BB Kind Dead at 89
BB King – Memphis, Tennessee
Bergen Record obit has a good live version of The Thrill is Gone:
I still remember my first exposure to BB King, in 1969.
We had a black school bus driver named Bob – I never knew Bob’s last name.
Bob would pleasantly greet us as we got on the bus, but otherwise was a private person.
But, I was very surprised to learn about the real man Bob under his bus driver’s uniform and quiet demeanor.
It wasn’t until 7th grade, in 1969, that I met the real man Bob.
It seems that Bob was always our driver on soccer team away games.
As we got on the bus, Bob would step out of character and say: “If you win, we rock – if you lose, we play the blues”.
The first time he said this, I had no idea what he was talking about.
Until Bob played BB King on the long ride home after a loss (he had his bus wired for sound with an 8 track tape deck!).
I had a limited musical experience. I played the trumpet at the time – my models were the brass section of Chicago Transit Authroity (Does Anybody really know what time it is?), Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, and a little Louis Armstrong and New Orleans rag from the Ed Sullivan Show. But listened mainly to rock and folk and the FM radio music of the time. I had no idea of blues guitar. And BB King’s sound was awesome.
Long live the King (and Bob too). Memphis, Tennessee:
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