B.B. King - guitar, vocals; Wilbur Freeman - bass; Sonny Freeman - drums; Pat Williams - trumpet; Lee Gatman - tenor sax; James Toney - organ
After two jazzy instrumentals performed by his backup band, this show comes with "Every Day I Have The Blues," when Riley "Blues Boy" King took the stage with his immortal Gibson ES 335 named Lucille. King famously claims he named the guitar Lucille when he witnessed a fight in a bar over a woman two men were in love with, resulting in a fire that almost claimed the life of both King, and his guitar.
Recorded at Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium in June of 1968, this concert was captured at the onset of King's ascent as a major draw with rock audiences, thanks largely to a belief that Graham placed in him (often putting him on the same bill as top rock acts that played his venue), and the fact that Cream's Eric Clapton continually called him a major influence in the music press.
King has sung and played many of these songs in nearly every show he has done for the better part of fifty years. "How Blue Can You Get?," "Waiting On You," "Need Your Love So Bad," "Sweet Sixteen," and "Rock Me Baby" (which was given a complete rock 'n' roll makeover by the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Monterey Pop Festival) are B.B. King staples. He also had a fantastic band during this area, as can be heard here. Wilbur Freeman on bass; his brother, Sonny Freeman on drums; and James Toney on organ; remained with King for several years.
This is a steamy early concert with some great singing and guitar playing by the blues master himself.