B. B. King

2 LPs ON 1 CD + 4 BONUS TRACKS

Universally hailed as the reigning King of the Blues, the legendary B.B. King is the most imitated of living blues guitarists. He still projects tremendous presence on the stage, both singing and playing guitar, and his musical influence around the world is incalculable. B.B.’s technique is deceptively complex; featuring delicate filigrees of single string runs punctuated by loud chords, subtle vibratos, and bent notes. Rock guitar technique is to a large degree derived from King's playing.

This quintessential collector’s edition includes two of his finest albums: Singin’ the Blues (1957) and More B.B. King (1961), both originally released by the Crown label at the beginning of King’s career. Singin’ the Blues it’s a superb collection of King’s early hits, originally released on the RPM label. In five short years, B.B. King had matured from an artist looking for a style to the premier bluesman of his generation. His modern style that crosses rock & roll and R&B with the jump blues is fully developed here, and his consistency from track to track is remarkable. On Please Love Me, King combines T-Bone Walker’s hard-picking, distorted guitar style with his own mournful singing. The arrangements are smooth and elegant, frequently displaying a hint of jazz, and King is backed by a well-arranged horn section in true Memphis blues fashion.

The More B.B. King LP was also originally released on the budget label Crown in late 1961, with the majority of tracks recorded just before he changed record labels from Kent to ABC Paramount in 1962 (with the exceptions of Shut Your Mouth and Baby, Look at You, which date back to the mid-'50s). The album is an entertaining mix of booting R&B, blues ballads and instrumentals, drawn primarily from the Kent singles of the period. These two blues-meets-urban-soul style masterpieces have been packaged together in this very special release, which also includes 4 bonus tracks from the same period. Contained here is the cream of the crop from B.B. King’s hit-making stretch for Crown Records during his most inspired years. Without a doubt, this is the material upon which B.B.’s kingdom was built.

PERSONNEL:

B.B. KING, vocals and guitar, plus:
(1-25) The Maxwell Davis Orchestra, featuring: Maxwell Davis, Jack McVea,
Charles Waller, Lorenzo Holden, Bumps Myers, Maurice Simon (tenor saxophone),
Jewell L. Grant (alto saxophone), Floyd Turnham (baritone sax), Jack “Vernon”
Porter (trumpet), Red Callender or Ralph Hamilton or Billy Hadnot (bass),
Willard McDaniel (piano), Jesse Sailes or Jesse Price (drums).
Arranged and conducted by Maxwell Davis. Produced by Joe Bihari.
Recorded at different locations between 1953 and 1960.

(26): The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, featuring Adele Francis (female vocals).
Recorded in January 1959.

INCLUDES 16-PAGE BOOKLET, RARE PHOTOS
VINTAGE MEMORABILIA & DETAILED LINER NOTES

TRACKS:

SINGIN’ THE BLUES
01 PLEASE LOVE ME 2:53
02 YOU UPSET ME BABY 3:03
03 EVERYDAY I HAVE THE BLUES 2:50
04 BAD LUCK 2:55
05 3 O’CLOCK BLUES 3:02
06 BLIND LOVE 3:06
07 WOKE UP THIS MORNING 2:58
08 YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU 3:06
09 SWEET LITTLE ANGEL 3:02
10 TEN LONG YEARS 2:49
11 DID YOU EVER LOVE A WOMAN 2:35
12 CRYING WON’T HELP YOU 3:01

MORE B.B. KING
13 BAD CASE OF LOVE 2:21
14 GET OUT OF HERE 2:42
15 BAD LUCK SOUL 2:19
16 SHUT YOUR MOUTH 2:42
17 BABY, LOOK AT YOU 3:10
18 YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART 4:15
19 MY REWARD 2:17
20 DON’T CRY ANYMORE 2:20
21 BLUES FOR ME (aka GROOVIN’ TWIST) 2:20
22 (AIN’T THAT) JUST LIKE A WOMAN 3:17

BONUS TRACKS
23 RUBY LEE 3:02
24 JUMP WITH YOU BABY 2:14
25 LONELY AND BLUE 2:59
26 YES, INDEED! 3:20

TOTAL TIME: 74:38