B.B. King at B.B. King's

Riley “B.B.” King just celebrated his 74th birthday, but he’s enjoying nearly as much exposure and acclaim now as at any time since he rocketed out of the blues underground and into the pop/rock mainstream with his late ’60s signature tune “The Thrill Is Gone.” King’s slashing, shimmering guitar style, which integrates elements borrowed from Django Reinhardt, Lonnie Johnson and T-Bone Walker into a fluid, extremely personal approach, is among the most recognizable in history. His rich, powerful voice also reflects his early years as a gospel singer. Last year, King not only played Bonnaroo and was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl of Fame with Liza Minnelli and Sir James Galway, but he also had the newly merged Sirius XM satellite radio company’s blues channel named after him. This year he won a Grammy (his 15th) for the superb One Kind Favor and was named #3 on Time magazine’s list of the 10 best electric guitarists—the same place he finished in Rolling Stone’s poll of the 100 greatest guitarists. Also his magical 1974 concert in Zaire, which occurred in conjunction with the Muhammad Ali/George Foreman “Rope a Dope” heavyweight championship bout, has just been released as B.B. King: Live In Africa ’74 (Shout! Factory). King makes his annual Nashville visit to the Second Avenue club that bears his name this week for four shows over two nights.
Mon., Sept. 28; Tue., Sept. 29, 2009