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Reader celebrates 100 years of the late, great B.B. King!

By Craig Reader Sep 16, 2025 | 3:47 PM

Reader here, and today, I’m paying tribute to one of my musical heroes, as today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of the “King of the Blues,” B.B. King.

Simply put, there was no one like B.B..  He was a true original, that made fans and friends around the globe, with many artists from many genres influenced by him, paying homage, and collaborating with him over the years.

Everyone from fellow bluesmen like the legendary Buddy Guy and Bobby “Blue” Bland, to Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, U2, Slash, John Mayer, and countless others have shared a stage with, or recorded with B.B. over the years, and the one constant is that regardless of who he was playing with, when B.B. hit a single note, and used that unmistakable left hand vibrato, you knew who was on the guitar.  There are very few guitarists you can say that about.

Just listen to this classic, as he joins forces with a little combo from England called the Rolling Stones!

It’s too bad that most people equate the Blues, with feeling, well, blue!  That’s hardly the case.  Of course, many Blues tunes come out of things going wrong.  Love.  Work.  Hard times.  But the Blues can be as celebratory and joyous, as they can symbolize pain and struggle.
And nobody, but nobody, has been able to convey the wonder of the Blues, like B.B. King.  Whether it’s a tale of broken hearts, like “The Thrill Is Gone”, a funny tune about the difference between men and women, like “How Blue Can You Get?”, or a song about serving the Lord, like “Working On A Building”, B.B. always delivered, with his unmistakable voice, and his one-of-a-kind vibrato, when he played his beloved guitar, “Lucille.”
If you ever saw him play live, you’d notice that he never sang and played guitar at the same time.  There’s a reason for that.  He once said “When I sing, I play in my mind.  The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.”
I’ve been lucky enough to see him in concert twice, both times, in Saskatoon – first, with my family, in 2002, and then on my own, in 2012.
Both times, he was fantastic.  When I saw him in 2012, I was even able to shake the man’s hand, when the concert was over, and thank him for the wonderful music he’s given us. I was so excited – I was like a teenage girl, at a One Direction concert! And then, after the show, I ran into the province’s CBIC – Chief Bluesman In Charge, Premier Brad Wall, in the lobby, and we both marvelled at how amazing B.B. was, even at the age of 87!
Watching him in action was amazing – his command of the stage, the band, his voice and guitar, were unrivalled.  Yet at times, it was as comfortable as sitting in the living room with Granddad, as he played and told stories about his life.
B.B. and his trusty guitar, Lucille, travelled the world for decades, taking the Blues around the globe, to adoring audiences. He’s the greatest ambassador, in the history of the Blues, and the world is better because of the music he gave us!
We lost B.B. in 2015, just a few months shy of his 90th birthday.  He may not be here with us anymore, his legend and music live on.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, B.B. King!

 

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