The Thrill is Gone

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today’s entry is a rather somber note in a sea of geekery and important issues. It’s an entry devoted to the tragic loss of the King of the Blues, B.B. King. B.B. King (aka Blues Boy King) died in his sleep on May 14th, 2015 from a series of miniature strokes brought on by his type 2 diabetes. King had been wrestling with his diabetes for years, but not once did he stop making us feel with his songs.

Born on September 16, 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi as Riley B. King, he was raised in a sharecropper family. He was influenced by his cousin, Bukka White, another great blues artist. Later on in life King served World War II and eventually worked at a radio station under Sonny Boy Williamson II, playing some of the greatest blues hits. Earning the name ‘Beale Street Blues Boy’ (shortened to Blues Boy and then B.B.King) due to his djing skills, he obtained his own radio spot and his career was launched.

As he started his career, he met Lucille. Lucille was the name of his first acoustic guitar that was played at a dance in Arkansas. At one point, two men started a fight over a woman named Lucille and kicked over a stove which led to a massive fire. King ran out of the place only to realize he had left his guitar still inside and ran back inside to rescue it. Since that fateful evening he had named his guitar and many more guitars he played with, Lucille. Playing on the high neck and bending the notes to make Lucille cry, the guitar spoke not only to the King but to the audience as well. With Lucille and his determination, King scored an R&B hit with the song “Three O Clock Blues” and was encouraged to become a travelling musician. After his many successful years, he opened his own blues club in Memphis; over time more appeared across the nation. In 1984, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, followed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. His music and overall character were so well loved that he received honorary degrees from the Berkley College of Music, Yale and Brown universities, and many more.

As a child I remember hearing of B.B.King, a legend that travelled with someone (who I didn’t know was a guitar) named Lucille and made her cry and sing. It was a strange thing to hear, but once I heard “The Thrill is Gone” I understood what it meant to feel.  His call and respond technique with Lucille captivated me, believing that guitar was possessed by some woman who was getting another chance to live. I recalled the soulful, emotion packed tune and for a while it left me, but always found its way back in some fashion and sparked a secret wish to see the King croon live. Later on in life, I stumbled upon The Blues Brothers, followed by its lackluster sequel featuring the King of Blues singing “How Blue Can You Get” with other blues legends like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many others. It’s a song I listen to the most in the late hours or whenever I’m feeling down about life. To know that his music will never be heard only on Youtube channels saddens me in knowing that we lost a living legend.

Rest in peace, B.B. King. You left a soulful legacy behind that can never be tarnished or forgotten. Your music will always be there for people and will never, ever leave them as well as this world.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, what is your favorite song by B.B.King and why?