Joe Bonamassa unveils landmark B.B. King tribute album
The record features contributions from Buddy Guy, Keb' Mo', Slash, Shemekia Copeland, Marcus King, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Larkin Poe, Jimmie Vaughan, Warren Haynes, Dion, Aloe Blacc, and Kirk Fletcher, each offering a distinct perspective on King's legacy.
Bonamassa, who first opened for B.B. King at twelve, views the album as a response to King's wish to "keep the blues alive," hoping it gives a "B12 shot" to both King's legacy and the blues itself. The project also spotlights King's often underappreciated vocal prowess alongside his legendary guitar work and is being released on Bonamassa's KTBA Records, underscoring his commitment to preserving the blues as a vital American art form.
Bobby Rush is an American blues musician, composer, record producer, and singer. His style incorporates elements of blues, rap, and funk, as well as a comic sense about blues tropes.
Before he was the "King of the Blues," Riley B. King was a sharecropper’s son born in the Mississippi Delta in 1925. His journey began with a red guitar and a drive to escape the cotton fields of Itta Bena. Influenced by both gospel music in church and the jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt, King fused these worlds into a unique, stinging vibrato. In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis with only $2.50, seeking his cousin, bluesman Bukka White. It was here, while working as a DJ at WDIA, that he earned the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to B.B. These early years in the vibrant Memphis scene defined his fluid, vocal-like soloing style. By the time he recorded "Three O'Clock Blues" in 1951, the foundation for a legendary career was set, forever changing the electric blues.
Riley B. King , known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer.