B.B. King epitomizes the sound and the image of the blues. His heterodox style has influenced generations of blues and rock guitarists and has been copied by many imitators-who rarely play with King's fluency. With his shiny gold plated, pearl inlaid Gibson 335 guitar - affectionately known as Lucille - at his side, King wowed the world with his mesmerizing new blues style.
His passionate, heartfelt vocals and superb guitar technique gained him a massive international popularity after his music was "discovered" by white audiences the world over. King fused Walker's jazz-oriented lines with the delta blues bottleneck tradition of guitarists like Lonnie Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. But instead of using a slide, King developed a left-hand finger vibrato technique whose influence on blues and Rock & Roll remains incalculable.
This technique resulted in a powerfully emotive and lyrical guitar style that used sustained notes - characteristic of a saxophone or trumpet - to imbue the music with a sense of breath and space. The vibrato technique combined with King's unique use of string bends and off the beat rhythmic phrasing created a very personal guitar sound unlike that of any of his contemporaries.
Tracklisting:
CD 1
01. Boogie Woogie Woman
02. Past Day
03. I Gotta Find My Baby
04. When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer
05. Whole Lotta Love
06. Everyday I Have The Blues
07. Let's Do The Boogie
08. Why I Sing The Blues
09. Everything I Do Is Wrong
10. Woman I Love
11. Jump With You Baby
12. Troubles, Troubles, Troubles
13. Crying Won't Help You
14. Payin The Cost To Be Your Boss
15. Catfish Blues
16. Walkin' And Cryin'
17. Other Night Blues
18. A New Way Of Driving
19. Please Love Me
20. B.B. Boogie
CD 2
01. Sweet Sixteen
02. You've Done Lost Your Good Thing Now
03. Save A Seat For Me
04. Miss Martha King
05. Bye Bye Baby
06. Please Hurry Home
07. Three O'clock Blues
08. Fine Looking Woman
09. Letter
10. That Evil Child
11. Dark Is The Night, Part I
12. Dark Is The Night, Part II
13. Woke Up This Morning
14. Long Nights
15. Mr. Pawnbroker
16. When Your Baby Packs Up And Goes
17. Mistreated Woman
18. She's Dynamite
19. Story From My Heart And Soul
20. Got the Bues
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