Home » Jazz Articles » B.B. King

Jazz Articles about B.B. King

7
Album Review

B.B. King: In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival

Read "In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


B.B. King In France captures the blues legend at a pivotal moment in his career, showcasing his impeccable musicality and performance style rooted in nuance rather than sheer force. In this live recording produced by Zev Feldman, King offers something akin to jazz standards, channeling timeless emotional narratives through a blues lens that feels as classic as it does fresh. With King on guitar and vocals, the ensemble surrounding him represents a rich tapestry of musical experience with Walter King ...

12
Album Review

B.B. King: In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival

Read "In France: Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival" reviewed by Ian Patterson


By the time B.B. King arrived in France in the autumn of 1977 he could already reflect upon a good year. After a string of misfiring crossover albums, the Indianola blues musician had returned to studio form with the mostly straight-ahead blues of King Size (ABC, 1977). An invitation to Yale saw King become only the second African American after Duke Ellington to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the esteemed institution. And in June, King returned to Indianola for ...

31
Top Ten List

B.B. King: Through the Years

Read "B.B. King: Through the Years" reviewed by Alan Bryson


Sixty-six years passed from the time in 1948 when Riley King auditioned for a spot on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program, until his final performance at the House of Blues on October 3, 2014 in Chicago. His life was a remarkable odyssey from a sharecropper's cabin to the pinnacle of success. We'll never know how many millions of miles he logged on his tour bus in the 50s and 60s --he and his band essentially lived on the road in ...

2
Bailey's Bundles

B.B. King: Live in Cook County Jail and More…

Read "B.B. King: Live in Cook County Jail and More…" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


In his ALLMUSIC artist's biography of B.B. King, Bill Dahl states, “Universally hailed as the king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King was without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century." That is hyperbole of the order of Stephen Thomas Erlewine's introduction in the same publication to Johnny Cash as, ..."one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music." Of course, neither statement is hyperbole ...

714
Live Review

B.B. King Live At The Hollywood Bowl, September 5, 2007

Read "B.B. King Live At The Hollywood Bowl, September 5, 2007" reviewed by AAJ Staff


One of the greatest blues figures is, of course, B.B. King. King fused the Texas blues playing of T-Bone Walker with a broader, almost literary sensibility; his thicker solo lines provide the opportunity to tell a story, to impart depth, and to dominate a horn section or at least supplement it on equal terms. Walker had learned his art from leading Blind Lemon Jefferson around from bar to bar when Walker was a young teenager in Dallas. Jefferson ...

642
Live Review

B. B. King in Denver

Read "B. B. King in Denver" reviewed by Geoff Anderson


B. B. King Buell Theater Denver, CO April 19, 2010

B. B. King is the last of the authentic Delta bluesmen. That group includes legends like Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. King is the real deal. He was born in the Delta and grew up on the plantations, doing farm work. He logged many a mile guiding a plow behind a mule. Later, he drove tractors ...

337
Album Review

B.B. King: One Kind Favor

Read "One Kind Favor" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


It's well-established that the blues, an art form born out of the Mississippi Delta cotton fields in the early 1900s, is a root of all forms of popular music: rock, pop, jazz, funk and even hip-hop. The man known as Riley B. King was born in the environment of that Delta, and has since become the most recognized name in blues--and perhaps, the most influential as well: B.B. King. Though Itta Bena, MS has long been recognized ...


Engage

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.