THE CROSSROADS BB King

For this month's Crossroads, John Wheatcroft meets the Chairman of the Board, as he explores the string bends, vibrato, note choices and feel of a blues legend.

- John Wheatcroft

BB King devoted his life to performing the blues in every corner of the world, and he was perhaps the genre’s greatest ambassador. His remarkably expressive sound, rhythmically inventive, melodically sophisticated and incredibly influential style, spoke to audiences ranging from prison inmates to presidents and everything in-between. BB did so for well over 50 years and never lost his infectious enthusiasm, vitality and commitment to performing. His work earned him numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, plus an induction into both the Blues and the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. He even has a museum in his honour, the BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Centre, in Indianola, Mississippi.

A huge part of King’s almost universal appeal lay in his undeniable ability to communicate his ideas to everyone in the audience. While musicians love his playing, with a list of devoted A-lister fans too vast to list here, he also had massive appeal with non-players. You really don’t have to be a guitar player to get BB’s playing. The emotional intent, beauty, touch and feel of his sound came across loud and clear. One way that King managed to convey his intentions so articulately, along with his beautiful tone, was in the way that his phrasing evolved in a logical and highly compelling way. Each musical idea was explored fully, using repetition, question and answering, theme and variation and motivic development to allow him to say such a great deal, and often within a fairly restricted selection of notes.