Bb King Blues Festival

Riley B. King is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, widely considered The King of Blues. He was also ranked 3rd on the Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.King has lived with diabetes for over ten years and has been a visible spokesman in the fight against diabetes, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management productsHis favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. In his biography King speaks about how he was, and is, a Sinatra nut .Sinatra got BB King into the main showrooms in Vegas during the 1960s.

B.B. King is surely the most famous of the living blues guitar legends. The fame hasn't come easily; King still stays on the road constantly at over 75 years of age, playing as many as 250 shows a year.King's signature aggressive vibrato and his modest approach make the guitarist's music immediately identifiable. Many guitarists, if they were to play a blues in G, would tend to think of riffs around the 3rd fret on the guitar. B.B. King approaches this differently; the guitarist works around the note G on the second string, which is at the 8th fret. He plays the G with his first finger, and plays ideas off that.

The following is a classic example of B.B. King. It is the first four bars of a blues in Bb. It includes a short introduction, which you'll want to learn in all keys.Earlier this week B.B. King launched his latest tour at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in South Florida. King is now 81 and struggles with his health. Nevertheless, King and band delivered a very strong show, his voice as emotive as ever. King continues to play a distinguished blues guitar in his inimitable style. The show included typical favorites like The Thrill Is Gone and Nobody Loves Me But My Mother, he also played When Love Comes to Town and the old standard Key to the Highway.

Under the direction of leader James Bolden, King's well-dressed band provided solid, swinging support. Bolden has toured with King for many years. But, like King, he's lost a few steps with age, and overall the set had more filler than usual with long opening and closing instrumentals. In a new twist King took time to share many interesting anecdotes about his career, the aging process, and his youth in isolated Mississippi. B.B. King was lead by R&B giant Al Green. He performed most of his smash hits with great energy, and also paid tribute in a medley to soul masters like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding.

Singer Etta James was scheduled to open the festival tour, but she fell ill in Los Angeles and was confined to the hospital. Pop icon Chaka Khan stepped in as a last minute replacement, and delivered a funky, danceable hour of her greatest hits. Addendum, July 31, 2007: After speaking with Mr. King's management, I would like to clarify a few things mentioned above. They informed me that B.B. King hasn't performed standing for many years, so sitting in a chair is nothing new or unusual. Also, although he still has diabetes, Mr. King works very hard at maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and the diabetes commercials haven't aired in about two years.