BB King in Home Hospice

[blinddog]

Sad News..

http://www.bbking.com/2015/05/01/a-message-from-b-b-2/


http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/m ... as-hospice

[DonMoose]

Damn.

Should have been off the road some years ago.

Still, Damn.

[David Root]

Last time I saw him was in Tucson about 8 years ago and he played sitting down the whole show. Still had THE tone though, and one hell of a good band.

[Structo]

Love the guy.

Some douche at TPG posted a picture of him in hospice care.
You don't need that image in your head.

I wish him farewell and happy trails.

[vibratoking]

Saw BB perform many times. First time in the mid 70s. He reached great heights in his prime. Wore out the grooves in my first copy of Live At The Regal. That album is classic.

I read his autobiography a few years back. It's a good read. That man lived lol. He said he really appreciated the hippy culture cause it brought back the blues audience and introduced free love. He especially like the second part. 15 children by 15 different mothers if I remember correctly.

[Structo]

They're saying that he had a small heart attack and is in hospice care at home.
I'm surprised about the hospice, he must have other issues.
I know he is diabetic so could be complications from that.

I always liked this number:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fk2prKnYnI

[LeftyStrat]

Some of you might remember my story from a year or two ago where my daughter tried to get his autograph after his concert and he invited us on his tour bus.

This man is as genuine and as nice as it gets. The show was great, but nothing as intense as say 'Live at the Regal.' He's a musical icon and a great old soul.

Now I have to listen to 'Live at the Regal,' one of the best live albums you will ever hear.

[Zippy]

I consider myself fortunate to have seen/heard/experienced B.B. King in small clubs, sitting just off the stage, right in front of him.

Sending out the love, as he has shared with, and touched so many others.

[John_P_WI]

I consider myself fortunate to have seen/heard/experienced B.B. King in small clubs, sitting just off the stage, right in front of him.

Sending out the love, as he has shared with, and touched so many others.

Yes, same here. Saw him in a small club in the mid-'90s and was only a few rows directly back. Same show also had Billy Blue Bland and Koko Taylor - definitely one of the best shows I have been to.

[blinddog]

I have seen BB at least seven times. The first was in the late 80's and he was fierce and powerful, but in a non aggressive way. He just ruled the place. A guy came in a gorilla mask, being a drunk goof and BB gently but firmly put him in his place, a true gentleman.

One of my favorite times, John Hiatt and the Goners opened for him. This was after he and Eric recorded Hiatt's "Ridin' with the King". Well BB invites Hiatt back up on stage to sing it with him. Hiatt whispers into BB's ear and the next thing you know BB drags Sonny Landreth on stage too. Then they get to the solo, BB does he thing, great as always, then BB tosses it to Landreth.

Sonny just burns and when he is done BB looks at him and waves his arm in a circle to indicate take another, Sonny turned it up then .

Not many greats would sit back and let someone else shine like BB did, but BB was loving it. A true Great.

I hear the promoters in heaven are starting to bill the Three Kings Concert Already

God Bless You Riely!
And Thanks for all the memories.

...And no I do not remember Sonny's amp or its settings

[skeezbo]

I played a gig in the early 80s as the warm-up act for BB in a roadhouse in central Massachusetts. He mostly hung out on his bus, but we got to spend a little time with him. He was a very nice man. He had asked for two twin reverbs as the backline, one for him and the other for his rhythm guitarist. I had a blackface twin that I was going to use (I hoped BB would use that!), but the promoter brought in a 100 watt Mesa Boogie combo as the other amp. He must have figured it had a similar clean tone.
BB took one look at the MESA and sent one of his guys out to the bus. He came back with a 2x12" solid state Lab Series amp. The other guitarist used my twin, and BB used the Lab Series. He got a ferocious overdriven sound out of it, way different that the mostly clean tone on his records. He really lit up the room!

[drew]

^ I always wished that at some point along the way, he would have gotten hooked up with a record producer who was a real guitar tone snob. it would have been cool to hear him play through some thoughtfully chosen and carefully recorded amps. He never seemed to think that amplifiers were anything more than rectangular things with knobs on the front that made his guitar loud enough for the audience to hear.