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January 27, 2006
King of the blues
I celebrated Mozart’s 250th birthday a day early last night by going to see and hear B.B. King at Concord’s Capitol Center for the Arts.
Reading the program notes, it struck me that if King had died at the same age as Mozart, you might never have heard of the King of the Blues. He was in his 40s when he hit the mainstream charts. Mozart died at 35.
Because music is more peripheral in my life than I wish it were, the program notes told me several other things I was embarrassed not to know. I had no idea where the B.B. came from. Well, he originally called himself Beale Street Blues Boy, shortened it to Blues Boy and shortened it again to B.B.
I’m sure his show isn’t what it used to be. He is 80 years old, has diabetes and can’t stand up to play and sing. He’s a good talker, but my guess is he talks a lot more during shows now than he used to.
I saw Elvis Presley perform not long before he died. The show was a disappointment not because Elvis was bloated and slow afoot but because he never sang a song all the way through. Everything was a medley or a short version of a song that wasn’t all that long to begin with. King’s show suffers a bit from this tendency.
But hey, King has not lost his magic. Lucille, his Gibson guitar, still speaks his distinctive language, marked by his signature “sliding ‘bent’ note,” as the program calls it. In smirks and winces and grins, his facial expression dances to the music.
At the Cap Center, he sat center stage, a Buddha figure with a slice-of-moon smile and a shock of white hair. When he first leaned toward the microphone to sing, I wondered if age and wear would tell in his great blues bellow of a voice. No such thing. King was King, and the house was his.
It was probably his anyway. He could have belched and the audience would have whooped and applauded. I didn’t count how many times saxophonist Melvin Jackson shouted out that B.B. King was “THE KING OF THE BLUES.” That’s part of the show, I know, but it wasn’t news to the people who came to see him.
My guess is that if he returns next year, which, between Viagra jokes and frequent compliments to “the ladies,” King promised to do, he’ll fill the house again at 81.
What an inspiration.
Posted by Mike Pride at January 27, 2006 05:12 PM
Comments
Mike:
In honor of Mozart's 250th birthday, the current Smithsonian magazine (February 2006) carries an interesting and informative article on the boy genius. He traveled extesively with his father, performing at age 7 and wowing the audiences with savant-like talent, I.e., he could repeat a musical composition after hearing it for the first time.
The article makes a point of Mozart's impish behavior. He had quite a sense of humor, acting out in pesonal contact with others and in his correspondence to family.
I read the article while listening to a CD with Mozart's "greatest hits." I didn't think we spoke of the greats with terms like "greatest hits."
Lest you confuse me with a classical musicel nut, I like it but I'm selective. I grew up (that's debatable in the family) in the 40's and 50's, and I like the big band stuff.
Anyway, I am a Smithsonian subscriber, and I thought the article on Monzart worth mentioning.
Getting a copy of the magazine and reading it will be well worth the effort.
John Stohrer
PS Please tell me what URL stands for. I'm glad I'm not young and have to learn all this computer nonsense.
Posted by: John Stohrer at January 29, 2006 05:54 PM