Turned on the news this mornin and i see that BB passed away yesterday. The blues and music world definately lost a legend. That man could play guitar. You could tell by the smile on his face, that man enjoyed every moment of what he did.
I honestly thought he had already passed. Just thought I had never know exactly when. Never did catch him in concert but sure do enjoy his music! He enjoyed performing with others; "sharing" the fame...
Saw him in Honolulu Hawaii on nye a long time ago. What a player. Hes definetly on of my bigger guitar influences. He will be missed by many.
Got a short story about BB King. I saw him for the 1st time at the 1st Farm Aid concert in Champaign, IL. When he was announced, he got only very light applause from the most of the 80,000 white people as he walked out on stage. By the time he walked off the stage 15-20 minutes later, he got a standing ovation. He rocked the house that day. Saw him in concert twice more after that.
Tonight is blues night (6-12) that I usually try to listen to. Bet they're scrambling for some sort of tribute. http://tunein.com/radio/WXPR-917-s24041/
As a guitar player, 99% of his playing is unimpressive to me. Nothing technical, out of the box, or too difficult to play. His vocals weren't that good either if I could be honest... but that 1% is everything. His vibrato and feel... It's simply one of the best that has ever touched a piece of wood with a string on it. THAT is the influence he gave to the likes of Clapton, srv, etc. Feel is something that cannot be taught. You either have it, find it, or never do. Many people are just trying to feed themselves without ruining their shorts at 85. He was on tour doing what he loved sharing his gift with the world until almost the very end. Look for the PBS special to air again. Probably will come on in the next few days. some vids here: http://www.pbs.org/specials/pbs-remembers-bb-king/
Not a guitar player, but having known a few very good ones, I agree that his guitar skills aren't what made him great. There are tons of much better players that don't have the "feel", as you call it.
