had the pleasure of opening for BB at Club Ebony, in Indianola, on a few different occasions. He is one of the nicest men that you will ever meet and his band is full of really cool guys. Caleb, his drummer, is one of the funniest human beings that I have ever met. When I was 16 yrs old, BB took me on his bus and signed my guitar, gave me about 10 packs of his Gibson custom strings(before they were ever for sale to the public), signed every pack and also gave me a handful of picks. Super cool guy…….
BB King has always been one of my favorites, Saw him in Memphis a couple of times. He is a Master at phrasing both vocally and musically. He is a true gentleman as well and despite all the racial crap he had to endure when he was coming up in the 50’s and 60’s he shows no signs of resentment. He contiunes to sell out shows wherever he goes and despite his age is still one of the best blues guitarists on the stage today. A master at his craft. Great Video Griff Thanks!!
my daughter had bought 2 tickets to go see B.B.as a surprise when i was 79yrs young(smile)and messing around with a guitar i bought.i got to go back stage (my lil girl had connections smile)we spoke for about 30min. or so and i asked him if it was to late in life to learn to want do something u always wanted to do, he said it’s never to late if uwant it bad enough and now i’m going on 82 truly enjoying it just for myself thanks to B.B. HE’S THE GREATEST.
great vid he is one of the very best THANK YOU for posting
Was that Joan Baez in the audience at 4:52?
That opening was the sweetest, most understated yet dynamic blues guitar solo that will ever happen in this world. Thanks so much for bringing it back for us. I have been wanting to all my life to be able to just play even a semblance of the same type of solo. Thanks to you and a few others gracious enough to put out some freebies on-line, I’m now able to play along to bb king songs and do a fairly credible job of hanging in there. When I asked my girlfriend the other day how I sounded, she told me she thought I was listening to something on the radio! I can’t express enough how much joy there is in being able to express myself musically with such a high degree of accomplishment. As you’ve said, it is indeed possible to become a good guitar player if you really make a commitment and devote the time and effort. Yes, it’s frustrating when you’re still learning the licks and the boxes, but once it starts coming together for you, there’s no better feeling in this world. Thanks again, Jeff for being such a good teacher and motivator.
Love the line “.. I gave you seven children baby, now you want to give them back!”
The man was in his prime!
Super blues. Thanks
Thanks Griff…
Excellent video, B.B my all time favorite
Hello Mr. King, wow it was so great seeing you the several times I did at the BB King blues fest at the river front in Nashville Tn., and some of the greatest artist you had with you.
I hope to see you again real soon
I been in sing sing 73, just before they closed up the join. And I saw BB at the Madison S Garden with a 40 men band. I just wanna to let u know that the first trip sucked but the BB kings was terrific.
The man can get more music out of three notes than some players get out of three necks!
Fantastic
Drink for my thirsty ears-makes me smile
Wow, B.B. 40 years ago. Great to see him at his prime. Fantastic. Thanks!
I have an autographed dollar bill from BB King. Way cool man and he does a lot for charity.
There is a reason they call him the King! Still going strong and an absolute inspiration to all blues players and fans. I have seen a few bluesmen live and it is my ultimate wish to see BB in concert. Thanks Griff for sharing this! I am a tinkerer but I am really learning and enjoying your blues lessons!!!!!!
THAT IS REAL COOL THANKS GRIFF
Loved this! What a showman….knows how to strum an audience as well as his guitar!
What a way to please an audience. 🙂 Thanks Griff. Saw BB on TV once doing a blues clinic for a bunch of novices – lots of kids and their parents. Dude in the audience told BB he was a harmonica player. Had a harp in his pocket. BB asked him, “Would it make you happy to come up here and play a song with me?” The guys eyes got big as half dollars, he couldn’t believe it. Next thing you know he was up there playing a song with the King. In the interviews I’ve heard done with BB – he comes across as an incredibly humble and thankful man.
great player great man great career great that he is still alive