B. B. King

This essential LP includes B.B. King’s sensational album, "My Kind of Blues", which was originally issued by the Crown label in August 1960. King himself called it his favorite album and it’s easy to see why. Recorded around March 1960 using only the accompaniment of Lloyd Glenn (piano), probably Ralph Hamilton (bass) and Jessie Sailes (drums), King’s stinging guitar and powerful voice come across beautifully. There’s a relaxed, almost after-hours feel to the proceedings emphasized by Glenn’s delicate piano work. Many of the songs are blues standards that have been covered by others, but in B.B.’s hands, they sound like true blues songs and it shows in his graceful and elegant performances. This may be the purest expression of King’s music, as exemplified on “Catfish Blues,” which is so dynamic it’s perhaps the definitive version of this standard.

In addition to the original masterpiece, this collector’s edition includes 2 bonus tracks from the same period: “Things Are Not the Same” and “Get Out of Here.”