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The blues guitar style of B . B . King

Richardson, Jerry Scott, Ph.D.

Memphis State University, 1987

Copyright ©1987 by Richardson, Jerry Scott. All rights reserved.

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THE BLUES GUITAR STYLE OP B. B. KING

A DISSERTATION

PRESENTED TO

THE FACULTY OP THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

MEMPHIS STATE UNIVERSITY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

BY

JERRY SCOTT RICHARDSON

AUGUST, 1987
To the Graduate Council:

I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Jerry Scott

Richardson, entitled "The Blues Guitar Style of B. B. King." I
recommend that it be accepted for 9 hours of credit in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy,
with a major in Musicology (Regional Studies).

David H. Evans, Major Professor

We have read this dissertation

and recommend its acceptance:

Russell Pugh

Donald Freund Charles Crawford ~y

Accepted for the

Graduate Council:

xtftfry ArataJ Dean

Dor
Graduate School

ii
 ©1987
Jerry Scott Richardson
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 This dissertation is affectionately dedicated
to my wife and family
for their patience, long suffering and understanding
toward this endeavor.

iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages

LIST OF TABLES vi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii

ABSTRACT viii

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION • 1

The Problem 1

Basic Assumption 3

Need for the Study 3

Related Literature 5

Methodology and Procedure 12

2. SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE 14

3. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 37

General Overview of the Blues in the Mississippi Delta 37

Brief Biography of B. B. King 42

B. B. King's Influence 54

4. SOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST'S GUITAR STYLE . . 61

I n i t i a l Listening Sources 61
Tutors as a Prime Source in the A r t i s t ' s Development . 68
The A r t i s t ' s Idols as Key Influences
on His Development as a Guitarist 71
5. ANALYSIS OF B. B. KING'S GUITAR STYLE 82

B. B. King's Guitar Technique 82

iv
 Development of Motifs in Guitar Solos 105
Motifs Developed in Guitar Responses 115
The Relationship of King's Guitar Responses
to His Vocal Lines 126
B. B. King's Jazz Guitar Style 127
6. CONCLUSION 139
BIBLIOGRAPHY 142
APPENDIX A: Twenty solo transcriptions of B. B. King 147
APPENDIX B: Transcriptions of Guitar Solos by "T-Bone" Walker,
Calvin Newborn, Lonnie Johnson, Bill Jennings, and
Django Reinhardt 168

v
 LIST OF TABLES

Pa
Table 9e
Table 1
81
Signs Used in Transcriptions
Table 2
Chronology of B. B. King's
13
Developing Guitar Style 8

vi
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to express his gratitude to B. B. King for

sharing his thoughts on his own musical experiences which span over a
half century. Thanks also to Robert Bowman, who in the early stages
of this study helped in synthesizing ideas and contributed his own.
The author is especially grateful to his parents who contributed help
and assistance during a portion of this research. Finally, the author
wishes to thank Southeast Missouri State University for providing
several professional study grants on behalf of this study and Dr.
David Evans for access to his private library and record collection.

vii
 ABSTRACT

Richardson, Jerry Scott. Ph.D. Memphis State University. August

1987. The Blues Guitar Style of B. B. King. Major Professor: David
H. Evans.
The purpose of this study is to determine the nature, sources,
and development of B. B. King's guitar style from his earliest
recordings up to the present time. This study also investigates to
what extent certain playing characteristics have changed over his
recording career. At the onset this study assumes that there is a
consistency of style which generates the blues improvisations of B. B.
King and that his style has had an impact upon many contemporary black
blues guitarists as well as a younger generation of white guitarists,
especially in the blues and rock idiom.

This study begins with an assessment and survey of related

literature and scholarship to date dealing with the artist and his
tradition. The inadequacies of existing scholarship on individual
blues artists are pointed out, especially in respect to musicological
analysis. A general overview of the Mississippi Delta blues tradition
is presented along with pertinent biographical information on B. B.
King. The artist's own impact as a unique guitar stylist is also
discussed in order to establish his stature as a blues performer.

Key listening sources, such as gospel, blues, jazz, and country

are cited and investigated further through information gleaned from a
personal interview with the artist himself. Also examined in depth

. viii
are several tutors and guitar idols claimed by B. B. King as having a
profound influence upon his developing guitar style. Other
instrumental idols are investigated as well.

Twenty transcribed guitar solos of B. B. King are analyzed in

detail along with several transcriptions of his predecessors in order
to discern uniqueness or similarity in style, motivic development in
guitar solos and vocal responses, and their relationship to
one-another. Also examined are several of King's guitar techniques,
some unique, and several technical devices which place King in the
realm of a blues-jazz performer.
Included in this study is a table illustrating the chronological
development of B. B. King's guitar style.

ix
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

B. B. King is the world's pre-eminent electric blues guitarist. His

guitar style has influenced blues guitarists and contemporary rock stars
throughout the world. The purpose of this study is to determine the
nature, sources, and development of his guitar style from his earliest
recordings up to the present time.
THE PROBLEM
General Statement of the Problem
What are the characteristics and sources of B. B. King's guitar
style as represented in his earliest recordings, and how have those
characteristics and sources changed over his recording career?
Subproblems
1. What specific changes in his playing technique have occurred
throughout his career?
2. What are the motifs and underlying structures in his
improvisations that recur consistently and that uniquely
identify his style?
3. What elements of technique are characteristic of B. B. King's
playing style?
4. What is the relationship between his melodic guitar
improvisations and his vocal lines?
5. What are the stylistic characteristics of the musical tradition
in which King is placed?
6. What technical influences from his predecessors are apparent in
his style, and what shapes do they take?
 2

Definition of Terms
1. Motif - a recurring short melodic statement that may define the
performance style of a musician (sometimes referred to as cliche).
2. Note-bending - an idiomatic left-hand technique employed by
blues and rock guitarists to raise or lower the pitch suddenly. It is
effected by pushing or pulling a string across a fret.
3. Left-Hand Tremolo - a vibrato sound employed on the guitar by
the use of a bottleneck or steel tube which is dragged horizontally over
the strings in a trembling motion by the left hand holding the device.
The device was most common among the Delta blues guitarists like "Bukka"
White. The same effect can be approximated by using the second or third
finger of the left hand to stretch a string (or strings) sideways across
the neck in an oscillating fashion. This causes the pitch of the string
to rise and fall, manifesting a unique vibrato or tremolo sound.

4. Underlying structures - scales idiomatic to the blues or jazz

tradition.
5. Technique - in a general sense, those means employed to achieve a
goal. The means of technique are those skills, both intellectual and
physical, which stand in a direct causal relationship to the product of
applying those skills. On a musical instrument, any action which causes
a sound can be described as technique.

Douglas Lemmon, from an unpublished paper on technique, 1986.

 3

6. Style - the characteristic manner in which the artist uses

melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, form, and

idiomatic devices to create a personal mode of expression.

Delimitations

1. B. B. King's influence will be discussed only in order to

establish his status as the premier blues guitarist of the last

thirty-five years.

2. His life and the background of blues music in general, along

with its sociological role, will be discussed only to the extent that

they illuminate his guitar style. His biography has been treated at

length by Sawyer and in other sources.

3. There will not be commentary on each of the more than

one-hundred singles or the thirty albums of B. B. King, but twenty

selections from all phases of his career will be examined. These

selections will be chosen from a larger group of approximately one

hundred fifty recordings from all periods of his career that have been

scrutinized intensively and determined to be most representative of his

style evolution.

BASIC ASSUMPTION

There is a consistency of style which generates the blues

improvisations of B. B. King, and this style can be analyzed and

discussed through a comparison of selected recordings over the period of

his career.
 4

NEED FOR THE STUDY

B. B. King has been performing and recording for over thirty-five
years throughout the world. His style has had a profound influence upon
a younger generation of g u i t a r i s t s , especially in the blues and rock
idioms. In listening to a select group of rock and blues guitarists of
the 1960s and early 1970s, one can unmistakeably attribute some of their
guitar motifs to B. B. King.
Until the publication in 1980 of Charles Sawyer's biography, The
Arrival of B. B. King, there had been no attempt to analyze King's guitar
style. Sawyer does this only in a limited sense with a single
2
transcription and sparse musicological analysis of the improvised solo.
Charles Keil's Urban Blues is more a sociological study of the
bluesman in which he draws a parallel between Martin Luther King and B.
B. King's ability to deliver a sermon, the former as an orator and the
l a t t e r musically, both through their relentless repetition of phrases. 3
There has been no attempt, however, to describe King's music through
an analysis of selected recordings or through a comparison of diverse
transcriptions. This is not to say that his solos have not been
transcribed a t a l l . There have been a few method books published with a
number of note-for-note renderings of selected solos, but these are
intended only as tools for a conscientious g u i t a r i s t or afficionado to
attempt to play "like" the guitarist.

2
Charles Sawyer, The Arrival of B. B. King: The Authorized
Biography (New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1980).
3
Charles Keil, Urban Blues (Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press, 1966), 96.
 5

There has been a plethora of articles in major magazines during

thepast decade attempting through interviews to gain insights into King's
background and style of performance. King himself has made statements
concerning his technique and performance style, but through his own lack
of extensive formal musical training he is unable to describe in detail
the body of music he has manufactured for over thirty-five years.
RELATED LITERATURE
The literature related to this study is presented in the following
order: Magazine Articles and Interviews, Book Chapters and Essays
Contained in Anthologies, Biographies, Songbooks.
Magazine Articles and Interviews
Until the early 1960s B. B. King was not featured in many
periodicals with the exception of a few record reviews in local
newspapers or specialty music magazines.
One of the f i r s t major articles on the a r t i s t , entitled "B. B. King
4
and the Blues," by Alex Von Hoffman, appeared in 1968 in Downbeat.
This a r t i c l e attempted to get to the core of the a r t i s t ' s style by
quoting several interviews with King. Other less significant short
a r t i c l e s appeared the late 1960s in magazines such as Vogue, New York

Alex Von Hoffman, "B. B. King and the Blues," Downbeat, October
31, 1968: 16-17.
R. Goldstein, "B. B. King, Father of Honkey Blues," Vogue,
October 15, 1968: 62.
 6 7 8 9
Times Magazine, Ebony, Life, and the New Yorker. In the
mid-1970s a significant interview was featured in Guitar Player Magazine.
In this article B. B. King discussed influential guitarists such as
"T-Bone" Walker, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Johnny Moore, Bill Jennings,
Charlie Christian, Robert Nighthawk, and others.
One of the most enlightening interviews to date on B. B. King is
found in Guitar Player Magazine entitled "B. B. King: The Life and Music
of the Blues King," in which many aspects of his background and growth as
a musician are discussed in detail. In a more recent article in
Living Blues Magazine the artist discusses his personal collection of
9,100 records now housed at the University of Mississippi Blues Archive
12
in Oxford, Mississippi. The article, which is an interview of

g
M. Lydon, "B. B. King Sings the Blues Evra Day, Evra Day," N.
Y. Times Magazine, 27 Oct. 1968: 36-37.
7
P. Garland, "Bossman of the Blues," Ebony, November, 1969:
54-56.
8
A. Goldman, "Rebirth of B. B. King," Life, 12 Dec. 1969: 16.
9
"B. B. and Carla," New Yorker, June, 1970: 25-26.
B. B. King (as told to Jim Crockett), "My Ten Favorite
Guitarists," Guitar Player Magazine, March, 1975: 22-23.
Tom Wheeler, "B. B. King The Life and Music of the Blues
King," Guitar Player Magazine, September, 1980: 60-86.
12
Bill Ferris, "Blues Archive Interview: B. B. King," Living
Blues, 1986: 12-16.
 7

moderate length, exposes B. B. King's record collecting methods, his

Memphis disc jockey experience and programming habits in the early 1950s,
his own record producing company, and the expansion of his own technique
through his record collecting.
Book Chapters and Essays Contained in Anthologies
One of the best discussions on B. B. King is found in a chapter
entitled "B. B. King Backstage" from the book Urban Blues by Charles
13
Keil. This is one of the earlier scholarly attempts to draw
sociological parallels in King's performances with sermons of rural Black
southern ministers.
In his interview with King, Keil focuses on defining the blues,
King's reaction to other artists, his vocal and guitar styles, the early
influences on his vocal and guitar technique, his penchant for
self-improvement, and his busy engagement schedule. Although this is an
early attempt to pin the artist down, Keil does manage to show some
insight into the performance style and the making of the bluesman.
A more recent essay entitled "B. B. King" is found in The Rolling
Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll by Peter Guralnick. Guralnick
asserts that B. B. King was solely responsible for creating a "whole
blues-tinged vocabulary for modern rock," and in the process he himself
14
achieved widespread popularity with the rock audience. The

13
Keil, 96-113.
14
Peter Guralnick, "B. B. King," Rolling Stone History of Rock 'n
Roll, ed., Jim Miller (New York: Rolling Stone Press, 1980), 255-257.
 8

author skims B. B. King's recording career, citing premier h i t s and

pointing out his ever-present individuality. Guralnick concludes the
essay by pointing to the enormous influence of King's style on a
generation of rock g u i t a r i s t s from Mike Bloomfield and Eric Clapton to
Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and Alvin Lee.
In the book Jazz Guitars: An Anthology, edited by James S a i l i s ,
there are several essays that deserve attention. Leonard Feather's
a r t i c l e , "The Guitar In Jazz," traces the guitar's role in jazz history,
citing some of the guitarists that B. B. King acknowledges to be
influential in shaping his own style, such as "T-Bone" Walker and Charlie
Christian. Feather asserts that King's improvisions reveal a natural
ability to translate the values of early jazzmen into soulful blues
terms. An essay by James Sail is entitled "Eddie Lang" in the same
anthology mentions Lonnie Johnson as having a direct influence on B. B.
King's style. ^ An anthology of reprint articles from Guitar Player
Magazine appears in a book entitled The Guitar Player Book, edited by Jim
Ferguson. 18 This work contains some excellent articles on many
guitarists allegedly influential in B. B. King's guitar development.

James S a l l i s , ed.. Jazz Guitars: An Anthology (New York:

Quill Press, 1984).
16
Ibid., 28.
17
Ibid., 56.
18
Jim Ferguson, ed., The Guitar Player Book (New York: Grove
Press, Inc., 1983).
 9

Biographies, Books
To this date, there is only one extensive biography on the bluesman
B. B. King, The Arrival of B. B. King: The Authorized Biography, by
Charles Sawyer. 19 This work is the most thorough and comprehensive
study of B. B. King yet written. I t chronicles the development of his
character, a r t i s t r y , and career, which Sawyer alleges to be inseparable
from one another. I t is also the f i r s t publication to present a
musicological and c r i t i c a l style analysis of one of King's guitar
improvisations.
In Sheldon Harris' Blues Who's Who: A Biographical Dictionary of
Blues Singers there appears a consise chronology of B. B. King's career
milestones, listing significant tours, club dates, television
appearances, and recording dates.
A short chapter on B. B. King is included in Beale Black and Blue:
Life and Music on Black America's Main Street, by Margaret McKee and Fred
Chisenhall. 21 He is discussed in the context of his relationship and
encounters with Beale Street and other musician acquaintances such as
Bobby "Blue" Bland, Albert King, Roscoe Gordon, and Johnny Ace in the
early 1950's.

19
Charles Sawyer, The Arrival of B. B. King.
20
Sheldon
Blues Singer (NewHarris, Blues Who's
York: Arlington Who:1979),
House, A Biographical
307-312. Dictionary of
21
Margaret McKee and Fred Chisenhall, Beale Black and Blue: Life
and Music on Black America's Main Street (Baton Rouge, Louisiana State
University Press, 1981), 245-255.
 10

Songbooks

Many artists reaching a degree of popularity and status such as that

of B. B. King have consented to the publishing of their selected hits in

the form of songbooks. These usually take the form of note-for-note

transcriptions of improvised solos. B. B. King has two such songbooks:

Black and Blue, 2 2 and B. B. King Blues Guitar. 2

^

Related Ethnomusicological Literature

Within the blues tradition there has been a dearth of ethno-

24
musicological scholarship. Samuel Charters' The Bluesmen was an early

survey affording some musicological analysis. Later works such as John

Fahey's Charley Patton, Jeff Todd Titon's Early Downhome Blues, and
27
David Evans' Big Road Blues were more detailed and narrowly focused

studies containing considerable musicological analysis.

22
B. B. King Songbook, (Lincolnwood, Illinois: Gibson Inc.,
1971).
23
B. B. King Blues Guitar, (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard
Publishing Corp., 1970).
24
Samuel Charters, The Bluesmen (New York: Oak Publications,
1967).
25
John Fahey, Charley Patton (London: Studio Vista, 1970).
26
Jeff Todd Titon, Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural
Analysis (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1977).
27
David Evans, Big Road Blues: Tradition and Creativity in the
Folk Blues (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982).
 Within of the jazz tradition ethncmusicological works have been
28
numerous. As previously noted there have been several works dealing
29
with the jazz guitar tradition.
In recent years i t has been the goal of ethnomusicological
scholarship to maintain a balance between the music as i t relates to
culture and the presentation of the music i t s e l f . This balance seems
30
apparent in such exemplary works as Paul Berliner's The Soul of Mbira
31
and Maria Ester Grebe's The Chilean Verso. Neither of the above are
surveys but are concerned with narrowly defined topics.

28
See, for example, Winthrop Sargeant, Jazz: Hot and Hybrid (New
York: Arrow Editions, 1938), and Gunther Schuller, Early Jazz: Its
Roots and Musical Development (New York: Oxford University Press, 1968).
29
See page 8. See also Ian Cruickshank, The Guitar Style of
Django Reinhardt and the Gypsies (n.p.: Ian Cruickshank, 1982).
Paul Berliner, The Soul of Mbira (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1978).
31
Maria Esther Grebe, The Chilean Verso: A Study in Musical
Archaism (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967).
 METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE

Procedure for Collecting Data

Data were collected from available pre-existing interviews of the
a r t i s t in various periodicals and from the author's own interview with
the performer. In this interview questions were asked to e l i c i t
information as to the the nature, source, and development of B. B. King'
guitar style as exemplified in his many recorded works.
Information sought included:
1. Specific changes in technique and style.
2. The a r t i s t ' s own account of how he conceives a guitar solo.
3. What improvised solos of other a r t i s t s may have been
internalized in the formation of the B. B. King guitar s t y l e .
4. The a r t i s t ' s own conception of rhythm.
5. Innovative guitar techniques by the a r t i s t .
6. The relationship between the a r t i s t ' s melodic guitar
improvisations and his vocal inflections.
7. How balance between guitar lines and vocal lines i s conceived
and achieved.
8. The a r t i s t ' s own sources of inspiration which influenced
the development of his style.
Recordings of the a r t i s t have been obtained from libraries and
private collections. There are over three hundred recordings by the
a r t i s t on single and LP discs. The method of selection is as follows:
1. Chronological representation of recording sessions from 1949 to
the present.
2. . Selection of diverse genres, such as slow blues, shuffles,
ballads, pop tunes, swing, and gospel.
3. Representation of definitive s t y l i s t i c characteristics, such as
recurring motifs, formal structures, themes, and introductions.
Procedure for the Analysis of the Data
Data will be interpreted by:
1. Musicological analysis of transcribed examples.
2. Information obtained through direct interviews and e a r l i e r
interviews of others.
 3. Transcriptions of entire solos, short themes, or motifs which
illuminate stylistic trends in the artist's improvised guitar
lines.
The collected data will show whether:
1. There is a consistency of style which generates the blues
improvisations of B. B. King.
2. There are motives and underlying structures in the artist's
improvisations that recur consistently, thus defining this
style.
3. There are certain guitar techniques employed by the artist that
uniquely identify his style.
4. There is a relationship between his guitar improvisations and
his vocal lines.
5. There is an apparent balance between the artist's guitar lines
and vocal lines.
6. Influences from other guitarists may be perceived in B. B.
King's guitar style which take various shapes and forms.
 CHAPTER 2
SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE

The major portion of the literature related to this study has been
categorized in the following manner: magazine articles and interviews,
book chapters and essays contained in anthologies, biographies,
songbooks, and related ethnomusicological studies.
One of the first major articles aimed at analyzing the artist's
style appeared in Downbeat Magazine, October, 1968, entitled "B. B. King
and the Blues: An Appreciation," by Alex Von Hoffman. In this article
the author attempts to cover aspects of both the artist's vocal as well
as his guitar style. Von Hoffman, in his interview, also tried to draw
from King some of the major influences contributing to his style,
contending that his vocal style was derived from the big band singing
style of shouter Jimmy Rushing. He also brings out the point that
several guitarists have heavily influenced King's guitar style, namely,
"T-Bone" Walker, Django Reinhardt, and Charlie Christian. Von Hoffman
furthermore mentions Bukka White as the sole inspiration for King's
development of his patented left-hand finger tremolo.

The author makes some sociological observations as well, stating

that blues lyrics need not be related to the actual experience of the
singer; instead, they imply the ostensible black suffering throughout the

Von Hoffman, 16-17.

14
 l
history of America. However, he cites one of B. B. King's own h i t s ,
"Paying the Cost to Be the Boss," as embodying a dissimilar theme,
asserting that the bluesman is alluding to his own financial and a r t i s t i c
suffering in the course of his career up to that point. Von Hoffman also
speaks about significant aspects of King's style, such as his ability to
stretch one syllable over a series of notes (melisma), the punctuated
guitar statements following his vocal lines, and his extended guitar
solos.
The a r t i c l e is significant due to the fact that i t is one of the
f i r s t attempts to analyze the a r t i s t ' s vocal and instrumental technique
as well as describing his impact upon audiences.
An a r t i c l e entitled "My Ten Favorite Guitarists" appeared in the
March, 1975, issue of Guitar Player Magazine, which offered a description
in the a r t i s t ' s own words of guitarists who were most influential on his
3
own s t y l i s t i c development. King admits that i t is hard to narrow his
listening experience to ten favorites, thus possibly confirming the
eclectic nature of his style. In several asides King mentions lesser
known precursors to his s t y l e , such as his f i r s t tutor, the Reverend
Archie Fair. He does not seem to rank his l i s t in a particular order of
importance; however, there are some inconsistencies in names cited when
one compares other interviews. In the aforementioned a r t i c l e by

2
Ibid., 17.
3
B. B. King, "My Ten Favorite Guitarists," 22.
 16

Von Hoffman, Django Reinhardt i s mentioned as a great influence on the

bluesman's s t y l i s t i c development; however, in the present article King
only casually mentions the gypsy guitarist. By contrast, in Charles
Keil's interview with the a r t i s t in Urban Blues (1966) King cites
"T-Bone" Walker, Elmore James, Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian as
4
idols in the beginning. One could then conclude from the wide scope of
influences alluded to in a number of articles that King himself does have
difficulty ranking his influences on a priority or preferential scale,
since he has always sought throughout his career to listen to diverse
musics as a means of self-improvement. According to the a r t i c l e , his
listening scope is not confined only to g u i t a r i s t s , but includes other
instrumentalists, such as Louis Jordan, Andre Previn, and Coleman
Hawkins, as well as singers like Billie Holiday and Ray Charles.
One of the most extensive and thoroughly developed interviews to
date on B. B. King is found in Guitar Player Magazine, September, 1980,
entitled "B. B. King: The Life and Music of the Blues King," by Tom
Wheeler. The author, through twelve pages of interview, tries to
e l i c i t comments on the bluesman's l i f e , his hectic engagement schedule,
and his own views about his performance style, guitar technique, and
professional standards. Wheeler manages to obtain most information
requested through his seemingly vast knowledge of the performer.
In his introduction to the interview the author attempts to give the
reader a broad overview of the bluesman's background, suggesting his

Keil, 96.
Wheeler, "B. B. King," 60.
 17

enormous influence on a myriad of contemporary guitarists. He is careful

to point out significant facts pertaining to King's career in order to
prepare the reader adequately for the ensuing interview.
In the first few pages of the interview itself King reflects on his
early years of development, alluding to the suffering or "dues" an
entertainer must pay before he can have the title of "blues artist"
bestowed upon him.
The bluesman discusses his association with the Holiness Church and
the influencial "sanctified" preacher, Archie Fair, who inspired the
artist's choice of the guitar. During the course of the interview
Wheeler, through his adept choice of questions, is able to draw from King
the names of several guitarists- and instrumentalists who were most
influential on his own stylistic development.
King discusses Django Reinhardt and Louis Jordan in relation to
their phrasing technique. He also sheds some light on the inception of
his unique guitar vibrato technique inspired mainly by Bukka White and
other "bottleneck" guitarists.

The bluesman was somewhat evasive when asked if there were any
milestones in the evolution of his technique, responding that "T-Bone"
Walker was a primary inspiration but citing no others. It is apparent
that many performing musicians do not analyze their own evolution in the
same terms as an ethnomusicologist or interested interviewer would like
them to. In a more recent interview by this author, King no more than
stated that his evolution consisted of listening to each successive
recording and trying to perfect and learn from his mistakes. However,
King is always eager to respond to sociological questions regarding his
own race and the blues. Wheeler asks questions concerning racial
prejudice and blacks' attitudes concerning their own music — the blues.
In describing a blues performer's own plight, King makes a significant
7
statement, "Being a blues singer is like being black two times." What
he is alluding to is that, first, he has to get his audience to
appreciate the blues and then to appreciate himself — a black blues
entertainer.
The a r t i s t offers considerable discourse on his involvement with
America's prison system in relation to his concerts a t the Cook County
J a i l in Chicago and his founding of the Foundation for the Advancement of
Inmate Rehabilitation and Recreation. King considers his involvement as
a quest for helping others as well as advancing his own career. In this
interview, as is the case with most interviews with this a r t i s t , only a
shallow or surface analysis of his guitar style is brought out by
Wheeler. Nevertheless, i t i s quite broad in i t s scope.
A more specific topic is examined in a recent interview found in
Living Blues, 68 (1986), entitled "Blues Archive Interview:
o
B. B. King." King was interviewed by Bill Ferris, Suzanne Steel, and

B. B. King, interview with author, 7 June 1986.

Wheeler, 70.
Bill Ferris, 12.
 19

Warren Steel, whose purpose was to gain some insight into the blues
a r t i s t ' s own motivation and inclination toward collecting more than 9,000
records over his career. Questions are quite direct, thus eliciting
positive responses from the a r t i s t in most cases.
The bluesman attributes his early scope of listening to his Aunt
Jemima's record collection, stating that this was a motivation for his
g
own collecting mania. Another reason offered for his collecting
interests was his fear that the older 78's he heard as a child would soon
disappear and become completely obscure.
The interview is significant in that King is very open and
informative concerning the recordings and a r t i s t s who were influential on
his own s t y l i s t i c development. He is candid in discussing his Memphis
disc jockey experiences, his own recording company in the early 1950s,
and reasons for turning his collection over to the University of
Mississippi.
Among the book chapters and essays contained in anthologies, one of
the best sociological discussions of B. B. King is found in Urban Blues,
by Charles Keil. In a chapter entitled "B. B. King Backstage" the
author attempts to draw parallels between the a r t i s t ' s performances and
the sermons of black rural southern preachers. He also correlates King's
communicative prowess with that of the Reverend Martin Luther King.

Ibid., 12.
Keil, 46-113.
Charles Sawyer, in his biography of the bluesman, i s more specific,
however, in claiming that B. B. King's communicative ability and craft
evolved solely from his apprenticeship in Archie Fair's Holiness Church.
Keil, on the other hand, asserts that B. B. King is able to evoke an
emotional l i f t in his audiences in much the same manner as the Reverend
King with his repetitive, well-known phrases and his frankness about the
common man. 12 He also contends that the blues will not fade out with the
integrated society that Reverend King envisions because of the inherent
conditions of basic frictions that the urban blues singer speaks of. 13
The author speaks of Jimmy Smith's "funky runs," John Coltrane's sheets
of sound and even King's cliches as seeming monotonous to the
uninitiated, but to the discerning and attentive audience they contain a
freshness and v i t a l i t y . Keil points out that i t is a conflict between
and the sexes more than conflict between cultures that motivates the
blues a r t i s t to bring his troubles before a sympathetic audience. He
also maintains that poverty, prejudice, and other basic conditions of
friction are enough to ensure the continued propagation of the blues
idiom for generations to come.

Sawyer, 177.
12
Keil, 96.
13
Ibid., 99.
14
Ibid., 97.
 21

Keil also observes that three new and distinct blues audiences were
beginning to emerge from the time B. B. King's recording career began in
1949 up to the publication of Urban Blues in 1966: (1) the new t h i r s t
for blues on the part of white teenagers whose enthusiasm carried such
singers as Elvis Presley and other rockabilly a r t i s t s to stardom, (2) the
rediscovery of blues by white intellectuals, college students, liberals,
and the beatnik-folknik generation who dug from the woodworks such
obscure a r t i s t s as Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, and Sonny Terry, (3)
and a third new audience composed of European blues fans who filled the
15
gap in the American blues market. According to Keil, these fans
delighted in hearing blues a r t i s t s who are neither folk heros nor
rock-and-roll s t a r s , such as Shakey Jake, Sonny Boy Williamson, and
Lonnie Johnson. Keil concludes his essay with a moderately lengthy
interview, asking the usual questions concerning how the a r t i s t ' s vocal
and guitar style were formed, and a description of major influences in
both areas.
In Keil's interview King mentions "T-Bone" Walker, Elmore James,
Django Reinhardt, and Charlie Christian as providing the basis of his
playing style. However, Keil does not try to prompt any specific
information on s t y l i s t i c characteristics which King may have obtained
from the above.
Keil's book is significant in being the f i r s t to introduce middle
Americans to a genre of music that had been obscure up to that time,
contemporary urban blues. Also, the chapter on B. B. King as an

Ibid., 101.
artist was the first scholarly in-depth portrait of the bluesman outside
the black press.
A shorter and more concise essay is found in The Rolling Stone
Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, entitled "B. B. King," by Peter
Guralnick. Guralnick's essay touches on the highlights of King's
career rather like a capsule biography; however, he is somewhat outspoken
in his assessment of the artist's influence and success, as manifested in
his statement: "Almost single-handedly B. B. King introduced the blues
to White America."
In his journalistic survey of King's career, Guralnick does bring out
a few facts overlooked by other authors. As a case in point, he asserts
that many of King's hits were popularized earlier by other black artists
such as Lowell Fulson, Joe Williams, Memphis Slim, Tampa Red, Robert
Nighthawk, and Big Joe Turner. Guralnick points to Django Reinhardt and
Charlie Christian as being key influences in the development of the
artist's guitar style. However, he overlooks Lonnie Johnson and Blind
Lemon Jefferson, whom King often mentions in other sources as prime
stylistic contributors. The author does make a well known observation
that King has enormously influenced, or in his own words, "fathered" a
generation of rock guitarists from Mike Bloomfield and Eric Clapton to
18
Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Alvin Lee.

Guralnick, 255-257.
17
Ibid., 255.
18
Ibid., 256-257.
 There are several essays in the book Jazz Guitars: An Anthology,
edited by James S a l l i s , which offer pertinent background information on a
few of the sources cited by King as being influential in shaping his own
19
style.
An essay entitled "The Guitar In Jazz," by Leonard Feather, traces
the guitar's role in jazz history, citing major guitarists and their
s t y l i s t i c influences. At one point Feather significantly categorizes
four main factions in the guitar world: (1) the Charlie Christian
loyalists such as Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, and Barney Kessel; (2) urban
blues guitarists like B. B. King and T-Bone Walker; (3) ethnic
specialists such as Gabor Szabo and Oscar Neves; and (4) jazz-rock
guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and Eric Clapton. 20
The author breaks down the preceding categories, briefly describing
s t y l i s t i c characteristics of certain genres. He pays special tribute to
B. B. King in the following observation:
— h i s [musical] lines reveal a natural ability
to translate the values of early jazzmen into
soulful blues terms.
Feather sums up the a r t i c l e by attributing to the guitar a greater
evolution, both in s t y l i s t i c and technical development, than any other
22
instrument in jazz.

19
x
* Sallis.
20
Leonard Feather, "The Guitar In Jazz," in Jazz Guitars: An
Anthology, ed. James Sallis (New York: Quill Press, 1984), 17.
21
Ibid., 28.
22
Ibid., 30.
 In an essay entitled "Eddie Lang," by James Sallis, in the same
anthology, the author points to Eddie Lang as being the role model who,
through his novel chord voicing alternating with single-string lines,
elevated the guitar to i t s current solo status in jazz and blues. Sallis
astutely observes that: "just as jazz guitarists find their roots in
Lang, so contemporary blues guitarists like B. B. King bridge directly
back to Lonnie Johnson." 23 B. B. King often acknowledges Lonnie Johnson
as both a vocal as well as a guitar influence. According to Sallis,
Lonnie Johnson linked modern blues to the older forms by recording
everything from Delta style acoustic blues to Chicago rhythm and blues.
24
Johnson and Lang also recorded some duets together.
Several of Lonnie Johnson's recordings are musicologically
scrutinized in another essay in the same anthology entitled "From Blues
25
to Jazz Guitar," by Dan Lambert. Lambert's purpose in this essay is
to answer the question: Is there a border between blues and jazz? The
author proposes that the vocal-like quality of a blues guitar line
defines this border of separation. He asserts that jazz, in i t s
gravitating toward sophisticated harmonies, can lose that vocal quality
whereas blues never does. According to Lambert, one genre is emotional
26
while the other is academic.
23
James Sallis, "Eddie Lang," Jazz Guitars: An Anthology, ed.
James Sallis (New York: Quill Press, 1984), 55.
24
Ibid., 56.
25
Dan Lambert, "From Blues to Jazz Guitar," in Jazz Guitars: An
Anthology, (New York Quill Press, 1984), 65-79.
26
Ibid., 66.
 In order to substantiate his assertions, Lambert sets out to compare
various blues and jazz a r t i s t s ' musical lines. In so doing he neatly
places certain a r t i s t s in a gap between blues and jazz. For example, he
positions Blind Blake in the gap between bluesman Charley Patton and
jazzman Charlie Christian, based on his refined, swinging sense of rhythm
and his more complex harmonic accompaniment.
Lambert credits Lonnie Johnson as most clearly straddling the
blues/jazz fence between Patton and Christian. The author furthermore
offers a chord symbol analysis of Johnson's "Combread Blues" and both a
chord and transcription analysis of his recording of "Playing With The
• 27
Strings." I t is apparent that the foregoing essay i s a significant
contribution in tracing strains of evolution in blues and jazz-influenced
guitarists.
A book entitled, The Guitar Player Book, edited by Jim Ferguson, is an
anthology of reprinted articles from Guitar Player Magazine. 28 This
work features a few articles on several of B. B. King's alleged guitar
idols. Included are articles on Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and
"T-Bone" Walker.
Of major significance is the fact that three different articles
appear on the guitarist Charlie Christian. The f i r s t article by Jas

Ibid., 70-72.
28
Jim Ferguson, ed., The Guitar Player Book, (New York: Grove
Press, Inc., 1983).
Obrecht, "Charlie Christian," characterizes him as forever changing the
29
role of jazz guitar in mastering the electric guitar. It is a capsule

biography of moderate length chronicling pertinent performance and

recording dates of the artist up until his untimely death in 1941.

In a second article, "Benny Goodman on Christian," Obrecht

interviews the alleged "King of Swing" concerning his association with

ou
Christian.

A third article entitled "John Hammond on Christian" is based on an

interview with Columbia Records executive and talent scout, John Hammond,

who describes his association with the jazz guitarist, affording some
31
insight into his personality and character. The reprinted article

entitled "T-Bone Walker" is significant because it includes not only

quotes by the artist himself describing his own style but myriad quotes

by other guitarists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Michael Bloomfield,

Jimmy Witherspoon, Lowel Fulson, and Pee Wee Crayton, all of whom speak

frankly about Walker's attributes and contributions to the world of urban

32
blues. ""

29
Jas Obrecht, "Charlie Christian," in The Guitar Player Book,
(New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983), 58-60.
30
Jas Obrecht, "Benny Goodman on Christian," in The Guitar Player
Book, (New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983), 61.
31
John Hammond, "John Hammond on Christian," in The Guitar Player
Book, (New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983), 62-65.
32
Kevin and Peter Sheridan, "T-Bone Walker," in The Guitar Player
Book, (New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983), 279-281.
 A featured article on Django Reinhardt affords a close-up look at his
style as seen by his fellow musician Stephane Grappelli. Editor Dan
Forte claims that Reinhardt's first name alone is as familiar to
>

guitarists the world over as 'Elvis1 is to any self-respecting rock and

33
roller.
Among biographies and books on B. B. King, Charles Sawyer's The
Arrival of B. B. King: The Authorized Biography stands out as the
34
premier source work on the bluesman. The book chronicles the artist's
life in intimate detail, bringing out both psychological and sociological
aspects, along with a description of his style. A somewhat surface
analysis of one of the artist's guitar solos is made through a
transcription which was done in collaboration with a professor at the New
England Conservatory of Music.
The biography is divided into three major sections, the first in a
journalistic narrative style depicting the artist's busy touring schedule
and sometimes interjected with the bluesman's own words to enhance the
credibility of the narrative. The second section, consisting of six
chapters, is a chronological account of the artist's life up to his
"arrival" as a full-fledged blues entertainer. Sawyer parallels King's

Dan Forte, "Django Reinhardt," in The Guitar Player Book, (New

York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983), 224-226.

Sawyer.
arrival with two elements converging simultaneously: the hit recording
of "The Thrill Is Gone" and his acquisition of a new manager, Sidney
Seidenberg. Sawyer also attributes the artist's fruition as a
pre-eminent black entertainer in part to the urban blues revival and the
rise of urban blues in Middle America that Charles Keil depicts in his
monumental work, Urban Blues. 35
In section three of his biography, Sawyer attempts to analyze King
in both a psychological and sociological manner, viewing his development
in three aspects: his personality or character development; his art and
36
growth as an artist; and the making of his career.
The author ascribes the solution of King's personal problem of
gaining respect and recognition to artistic and character growth. To
exemplify this, Sawyer discusses King's harsh childhood experiences, such
as the untimely death of his mother, his early years of poverty, and his
psychological problem of stammering - all very traumatic experiences in
the artist's life. The author ascribes King's inclination for kindness
and his professional integrity to his mother's "fleeting, but profound
37
influence."
Sawyer speaks of King's grueling climb up the social ladder from a
Mississippi sharecropper to his lengthy unsatisfying stay on the
chittlin' circuit, and finally to the bestowal of the title "King" of the

35
Keil.
36
Sawyer, 121-151.
37
Ibid., 127.
 29

blues on him in the early 1970s. In an earlier chapter he imputes the

bluesman's qualities of durability and self-motivation to his cousin,
Bukka White, and his gradeschool teacher, Luther Henson. 38
In a subsequent chapter, Sawyer examines King's musical growth and
his inprovisational style as opposed to a s t r i c t concert style imposed on
classically trained a r t i s t s . This discussion is perhaps offered as a
general definition of terms for the uninitiated layman unfamiliar with
the concepts of improvisation and interpretation. He then attempts to
analyze the a r t i s t ' s guitar style, stating that i t is deceptively simple.
He contends that the bases for most of King's improvisations are two
signature motifs which occur consistently throughout his music. This,
however, seems somewhat questionable in that a thorough perusal of King's
music by this author reveals numerous signature motifs. 39
In an appendix, Sawyer includes a transcription of an extended B. B.
King guitar improvisation with some descriptive surface analysis. An
annotated Discography of King's recordings from 1949 to 1980 is also
included.
A concise and fairly up-to-date chronology on the bluesman is found
in Blues Who's Who: A Biographical Dictionary of Blues Singers, by
Sheldon Harris. 40 I t includes pertinent biographical information and an
extensive listing of club dates, tours, recording contracts, television

38
Ibid., 42.
39
Ibid., 172.
40
Harris, 307-312.
appearances and other career milestones from 1949 through 1979. Shorter
biographical sketches on the a r t i s t can be found in Nothing But the Blues
edited by Mike Leadbitter, 41 and in Delta Country Blues by the same
author. 42
A short chapter contrasting B. B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and
Albert King is included in Beale Black and Blue: Life and Music on Black
America's Main Street, by Margaret McKee and Fred Chisenhall. 43 In a
narrative style the authors attempt to compare the vocal and performing
styles of Bland and King. They contend that Bland is more of a balladeer
than a bluesman, implying that his lyrics are more important than the
musical content. This stems from the fact that Bland plays no instrument
and enjoys the freedom that others like B. B. King lack. The authors
also suggest that Bland actually uses his voice as an instrument, whereas
King uses the guitar, not merely as an instrument, but as an extension of
his vocal lines. They also make the observation that King's audiences
are often discontented in that he and his band indulge in too much
instrumental innovation to s u i t most blues fans and that what he sings,
and how he sings, s t i r s the crowd more than the musical accompaniment. 44
This may be a point of contention with Charles Sawyer, Alex Von Hoffman,

41
Mike Leadbitter ed., Nothing But The Blues (London: Hanover
Books, 1971), 141-142.
42
Mike Leadbitter, Delta Country Blues (Bexhill-on-Sea: Blues
Unlimited, 1968), 31-32.
43
McKee and Chisenhall, 245-255.
44
Ibid., 255.
and other writers, as they tend to impute King's ability for bringing his
audiences to a "catharsis" to the union of his vocal lines and the
"wailing" of his guitar improvisations.
In the same chapter the authors patronize Albert King in calling him
one of the "unsung heroes in the instrumental urbanizing of the
blues." 45 They describe his sound as being between the wailing and
whining of the Mississippi Delta bottleneckers and that of the Hawaiian
steel guitar. Several lengthy quotes of Albert are included to help
justify their conclusions.
There are no musicological studies on B. B. King in existence with
the exception of the previously mentioned analysis of a single
transcription of a guitar solo found in Sawyer's biography. 46 However,
there are two songbooks by the a r t i s t which contain either note-for-note
transcriptions of a few of his guiter solos, or transcriptions which
include watered down arrangements. The former may best be represented by
a publication entitled the B. B. King Songbook, "Black and Blue"
published by his guitar sponsor, Gibson Guitars, Inc. 47
This publication features a two-page biography of the a r t i s t
followed by twelve of his most popular songs. A myriad of photographs
are included to enhance .its appeal. The format of each song consists of
three staves with King's guitar solo on top, rhythm and chord symbols

'J Ibid., 250.

46
Sawyer, 226-227.
47
B. B. King Songbook, (Lincolnwood, Illinois: Gibson Inc.,
1971).
noteted on the middle stave, and the melody of the song noteted on the
bottom line. This songbook might be useful for afficionados who are
accomplished guitarists (who are few and far between); however, the t i t l e
is somewhat misleading as there are no words included except in King's
"The Thrill is Gone," whose popularity probably prompted the publication
of the book in the f i r s t place.
Another songbook entitled B. B. King Blues Guitar, published by
Edward Marks Music Company, does not actually feature any of King's own
h i t s , but rather songs that are favorites of the bluesman previously
recorded by other a r t i s t s . 48 Included in the publication are three
songs by Billie Holiday and seven others ranging from gospel and blues to
folk and Dixieland. The arrangements feature the same format as the
publication previously cited, but the guiter solos themselves have been
conceived as part of the preparation of this publication, and not in the
context of an actual performance or recording session. Consequently, the
true B. B. King fan would be disappointed in this publication when
comparing i t s t i t l e and content. In the preface King himself injects the
following message: "Each solo is transcribed as I play i t .
We added
rhythm guitar, plus the melody line, straight for the singer." 49
The songbook also provides some biographical information as well as
several good photographs of King in performing contexts.

B. B. King Blues Guiter, (Milwaukee: Hall Leonard Publishing

Corp., 1971).
---9 Ibid., 1. -
 In the past there have been relatively few major ethnomusicological

works dealing with American folk and popular musical forms. In fact,

within the blues tradition, ethnomusicological scholarship has been rare.

Paul Oliver reaffirms this in an article entitled "Blues Research:

Problems and Possibilities." On the other hand, there have been

copious how-to-play publications featuring tablature transcriptions

designed for the performer's technical development in various idioms

including blues, jazz, folk, and rock guitar styles. Tablature books,

however, are not really ethnomusicological, as they do not attempt to

analyze formally and are not scholarly in their approach.

There have been a few studies which have taken an essentially

musicological approach to the blues. Samuel Charters' The Bluesmen was

an early survey dealing with Mississippi Delta blues singers, which

contained much needed biographical information and afforded some

musicological comparisons of their vocal and guitar styles. 5 2 In a

later work John Fahey focused his attention on an individual blues

53
performer's singing style in Charley Patton. In this work the author

50
Paul Oliver, "Blues Research: Problems and Possibilities,"
Journal of Musicology, 2 (1983), 377-390.
51
Examples are: Jerry Silverman, The Folksiriger's Guitar Guide
(New York: Oak Publications, 1964); Guitar Player Productions, Chet
Atkins: Note for Note (California: Bookpeople, 1975); Green Note Music
Publications, Improvising Rock Guitar (California: Green Note Music
Publications, 1973).
52
Charters.
53
00
Fahey.
discussed tune families and how these produce blues songs. Jeff Todd
Titon's Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis examined
the concept of tune families in more detail and on a wider scope,
bringing to focus forty-eight blues recordings by various a r t i s t s from
differing rural blues traditions as examples. 54 In this study the
author discusses in depth form, vocal phrases, tone quality, rhythmic
organization, scales, and blues tune families, which he asserts generate
many of the blues melodies in his sample. Perhaps David Evans' Big Road
Blues affords the best insight into several blues singers' vocal styles
as well as their instrumental styles. 55 His work is primarily
concerned with the creative process in the blues tradition, in which he
discusses both vocal and instrumental phrases, offering numerous
transcriptions of each.
Musicological studies have been more numerous in the jazz guitar
tradition. In an essay entitled "From Blues to Jazz Guitar" Dan Lambert
focuses on Lonnie Johnson's technique, asserting that he most aptly
bridges the gap between Charley Pat ton's Delta Blues style and Charlie
56
Christian's jazz guitar style. Through several transcriptions and
tables the author analyzes Johnson's lead guitar lines and his harmonic
style.

Titon.',
55 _Evans.

56 Dan Lambert, "From Blues to Jazz Guitar," in Jazz Guitars: An

Anthology, ed. James Sallis (New York: Quill Press, 1984), 66-79. See
also Ian Cruickshank, The Guitar Style of Django Reinhardt and the
Gypsies (n.p.: Ian Cruickshank, 1982).
 The Jazz Educator's Journal regularly features articles aimed at
analyzing jazz artists' soloing techniques and style traits, both past
and present. This journal also regularly features a special section
entitled "Transcriptions," which is essentially pedagogical in purpose
with no formal analysis.
All scholarly enthnomusicological studies should focus on
musicological as well as cultural aspects. This balance between the
study of music and culture has been the goal of modern ethnomusicological
research in a broad number of world musical disciplines. Such studies
are based on extensive fieldwork utilizing interviews to gain
sociocultural facte and an analysis of the music through transcription
for the purpose of showing relationships between music and culture.

Several studies have manifested this balance between music and

57
culture. A prime model is Paul Berliner's The Soul of Mbira. This
work focuses on a specific topic, in this case a single musical
instrument, the Shona thumb piano, and the body of musicians who play the
music. The major strengths of this study are the connections the author
draws between the structure of the instrument, the structure of the
music, and the organization of the society that produces the music. The
author makes conparisons between musical behavior and musical content and
the relationship of the music to the accompanying poetry.

Berliner.
 Another exemplary work entitled The Chilean Verso: A Study in Musical
Archaism by Maria Esther Grebe focuses on a specific tradition within a
culture's music, the musical archaisms found in the traditional sung
poetry of Chile. 58 The author concentrates on one performer who is
outstanding for his repertoire and expertise in the performance style of
this tradition. Most importantly, Grebe concentrates on musical
structure but not to the complete exclusion of the cultural context in
which the music is produced, such as the behavior of the performer in
relation to the musical end product.
Over the past twenty years B. B. King has been interviewed on
numerous occasions in order to gain insights into his musical makeup. In
a recent biography of the bluesman, Charles Sawyer has taken a
descriptive approach, focusing on the man and his life and growth as an
entertainer but with very l i t t l e analysis of his musical style.
Therefore, this present dissertation will attempt to address the cultural
context of the a r t i s t as well as concentrate on musicological analysis.

58
Grebe.
 CHAPTER 3
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

General Overview of the Blues in the Mississippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta is an area of lowlands with f l a t , rich aluvial
s o i l , lying between the Yazoo and the Mississippi Rivers south of Memphis
and north of Vicksburg. The ten delta counties comprising this area are
the largest cotton producing area in the United States. The area is
also well known as a producer of many of the greatest country blues
singers and has affixed i t s name to one of the main blues styles - the
Delta blues. This style of blues has i t s roots in the African tradition,
which is represented in the work song, the field holler, and melodies
comprised of pentatonic scales.
The traditional European six-string guitar was employed in the Delta
blues, only vaguely deriving i t s harmonic and rhythmic practice from the
European tradition. The characteristic guitar accompaniment style of
early Delta blues was a repetitive ostinato figure - an embellished
accompaniment with l i t t l e chord movement. Another prevalent
characteristic of this style of accompaniment was the doubling of the
vocal melody on the guitar to attain a unison sound. Open chord tunings
were common, such as the E tuning, which was e-b-e-g#-b-e, or the open G
tuning, which was d-g-d^g-b-d, also referred to as the "Spanish" tuning

Charters, 25.

37
(the name may derive from the "Spanish Fandango" instrumental piece often
2
played in this tuning, popular with early blues g u i t a r i s t s ) .
As is the case with much folk music, the phrases were often
irregular in length with some measures consisting of 6/4, 5/4, and 2/4
meters. This sometimes resulted from vocal lines ending in the middle of
a 4/4 measure followed by repeated one-measure guitar figures.
The typical singing style of the Delta blues was a heavy or rough
3
voice including groans, hums, and even y e l l s . An occasional use of the
falsetto voice is apparent on representative recordings.
An insight into the origin of the vocal style is manifested in a
comment by the Delta blues singer/guitarist Son House:
. . . When I was a boy, we always was singing in the fields.
Not real singing you know, j u s t hollering, but we made up our
songs about things that was happening to us a t that time.
A wailing imitation of the human voice was approximated in the
"bottleneck" technique of many of the Delta blues g u i t a r i s t s . They
effected this imitation by sliding a knife or broken-off neck of a bottle
along the strings in a quivering fashion.

2
Ibid., 30-31.
3
Graham Vulliamy, Jazz and Blues (London: Routledge and Kegan
Paul, 1982).
4
Charters, 7.
 The Mississippi Delta area was the stronghold of the sharecropping
or tenant farming system. Blacks in the Delta region itself outnumbered
whites two or three to one, which kept the influence of white music to a
minimum. 5
Many of the Delta blues singers lived in a section of the plantation
called the "quarters" which consisted of boarding houses. They were
usually day hands who were bachelors. The blues were often played in the
boarding houses where the itinerant workers stayed and also at juke
joints, house parties, and picnics, according to Joe Dockery, descendant
of Will Dockery who had first established the Dockery Farm in 1895 in
g
Sunflower County.
Some of the early bluesmen who most aptly represented the Delta
blues style were Charley Patton, Son House, Skip James, Robert Johnson,
and Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White, all of them playing unamplified
acoustic guitar.
The most influential and colorful of the early Delta blues singers
was Charley Patton. He left the deepest impression on those to follow,
and his style was typical of the country blues singers and guitarists of
the Delta. Patton, like some of the other Delta bluesmen, was known as a
ladies' man. Henry Speller, an elderly blues singer, guitarist, and
harmonica player now residing in Memphis, remembered seeing Patton around
1920:

Vulliamy, 25.
Robert Palmer, Deep Blues (New York: Viking Press, 1981), 56.
 I was about seventeen then - the only time I seen him I was on
a train one night going to Vicksburg, and he was on his way
too. He had his guitar with him then. He had a woman sit tin'
in his lap. He was fcalkin* and half high too, and he was
drinkin1 — he was crazy about women.

Another common thread among the Delta blues singers was their'
constant vacillation between walking the road of a good Christian and
taking the irreligious avenue of a bluesman. Son House, and Skip James,
and also Patton himself, were three such examples. The former's song
"Preachin' the Blues" exemplifies this indecisiveness. On the other
hand, Robert Johnson's songs alluded to such topics as jealous husbands,
relationships gone sour, and bonds with the devil, apparent in such
titles as "Last Fair Deal Gone Down," "Hellhound on My Trail," and "Me
and the Devil Blues."
The Delta bluesmen borrowed various musical ideas from each other,
either through personal contact or by listening to another's recordings,
as is the case with Son House and Bukka White who listened to Charley
Patton. It is significant that all of them idolized Charley Patton in
one way or another. One can grasp a strong sense of this idolization and
admiration in Bukka White's desire "to come to be a great man like
8
Charley Patton."

Henry Speller, personal interview, 5 Dec. 1984.

Charters, 101.
 Bukka White is perhaps most pertinent to this study in that he was
the acknowledged first-hand tutor of B. B. King. White incorporated most
of the traditional Delta blues elements into his own playing style. King
was, however, most intrigued by the elder bluesman's "bottleneck" guitar
technique.
The Delta bluesmen possessed stylistic elements which were
synthesized into the newer electrified blues techniques of Muddy Waters,
John Lee Hooker, and Elmore James. B. B. King was influenced by both the
earlier Delta bluesmen and the later electric Delta bluesmen as well as
West Coast blues guitarists like Aaron "T-Bone" Walker and Clarence
"Gatemouth" Brown who evolved from a Texas blues tradition.

White, himself, discusses his relationship with King in F. Jack

Hurley and David Evans' chapter "Bukka White" in Tom Ashley, Sam McGee,
Bukka White: Tennessee Traditional Singers, Thomas G. Burton, ed.,
(Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1981), 143-203.
More thorough treatments of the Mississippi Delta blues style
can be found in Samuel Charters, The Bluesmen; Paul Oliver, The Story of
the Blues (London: Barrie and Rockliff, 1969); Bill Ferris, Blues from
the Delta (New York: Anchor Press, 1978); and Robert Palmer, Deep Blues
(New York: The Viking Press, 1981). A fine work based largely on Delta
styles detailing the creative process of folk blues can be found in David
Evans' Big Road Blues.
Biographical Information on B. B. King
B. B. King was not present when the blues were born, but he is
significantly a part of the legacy of those bluesmen who shared its
birth. Like most of the bluesmen of the Mississippi Delta he was raised
in impoverished circumstances. Born Riley B. King, September 16, 1925,
on a plantation between Itta Bena and Indianola, in Sunflower County,
Mississippi, he was the eldest of three sisters and a brother. His
parents were Albert and Nora Ella King, sharecroppers, whose lives
consisted of unrelenting physical labor, trying to eke out a living on a
few acres of soil.
After his mother had left his father for another man, the four year
old Riley was sent to live with his grandmother in nearby Kilmichael.
His childhood seemed filled with insecurity as he was bounced around
between several stepfathers, though residing most of the time with his
maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr, who was also a sharecropper.
The most traumatic experience of his childhood was the passing of
his mother when he was only nine years of age. Charles Sawyer in The
Arrival of B. B. King asserts that his mother's untimely death was a
profound experience in young Riley's character growth, leaving him in
maturity with an "idealized gossamer image of his mother as a symbol of
goodness and human kindness." This same quality of kindness has

Sawyer, 35.
manifested itself many times throughout King's own life and career in the
relationships with his relatives, band members, friends, and even casual
acquaintances.
After his mother's death in 1935, young Riley returned to his
grandmother's supervision and he attended the Elkhorn school, a one-room
church-maintained schoolhouse which accommodated about fifty students at
any given time in grades 1 through 8. According to Charles Sawyer,
Riley's teacher, Luther Henson, had a profound effect on him, instilling
in the youngster a positive self-image,, a zeal for_self-improvement and a
12
generally good optimistic outlook on life. In later years B. B. King
spoke with Charles Keil in the book Urban Blues about his penchant for
self-improvement:

The ninth grade was as far as I ever got in school - started

the tenth grade and quit. I've always regretted that, at least
since my DJ days, I've missed the lack of education. I keep
taking correspondence courses on this and that, read when I get
the chance — . Man, people think the average blues singer is
stupid, andjl'd like to get that out of their heads, set things
straight.

12 Ibid., 42.
13 Keil, 109.
 B. B. King's initial encounter with music came from his parents,
both of whom enjoyed singing; however, a greater influence came from the
Holiness Church near Kilmichael where his uncle's brother-in-law, Archie
Fair, was preacher. He was given the title "sanctified" because he
preached the message of the Pentecost which allows for speaking in
tongues. The services usually consisted of loud, foot stomping,
emotionally charged music led by the preacher as a means of bringing the
spirit and the congregation together. Often guitars and pianos were
employed to aid in arousing the spirit and emotion of the meeting. As
young Riley listened to Archie Fair, he became increasingly inquisitive
about the guitar and its capabilities:
"I think that a lot of that has to do with the Sanctified
Church, because this preacher played guitar in the church, and
that was one thing. But also, guitars were kind of available.
The average home had a guitar and harmonica."
Often Riley would visit his uncle, William Pullian, when Archie Fair was
there visiting his sister. Riley took full advantage of this opportunity
to learn a few chords from the preacher. However, he was not able to
afford a guitar of his own until a few years later.
When Riley was fifteen years old, he moved back in with his father
in Lexington, Mississippi. There he -remained for only two years because
he had become heartsick for his gospel group and the Elkhorn School. He
was broke and stranded upon returning to Kilmichael, but a white cash
tenant named Flake Cartledge, who had once employed Riley's mother for
day labor, rescued him and took him in. There he worked for his keep and

Wheeler, 61-62.
walked to the Elkhorn School. He continued singing with his gospel group
and also sang spirituals with his chum, Walter Doris, Jr., accompanied on
a two dollar and fifty cent guitar Riley had purchased from a Kilmichael
man.
In 1943, Riley decided to move to the Delta town of Indianola,
Mississippi, with the help of his cousin Rirkett. Indianola was a rich
cotton farming region, and Riley got a job on the Johnson Barrett
plantation, a substantial operation by 1943 standards. This plantation
employed about fifty families farming on shares with an inventory of six
tractors and six muleteams. Eighteen year old Riley worked both as a
sharecropper and tractor driver for which he became highly valued.
Not long after, Riley formed another singing group consisting of five
young men calling themselves "The Famous St. John Gospel Singers." They
sang at many local churches and occasionally gave live performances at a
radio station in Greenwood, Mississippi. Around this same time, he would
also play blues and other music on the streetcorners of Indianola on the
weekends.

Blues were by no means foreign to Riley at this time, for he had

listened to blues recordings back in Kilmichael, and on rare occasions
his mother's cousin, bluesman Bukka White would come to visit his kin
where Riley would be able to hear him play.

Sawyer, 51.
 In an interview in Guitar Player Magazine, King explains why he was
so selective as to where he played the blues:
I couldn't play them at home. I was formerly a spiritual
singer, and they wouldn't go for the blues — not then. That's
one thing about the early days of the blues. A few of the
spiritual people liked blues, but they would play their blues
after twelve* when they were in their room and nobody could
hear them.
This is probably the reason for young Riley "moonlighting" his spiritual
music by playing blues on Indianola streetcomers. King acknowledges the
stigma which is always attached to a black blues singer in saying:
Being a blues singer is like being black two times — twice.
First you've got to_try to get the people to dig the blues, and
then to dig you."
Indianola was also a stopping-off point for every itinerant blues
musician to entertain. He heard such leading black entertainers as Louis
Jordan, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Robert "Junior" Lockwood, to mention a
few. He became envious of their sophisticated ways, their manner of
dress, and their musical prowess and versatility.
In 1943 Riley registered for the draft but was later able to get an
occupational deferment. He also got married the following year to his
sweetheart, Martha Denton, and remained in the employ of Johnson Barrett
as a sharecropper and tractor driver.

At the conclusion of the war Riley tried to convince his gospel

group to go on the road but to no avail. His musical ambitions grew

Wheeler, 61.
Ibid., 70.
steadily and he decided on the spur of the moment to go to Memphis, only
120 miles north of Indianola and the main center of black entertainment
in the South. Leaving his young bride to the care of her relatives,
Riley hitchhiked to Memphis and moved in with his cousin Bukka White, who
began teaching his young protege the art of the blues. His association
with the veteran bluesman lasted ten months, whereupon he decided to
return to Indianola from whence he had with misgivings abandoned his wife
and job responsibilities. He worked again for a time on the Barrett
plantation and played and sang on streetcomers, trying to save enough
money to return to Memphis where he might secure steady work as a
musician.

In 1948 he left again for Memphis and took over a gig relinquished
by Sonny Boy Williamson at the Sixteenth Street Grill in West Memphis,
i,

Arkansas. Later on that year Riley secured a daily ten-minute spot on

the "new black station," WDIA, in Memphis where he could sing and play
just about anything he desired. Soon after, he became a full-fledged
disc jockey playing a variety of recordings of black artists such as Nat
Cole, Charles Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Roy Brown, Lowell Fulson, and Muddy
Waters. King explained his rather selective format as a disc jockey in
Memphis and his reluctance to play older blues material:
But if I went a little further back — pulled out a Blind Lemon
or something like that, I'd get static from the company.
That's one of the reasons I would keep those older records for
myself — to play when I would get home.

Ferris, 12.
During the last fifteen minutes of his DJ program, Riley sang and played
his guitar, often entertaining.requests from his myriad listeners. He
came to acquire the title "Beale Street Blues Boy" later contracted to
"B. B. King."
B. B.'s reputation was increasingly spreading along with his gigging
contracts. He was able to meet many local musicians in Memphis and
pursuaded guitarist Robert "Junior" Lockwood to gig with him. In 1949 B.
B. recorded four sides for the Bullet Recording Company which enhanced
his local reputation but did not attract national attention. However,
later that same year B. B. signed a contract with the Bihari Brothers,
who controlled Modern Records, Inc. Their labels were entitled Modern,
Crown, and RPM. The latter released six B. B. King singles in the
remaining six months of 1949, which were not national successes either
but did help to increase his public appearances. This growing success
created the need for someone to manage and guide his developing career.
A Beale Street business proprietor named Robert Henry became B. B. 's

first agent. He was a shrewd, smooth talking business man who seemed to
19
always know where the action was.
B. B. King's first big break was to come in December, 1951, with the
release of his hit single "Three O'clock Blues," a tune Lowell Fulson had
popularized earlier. In early 1952 it reached the number one R & B chart
position and remained there for fifteen consecutive weeks. This hit was

Sawyer, 65.
 the catalyst for a six-month probationary contract with Universal Artists
in New York City, who engaged black a r t i s t s in the three major
north-eastern theaters: The Howard Theater in Washington, D. C , the
Royal Theater in Baltimore, and the Apollo Theater in Harlem. With B.
B.'s newly acquired fame and the advancement of his career also came the
dissolution of his f i r s t marriage. This tragedy was to be the
inspiration of a second h i t in 1952, entitled "Woke Up This Morning,"
which aptly expressed his despair.
In 1953 B. B. King acquired a back-up band led by Bill Harvey that
had been playing steadily a t the Club Handy on Beale Street. He then
broke his contract with Robert Henry, turning over the management of his
career to Maurice Merrit, who along with Don Robey and his Texas based
agency, Buffalo Booking, were to plan B. B.*s busy road schedule.
However, after three years, Bill Harvey was forced to r e t i r e because of
i l l health, and one of B. B.'s close friends, Cato Walker, was to become
his road manager, a position he has retained throughout B. B.'s
thirty-five year career. Cato Walker subsequently purchased a bus from
Greyhound and made i t roadworthy, thus marking the beginning of B. B.
King's career as an independent road entertainer. His band consisted of
thirteen musicians plus his road manager, a bus driver, a valet for the
band, and a valet/driver for B. B.*s personal Cadillac. The l a t t e r made
"up his road entourage throughout the 1950s. The " c h i t t l i n ' circuit" was
gruelling, often not allowing a single night's rest in a hotel for days
at a time. B. B. speaks somewhat begrudgingly of his chittlin'
circuit days:
Well, you hear this term "chittlin' circuit." That's not one
of my terms, but they're talking about the joints where we used
to play before we started to play the white establishment.
These clubs were small, most of them, and always across the
tracks, in the black area. A lot of promoters couldn't afford
to pay you very much money, and if they didn't have,a pretty
good crowd, sometimes you didn't get paid at all.
B. B. continued to have a string of successful hits during the 1950's,
including: "You Know I Love You" (1952), "Please Love Me" (1953), "You
Upset Me Baby" (1954), "Everyday I have the Blues" (1955), "Bad
Luck/Sweet Little Angel" (1956), "Troubles, Troubles, Troubles/I Want to
Get Married" (1957), "You've Been an Angel," and "Please Accept My Love"
(1958). Most of the latter held high chart positions remaining on the
22
charts from 4 to 16 consecutive weeks.
The year 1958 marked several distinctive events in B. B. King's
life: a major bus accident (fortunately not seriously hurting any of B.
B.'s entourage); his second marriage to Sue Hall, a young Mississippi
woman fifteen years his junior; and the purchase of a new coach. His new
wife accompanied him on the road for the first six months, and the couple
finally bought a house in Los Angeles. However, B. B. was rarely home,
and if she wanted to be with her husband, she had to travel with him.

Ibid., 73.
21
Wheeler, 63.
22
Joel Whitburn, Top Rhythm and Blues Records: 1949-1971
(Menomenee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1973).
The couple's mounting tensions in the early 1960s caused his second
divorce by mid-decade.
Even with the advent of rock and roll in the late fifties, which
broke down some racial barriers for black performers, B. B.'s career
nonetheless hit a snag. By the early sixties large segments of his black
audiences were literally out of tune with his down-home blues, because it
reminded them of their origins at a time when they were trying to forget.
On the other side of the coin, the folk revivalists considered him too
urban and commercial. In order to attempt to remedy the situation, B. B.
changed his booking agency in 1962 and moved from Kent to ABC Records,
who had been doing well with Ray Charles' recordings. ABC producers
thought that if they showcased B. B. in front of a large orchestra they
could mold him into another Jimmy Rushing or Joe Williams, but the result
was "flat and lifeless" and caused the artist increasing frustration and
23
despair.
B. B. King had several major hit singles from 1960 through 1961,
such as "Sweet Sixteen," "Got a Right To Love My Baby," and "Peace of
Mind." He also had several minor hits up through 1966. However, not
until late 1966 did he manage to score any other major hit records. He
had all but given up hope of reaching Middle American white audiences.
In 1966 the bluesman hit the depths of despair. His second wife sued for
divorce, the group's bus disappeared, never to be seen again, the
Internal Revenue Service attached a $78,000 lien on his income, and

Sawyer, 86.
worst of a l l , he dismally remained a slave to the " c h i t t l i n '
24
circuit."
However, despite these painful stumbling blocks, B. B. King was
destined for stardom via several catalysts in the form of blues
revivalists, such as Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Elvin Bishop,
the former a premier harmonica player and the l a t t e r two both guitar
maestros. Also several British rock groups, such as the Rolling Stones,
and British guitarists like Eric Clapton, brought an increased awareness
of the contemporary blues idiom to white America in the mid-sixties.
One of the greatest highlights of B. B. 's success story was the
event that took place a t the Fillmore West in 1968 — his f i r s t
performance before an almost a l l white audience. He was overwhelmed as
he stood behind the curtains listening to the extensive laudatory
introduction by the Fillmore director, Bill Graham, and then to the
standing ovation as he entered the auditorium. 25
He received similar ovations when he appeared a t the Fillmore East
in 1969, where g u i t a r i s t Mike Bloomfield introduced him as the greatest
living blues guitarist. At that concert he shared the b i l l with a blues
based group led by the upcoming guitarist Johnny Winter.
In the late sixties B. B. appeared on a myriad of T.V. Host shows,-
such as the Johnny Carson "Tonight Show," the "Merv Griffin Show," the

Ibid., 89.
Ibid., 106
"Dick Cavett Show," and the "Barbara McNair Show" to name a few. Major
h i t s for the a r t i s t began to appear again, starting in 1968 with "Paying
the Cost to Be the Boss," "Why I Sing the Blues" (1969), and "Just a
L i t t l e Love" (1969). However, his premier status as a blues a r t i s t was
established in 1970 with the convergence of two elements: his all-time
h i t single "The Thrill Is Gone," and his former accountant Sidney
Seidenberg taking the reins as the bluesman's manager.
The " c h i t t l i n ' circuit" had almost overnight become a thing of the
past following the unprecedented popularity of "The Thrill Is Gone." A
combination of jazz clubs, rock palaces, college concerts, and luxury
resort hotels became his itinerary. 26
B. B. King's global appeal was also established in the early 1970s
by a tour with the Rolling Stones, a European and Australian tour, and a
forty-five day World Tour in 1972. Most symbolic of the bluesman's
coming of age was an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1971, the same
variety show that had catapulted Elvis Presley to stardom in the late
27
1950s.
The early 1970s marked B. B. King's arrival as a viable performer
for both white and black audiences. This is amply demonstrated by the
plethora of honors and national music awards bestowed upon him since that

Harris, 308.
Ibid., 311.
time. Some of his credits include: Natra Golden Mike Award for best
blues singer of the year, 1969 and 1974; best blues album of the year,
1969; a Grammy Award in 1970 for the best rhythm and blues performance
for the song "The Thrill is Gone;" both Downbeat and Guitar Player
magazine poll awards for best rock-pop-blues group; and most popular
g u i t a r i s t , 1970-1974. He has also received honorary doctoral degrees
28
from Tougaloo College in Mississippi and from Yale University. King
has recently been active in humanitarian and civil rights work, such as
his involvement in the Foundation for the Advancement of Inmate
Rehabilitation and Recreation, as well as giving benefit concerts in
several prisons throughout the country. 29
He has consistently recorded during his career with over three
hundred singles and an excess of thirty albums to his credit. He
continues his gruelling three hundred plus engagements per year well into
the 1980s, s t i l l finding time for PBS specials, other T. V. appearances,
and even an occasional interview with those who are genuinely interested
in the a r t i s t and his music.
B. B. King's Influence
B. B. King not only influenced upcoming black blues guitarists in
the mid-1950s and early 1960s, but he also had an impact on a younger
generation of rock guitarists beginning in the late 1960s.

Ibid., 311.
Wheeler, 79.
 King himself was part of a wave of new guitarists coming along in
the 1950s. A few of his contemporaries in Memphis ultimately gained
notoriety but for the most part Chicago's West Side would be the f e r t i l e
ground for several black electric bluesmen destined to follow on B. B.
King's heels. These individuals were primarily influenced by King's
earlier recordings and also by recordings of earlier electric bluesmen,
notably "T-Bone" Walker.
Otis Rush, a Mississippian, was one of the f i r s t black guitarists to
synthesize elements of B. B. King's style. Just like King and other
blues recording a r t i s t s of the mid-1950s, he was governed by the
commercial dictates and tastes of the era, which necessitated cutting a
blues side and a rock'n'roll shuffle or ballad on the flip side. Otis
Rush's guitar style was more ringing, and he played fewer notes than
King, but, his overall sound was a strident lead style similar to B. B.
30
King and "T-Bone" Walker. Such releases as "Checking on My Baby"
(Cobra 5027,1958), and "Groaning the Blues" (Cobra 5010,1957), are both
exemplary of the newer electric blues style.
Another young Mississippian in Chicago in the mid 1950s named
"Magic" Sam Maghett had also been inspired by King and several other
earlier electric bluesmen. Magic Sam had a tremolo guitar style similar
to King's but was not as creative a guitarist. B. B. King's influence
can be detected in "All Your Love" (Cobra 5613,1956).

JU
Mike Rowe, Chicago Breakdown (New York: Drake Publishers,
Inc., 1975), 176.
 One additional West Side g u i t a r i s t named "Buddy" Guy had manufactured
a sound not too dissimilar to that of B. B. King in the late 1950s. He
had also been weaned on the recordings of "T-Bone" Walker and other
e a r l i e r electric g u i t a r i s t s . His stage show was perhaps more visual than
King's, favoring more the dramatics of "T-Bone" Walker. Nonetheless, his
guiter playing was full of the same energy and excitement exhibited by
King. 31 Exemplary of this energy are his recordings "Sit and Cry"
(Artistic 1501,1958), and "This is the End" (Artistic 1503, 1958).
S t i l l another bluesman named Albert King came along in the late
1950s with a guitar style not too different from that of B. B. King.
However, he would not enjoy the wide success that had been B. B. 's until
the late 1960s.
B. B. King was also to have a great influence on a younger
generation of white rock guitarists in the mid-to-late 1960s, who would
achieve great success and assure his own pre-eminence in the early 1970s.
Until the impact of the rise of urban blues in America had been fully
realized in the late 1960s, B. B. King would not benefit from i t . In
other words, King's own success depended on his influence on this group
of aspiring young guitarists a t a time when he himself was s t i l l
developing and evolving as a musician. I t must also be pointed out that
B. B. King was not the f i r s t black guitarist to influence his younger
white counterparts. This new younger generation of guitarists had

Ibid., 180.
initially been exposed to the blues by both the earlier recordings of the
acoustic Delta bluesman as well as the recordings of the later electric
Delta bluesmen like John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy
Reed, and their immediate disciples. This latter handful of electric
guitarists had earlier transformed the down home Delta blues style into a
popular music which gained an immense following beginning with blacks
themselves, then spreading to Europe and finally culminating in a
32
worldwide following. The Delta blues style was significant to this
worldwide acceptance because important white musical groups and musicians
during the mid-to-late 1960s imitated it just as they would ultimately
imitate B. B. King's style.
Such groups as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones listened to the
blues in Europe in the early 1960s. Aspiring young white guitarists like
Eric Clapton in England and Johnny Winter, Elvin Bishop, and Mike
Bloomfield in America also benefited from their initial listening to
black blues guitarists and later to B. B. King. It was this group of
electric guitarists, who would propagate their electric blues style to
yet a younger generation of rockers in the late 1960s and continuing
throughout the 1970s. A plethora of rock and rollers, who had never
heard of B. B. King, rather imitated the King-influenced style of the
white guitar maestros and notably the style of Mike Bloomfield.

Robert Palmer, Deep Blues, 16.

 Bloomfield was more than just an imitator of B. B. King and other
blues heroes; he was part of.a new trend of making culture heroes of
33
guitarists. Unlike the music of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, whose
blues roots were obscured by the psychedelic and acid rock phenomenon,
Bloomfield*s blues were down to earth and unadorned. They were thus
identifiable with the urban blues revival itself and accessible to both
black and white patronage. Mike Bloomfield, however, took his string
bending technique further than B. B. King in that he would actually bend
under an adjacent string in order to effect a higher pitch. This enabled
34
him to start his bend on a lower pitch. B. B. King starts his bends
from only a half step lower. Another innovation of Bloomfield is his
ability to sustain notes more than his earlier blues heroes, a technique
now employed by virtually every rock guitarist throughout the world. The
Paul Butterfield Blues Band was the vehicle responsible for catapulting
the careers of both Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop in the mid-1960s.
This Chicago based group had first gained recognition at the Newport Folk
Festival in 1965. The group was subsequently booked at the Club 47 in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, after its manager, Jim Rooney, had initially
heard them at Newport. Along with the Paul Butterfield group he also

Sawyer, 98.
34
Tom Wheeler, "Mike Bloomf ield," in The Guitar Player Book
(California: GPI Publications, 1983), 33.
engaged such urban bluesmen as Muddy Waters, Howlin* Wolf, Junior Wells,
and a host of others including blues oriented jazzmen like George Benson
3
and Mose Alison. ^
The interest in urban blues spread to other American cities.
However, B. B. King was still playing for black audiences on the
chittlin' circuit during this same time. It must have been frustrating
as well as flattering to King to hear himself echoed in the sound of the
myriad B. B. imitators. In an interview with Charles Keil in 1966 King
stated his dilemma over the phenomenon:
Man, there are at least four little B. B.'s or B. B. King
Juniors running around now — one in New York, one in Chicago,
one in California, I even heard one back in Mississippi. If
the name helps them get started, I don't suppose I mind much.
I just hope they grow out of it. But it makes me feel good to
be copied, makes me think the fourteen years I've spent in this
business haven't been in vain. Being an influence makes me
happy, and keeps me on m toes too. I always have to stay a
little ahead of them.
B. B. King in a more recent interview examined the extent of his own
influence in the mid-1960s blues revival:

35
Sawyer, 102.
36
Keil, 108.
 I heard many Beatles tunes that had been recorded by some of
the blacks over here. They were reimported with a different
sound. Then Michael Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Eric Clapton and
quite a few of the other guys had been listening to myself,
Muddy Waters, and many others. Their followers started getting
inquisitive about their playing, and they said they had
listened~£o me. That's when the white youth started listening
to us. J
B. B. King's acceptance from white audiences finally made itself
manifest in several subsequent appearances at the Fillmore West and the
Fillmore East in the late 1960s. Quite fittingly, his appearance at the
Fillmore East in 1968 was opened by Mike Bloomfield who introduced B. B.
38
King as the "greatest living blues guitarist." At the same concert
King also shared the bill with Johnny Winter, the albino Texas-born
guitarist who years earlier had entered a Texas roadhouse to sit in with
King's road band. To be sure, B. B. King's arrival had been long
overdue, and although much of his influence has been transmitted through
countless rock stars and other blues guitarists of notoriety, there are
39
few who are unaware of their debt to King.

37
Wheeler, "B. B. King, 78.
38
Sawyer, 106.
39
B. B. King's influence is adequately exemplified in the
following blues-rock recordings: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
(Electra-7294,1965), Super Sessions (Columbia, PC-9701,1968), Live
Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Keeper (Columbia, PG-6,1969).
 CHAPTER 4
THE SOURCES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST'S GUITAR STYLE
I n i t i a l Listening Sources
Peter Guralnick, in his essay "B. B. King," states that the a r t i s t ' s
style is assembled from a variety of sources which include blues, jazz,
gospel, and country music. As B. B. King reflects on the sounds that
surrounded him while growing up, he is quick to point to a l l four musical
genres as being within his listening scope: "Blues and gospel, some
2
country, and a l i t t l e jazz — i t was dominated mostly by gospel."
He goes on to explain the phenomenon further:
Gospel was the one. Religious music was what was sang and
played mostly around — blues for me was second. Then in the
area in the Mississippi Delta where I was born there was a l o t
of white people around that sang country music. So, a l l the
blacks would sing gospel, blues — not a l l of them sang blues,
but I mean the majority of them would sing gospel. Some sang
blues, and a few would sing country, and jazz was j u s t starting
to come in a l i t t l e b i t — I learned some of a l l of i t , and
liked a l l of i t .
Gospel and religious songs were apparently very important to B. B.
King from the beginning. This influence was attributable in part to his
family's church affiliation . B. B. regularly performed with a quartet.
Religious music has always served an important function in southern black
churches. However, singing the blues was frowned upon by black

Guralnick, 255.
B. B. King, interview with author, 7 June 1986.
Ibid.

61
ministers, who called i t "the devil's music." One prime example of this
conflict was W. C. Handy, whose father, being a preacher, did not allow
the youngster to develop his own musical interests outside of the church.
Also, several of the Delta bluesmen such as Son House and Skip James
walked the fence between sacred and secular music. While trying to
develop an eclectic style, King faced a certain amount of persecution and
ridicule from his church members in his early days as a s t r e e t musician:
Anything that might be popular a t that time might be requested,
but, mostly i t would be gospel songs because — most of the
people in the l i t t l e town and suburban areas usually was church
going people, and usually a guy that was known to be as I , was
a gospel singer, quite active in the church. If I was caught
by my church members — I would have been scolded about i t —
like in the army — written up.
Even throughout his career, B. B. has been quoted as saying "Being a
5
blues singer is like being black two times."
Thus B. B. King developed from within the church and from without,
drawing from a wide variety of sources. His taste for many diverse types
of music was influenced early in life by several factors — i n i t i a l l y by
his Aunt Jemima's record collection.
His aunt was a conscientious record collector, having close to
one-hundred 78 rpm discs a t her disposal. According to King, her record
collection contained discs of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bumble Bee Slim,
Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Patton, and Reverend Gates, to name a few.

Ibid.
Wheeler, 70.
B. B. King, interview with author.
 The a r t i s t ' s taste was further whetted as he later listened to
professional musicians perform a t a local night club in Indianola called
Jones' Night Spot. . Such a r t i s t s as Sonny Boy Williamson, Louis Jordan
and Robert "Junior" Lockwood passed through this club while traveling the
so called " c h i t t l i n ' " c i r c u i t :
That's not one of my terms, but they're talking about the
joints where we used to play before we started to play the
white establishment. These clubs were small, most—of them, and
always across the tracks, in the black area . . .
After hearing the professionals he was strongly motivated to acquire
their recordings. A local Indianola f i x - i t shop operated by Willie
g

Dotson was a prime source for King's early record purchases.

King also mentions country music as a source influencing his musical
development when he was around ten years old:
I listened to Gene Autry — Jimmie Rodgers, and Roy Acuff.
Most of the country starsal was around then, I was able to hear
them on the radio later.
He further acknowledges that he inadvertently incorporated some of their
styles into his own playing through his own practicing with songbooks:
I was learning country even when I didn't intend to — meaning
that those books had mostly country songs, like "My Darling
Clementine," "You're My Sunshine," and "Walking the Floor Over
You." w
One of the books King is referring to here is the method book that came
with his f i r s t guitar he had purchased from Sears Roebuck and Company a t

7
Wheeler, "B. B. King," 63.
o
Sawyer, 157.
q
B. B. King, interview with author.
10
Ibid.
 il
the age of sixteen. This systematic instruction book was the popular
Nick Manoloff Plectrum Guitar Method containing sane strum-along and
sing-along pop-country tunes of the day.
His listening range was further expanded by his disc jockey s t i n t a t
the newly formed radio station in Memphis, WDIA, in 1949. Most of the
songs he would program then were the popular hits of the day by black
artists. These hits featured such a r t i s t s as Charles Brown, Nat "King"
Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Lowell Fulson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and a
host of others. However, he was reluctant to a i r the songs of some of
the older black a r t i s t s such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson,
Sonny Boy Williamson, or Charlie Patton, because if he did he would get
criticism from the station manager.
That's one of the reasons I would keep those older records for
myself — to play when I would get home. And this was
something like food to me; even today i t ' s energy for me — so
you could play things — that weren't the deep down-home blues.

In fact, following his disc jockey experience, King himself acquired an

insatiable appetite for record collecting. I t was not limited to the
blues, jazz, gospel, or country genres, but included classics and pop as
well. Beside his penchant for self-improvement through listening to a l l
musical styles, another motivation for collecting was his increased
awareness and concern that the older records were quickly disappearing:

Sawyer, 154.
Ferris, 12.
"So everything I could find that I had listened to as a kid, I tried to
13
hang on to it."
B. B. King acknowledges many guitarists as being either
inspirational or influential in the development of his guitar technique.
In fact, he has been so eclectic in his exposure through his listening
experience that even he himself cites numerous guitarists at various
times as being either a tremendous or a subtle influence on his own
style. Yet, consistently, he acknowledges five guitarists as having a
profound influence on his stylistic development: Blind Lemon Jefferson,
Lonnie Johnson, "T-Bone" Walker, Django Reinhardt, and Charlie Christian.
However, of the five cited, we must distinguish those from whom King
gleaned both vocal and instrumental influences, such as Jefferson and
Johnson, and those whom he later idolized primarily because of their
distinctive guitar techniques, like Walker, Reinhardt, and Christian.

It was around 1943 when B. B. King first played on Indianola

streetcomers. His guitar technique was very rudimentary at that time,
and he concentrated on the guitar as a chorded accompanying instrument to
back up his vocal lines. He explained his direction at that time:
I was just starting to [learn and play single string lead
responses] because at that time I wasn't into T-Bone Walker as
I later tried to be. It was then more Lonnie Johnson or a
[Blind] Lemon effort, or Lowell Fulson even — but Lonnie
Johnson was my number one person — he and Lemon . . .

Ibid, 12.
B. B. King, interview with author.
King related well to Blind Lemon's technique because his accompanying
style was so full that he f e l t that he heard two guitarists playing
instead of one. King speaks of another dimension of Blind Lemon's
playing:
And he had a special way of phrasing, too, that I don't hear
from many people today. Anyone can play 64 notes in a bar, but
to place j u s t one or two in that same bar in j u s t the right
place — that's something special.
King mainly listened to Lonnie Johnson as a vocal interest; however,
he refers to the singer/guitarist as "one of the greatest, a real
16
musician." One can draw a parallel between B. B. King and Lonnie
Johnson in that both are eclectic musicians drawing on diverse styles.
In Jazz Guitars: An Anthology, James Sallis contends that B. B. King and
other blues guitarists evolved from Lonnie Johnson's single-string lead
style. He asserts that Johnson, as well as being a highly developed
guitar s t y l i s t , linked modern blues to the older forms. 17
However, King has never developed a self-contained solo style of
accompaniment as he idealized in a few early blues singers. He admits
that he has developed from the beginning in the tradition of call-response
technique exemplified by his guitar solo responses to his vocal lines.
In speaking about his Indianola streetcorner days, King remarked:

King, 22.
Keil, 107.
Sallis, 56.
 Even then I would sing, and then play, and then sing. I've
never been able to actuallygaccompany myself with chords like a
g u i t a r i s t would do . . .
This was obviously a source of frustration for the young aspiring
a r t i s t , which accounts for his single string solo direction — his guitar
responses ultimately being an extension of his vocal lines. King draws a
distinction between the strumming or accompaniment — the incidental —
and the solo guitar lines — the serious part:
I am saying to you, that yes, I would strum i t , but when the
serious part comes after the melodic line leaves the l i p s , the
serious part s t a r t s on the guitar — in other words, i t leaves
here, [his mouth] and goes here, [his guitar].
As a solo singer in the beginning he did frail (strum) the guitar,
suggesting that the accompanying line was much less important in his
delivery: "When I was serious singing the melody, then I am strumming
the guitar which is not serious." 20
Later in his career, King's back-up group took the place of his own
earlier accompanying style of frailing when he had played alone on s t r e e t
corners.

King, 23.
19
B. B. King, interview with author.
20
ibid.
Tutors as a Prime Source in the A r t i s t ' s Development

Before examining B. B. King's acknowledged guitar idols, who

influenced both his style and technique, something must be said
concerning the only instances of direct music instruction afforded the
a r t i s t during his some thirty-five years as a performer.
His f i r s t real inspiration to play the guitar came about as a r e s u l t
of his weekly attendance a t the Holiness Church in Kilmichael,
Mississippi, during his grammar school years. A certain preacher by the
name of Archie Fair was the brother-in-law to B. B. ' s Uncle William
Pullian. In his services, preacher Fair would often u t i l i z e the guitar
as a musical c a t y l i s t to invoke the s p i r i t into the congregation. This
had a mesmerizing effect on the young boy who became fascinated with the
instrument:
He'd (the preacher) v i s i t my uncle, and when i t was time for
the adults to go to the kitchen for dinner, he'd lay his guitar
on the bed and I'd crawl up and play with i t . One day he
caught me and decided to show me a few chords — C, F, and G.
Even today I s t i l l use those three chords,a l o t , and use the
I-IV-V progression in many of my songs.
Charles Sawyer, in his biography imputes several of King's s t y l i s t i c
t r a i t s directly to the influence of the Holiness preacher. First, he i s
able to gain great empathy from his listeners by using the conversational
mode, usually done between numbers as an introduction to the next tune.
One might say i t is a call to worship. In doing this, he may tell a
story, make a plea for a cause, or j u s t play the clown — a l l enacted to

King, 22.
draw the audience into his performance. Second, by utilizing certain
musical elements; such as volume, tempo, and lyrical content of his
songs, he is able to maintain the entire performance through a cycle of
mounting tension. These elements are sythesized most dramatically in his
extended solo work. The vocal lines may rise and f a l l j u s t as his solo
lines slowly ascend to a climax with a sudden falling as the band's
22
volume diminishes to a relaxed tone.
In listening to the entire spectrum of B. B. King's repertoire, one
sees a very gradual development in this area. In his earlier recordings,
this cycle formula is not as apparent or thought out as much as in his
later recordings of the 1960s and 1970s. However, the development is
consistent — B. B. has exploited this technique to i t s fullest
potential.
B. B.'s other main source of instruction was with the Delta bluesman
Bukka White who was most influencial as a source of King's tremolo style.
The developing young g u i t a r i s t had the unique opportunity to benefit from
the Delta bluesman's tutelege, mainly because he was related to the
a r t i s t and had consequently seen him perform in several of his relatives'
homes during his childhood days in the Delta.
King lived with Bukka White in Memphis for approximately ten months
after leaving the Barrett plantation in May of 1946. According to
Charles Sawyer, B. B. King may have learned more than music from the

Sawyer, 178-179.
veteran bluesman — durability and the capacity for survival. For his
cousin Bukka, survival was a mainstay, especially since he had spent two
restless years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary. The aforementioned
t r a i t s may have indeed rubbed off on the young King, because'his own
qualities of self-determination and self-motivation have been manifested
throughout his career.
Musically, B. B. King spent many hours playing with the bluesman,
who made the young aspirant eager to learn the potential style
possibilities of the electric guitar. What impressed King most about his
cousin's playing was his bottleneck vibrato technique, whereby the elder
bluesman dragged a metal pipe, worn on the l i t t l e finger of his l e f t
hand, over the strings in a trembling motion. He says, "The sound seemed
to pierce my flesh." 24 Although King was intrigued with the sound, no
matter how hard he tried, he could not effect the vibrato in the same
manner as his cousin Bukka.
As I said I got stupid fingers. They won't work. If I get
something like that in my hand and try to use i t , i t just won't
work. So my ears told me that when I t r i l l e d my hand, I'd get
a sound similar to the sound they were getting with the
bottleneck.
B. B. King's imitation of his tutor's vibrato has become his signature
trait. The development of this style t r a i t has taken the a r t i s t many
years to refine, as i t is not quite as noticeable on his earlier
recordings.

M
Ibid., 55.
24
Ibid., 158.
25
Wheeler, "B. B. King," 64.
The A r t i s t ' s Idols as Key Influences on his Development as a Guitarist

Perhaps the single greatest influence on B. B. King and other

post-war guitarists was Aaron "T-Bone" Walker — the f i r s t electric blues
g u i t a r i s t to demonstrate the potential of the instrument. "T-Bone"
Walker influenced B. B.*s style in several ways. I n i t i a l l y , as King
experimented with his electric guitar, continuously comparing his sound
with Walker's recordings, he discovered the overall sensitivity of the
instrument's strings to various playing techniques such as hammer-ons,
pull-offs, and sustaining notes. Also, Walker's single-note style along
with his conception of tone intrigued the young g u i t a r i s t .
T-Bone Walker — has a touch that nobody has been able to
duplicate. — And when I hear T-Bone play, his tone setting is
like no one e l s e ' s — I can s t i l l hear T-Bone in my mind today,
from that f i r s t record I heard "Stormy Monday," around '43 or
'44. He was the f i r s t electric guitar player I heard on
record. He made me so that I know that I had to go out and get
an electric guitar. 2 °
T-Bone's preciseness in technique was also important to the aspiring
young guitarist:
He seemed to be almost like a person that [might] — go to the
store — want a quarter of a pound of sugar — he seemed to
measure each pick precisely to get exactly what he wanted. In
other words, i t was not blurred, i t was a good clean tone, and
each tune to me from T-Bone Walker, was carefully placed, each
finger properly behind the fret to get the exact tone that he
was looking for.

King, 22.
B. B. King, interview with author.
T-Bone's rendition of "Stormy Monday" had a profound affect on King's
concept of form and how to introduce and build sections. B. B. ' s own
description of the recording offers much insight:
He s t a r t s off — I have a copy of the original — playing 12 bars f i r s t
(instrumental solo) that sets i t up kind of like a pitcher on a great
ball team that sets up the batter 35 Well, T-Bone to me did that with the
f i r s t 12 bars of "Stormy Monday."
From this model King learned how to. get his audience's attention and keep
it. His conception of horn ensemble blending was enhanced by
scrutinizing T-Bone's recordings. "They made a beautiful sound. Like
shouting in the sanctified churches, in the j u s t the right places." 29
The same instrumental ensemble sound as heard in Walker's recordings can
be distinguished in many of B. B.'s arrangements. A fine example of
instrumental blending can be found in King's recording of "Three O'clock
Blues" (1951).
Several jazz guitarists also had a profound influence in the molding
of the B. B. King style — notably Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian,
and to a more subtle degree, Bill Jennings.
B. B. King was f i r s t introduced to Django Reinhardt's recordings
when his friend Willie Dotson brought several of them back to the United
States after World War Two. King was intrigued by the jazzer's
harmonies, scales, and especially by the manner in which he slid into
notes, bending them slightly. He also embellished notes with various
types of mordents and grace notes:

28
Ibid.
29
** King, 22.
 Django had a t r i l l that he would get on his guitar each time he
would h i t a note — i t ' s j u s t like there's not going to be
another one — so I'm going to take Care of this one. here and
milk this one as long as I can. So each time he touched that
i t was like touchin' a lady you know — hey, this is i t . And I
would feel that certain l i t t l e something and.I s t i l l do. And
even a l o t of times when i t seems like no one else hears it* n
i t s j u s t a l i t t l e b i t of a grace note right there with i t .
The insight King gained from the gypsy g u i t a r i s t was that every note is
important, though one should nonetheless give a l i t t l e more emphasis to
some. In discussing Django, King maintained:
There i s a certain l i t t l e something on each note, and to me
each one of them is important — each note.3,You don't just
play i t because i t is a note to be played.
The bluesman's famous tremolo, along with his note bending and
sliding, have a l l become marks of his matured style.
Charlie Christian's influence on the bluesman is a l i t t l e less
apparent and more subtle, although King acknowledges i t s profundity
without reservations. The a r t i s t ' s f i r s t exposure to Christian's music
was unique. A local juke joint in Indianola had a coin-operated moviola
(predecessor of the television) which played short selections by popular
jazz musicians. On this particular machine B. B. watched and listened to
a selection featuring the Benny Goodman Quintet which included Christian.
32

30
B. B. King, interview with author.
31
Ibid.
32
Sawyer, 155.
At this time, Charlie Christian's revolutionary new guitar style of
making the instrument an independent solo voice in the jazz combo had
perked up the e a r ' s of the aspiring bluesman. King's enthusiasm for this
new sound in the early 1940s can be detected in the following statement:
Charlie Christian was amazing — To me, Charlie Christian was a
master a t diminished chords. A master a t new ideas, too. And
he was kind of like a governor on a tractor. If a tractor is
bogging down in the mud, the governor will kick in and give i t
an extra boost. Christian was the same way — when the band
would h i t the bridge, he would keep the whole thing flying and
get i t really taking off.
On the moviola King watched specifically Christian's "Seven Come
Eleven" and "Solo Flight." In the l a t t e r , Christian employs extensive
harmonic innovations for the time, such "as diminished seventh chords,
along with 9th, 11th, and 13th chords, delayed passing tones, and
anticipations. Harmonically, Christian was able to experiment with the
more advanced harmonies and create his own improvisations around some of
the better standard tunes. B. B. King was attracted by Christian's
innovative style:
During the time of Charlie Christian, most people weren't aware
of, shall we say, chords like 13th and 9th — the progressions
were there, but they were in short order — not using those big
chords. What Charlie Christian was really known for was, in a
l o t of cases, using those progressions. We use what we call
diminished chords, and, man, he could break them up so pretty.
He would s t a r t and run them 12 tones — and s t i l l have a good
rhythmic pattern going along with them. Well, that to me was
improvising. That was^one way even a l o t of horn players would
improvise something.

King, 23.
B. B. King, interview with author.
 In very rare instances does B. B. King actually utilize diminished
runs in a performance. However, one can find an example in the song "My
Mood" from the album Alive and Well (1969), which occurs in the 11th
measure of this 32-bar instrumental ballad.
Another g u i t a r i s t by the name of Bill Jennings was of more than
fleeting interest to B. B. King. The jazz g u i t a r i s t was a member of
Louis Jordan's band, the Tympany Five. King f i r s t heard the guitarist
play on the recording "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (Decca 23669, 1947)
and later on "Salt Pork, West Virginia" (Decca 18762,1946). B. B.
admitted that he "and a l o t of other guitar players have lifted things
from him." 35
King learned several concepts from Bill Jennings: how to keep a
musical mood going, new rhythmical ideas, and not to be afraid to extend
himself melodically and harmonically:
. . . take for instance. Bill Jennings — very technical in
some ways but swinging in another. He seemed to be daring,
both rhythmically and technically in some ways —more so
rhythmically, because he would s t a r t a groove to going and then
whatever i t takes to keep that groove going, he would do i t —
and the way he plays — I only saw him a couple of times with
Louis Jordan, and he seemed to get his kicks playing, and I am
getting mine along with him the way he plays. So actually he
would go ahead and improvise where T-Bone Walker wouldn' t.
King makes this distinction between a real improvisor like Bill
Jennings and a riff or lick player like T-Bone Walker, because King has
had to struggle in his own development to become more fluid in his

King, 23.
B. B. King, interview with author.
improvising. King also distinguishes himself from the real jazz musician
who can play behind complex chord progressions with an unending stream of
musical thoughts:

I cannot play what I think. Now if you give me three or four

bars to think about, maybe I can get i t under my fingers, but I
don't play everything I think — I wish I could.
In careful examination of King's guitar solos we find a plethora of
motifs or short musical phrases repeated time and time again, thus making
many of his "improvised" solos sound repetitious or familiar. Through
listening to and "copping" many g u i t a r i s t s ' lines King gradually acquired
an arsenal of licks and motifs from which he could draw a t any given
instance. Having acquired this copious variety of musical ideas over a
long period of time, his solos have often taken on a seemingly
spontaneous quality, nonetheless s t i l l not so creative when viewed from a
collective perspective. His musical ideas only occasionally seem fresh
and spontaneous and more so when one listens to a single isolated
example.
At the onset, a l l students of musical improvisation, no matter what
the idiom, are encouraged to learn melodic patterns and motifs that will
f i t or work with various chord formulae. A variety of scales are also
encouraged as part of the memorized framework of practice. Later on,
however, the same students are motivated to develop their own musical
phrases, not constantly depending on "licks" or t r i t e phrases to sustain
their solo lines.

Wheeler, 23.
 B. B. King has never developed in the same manner as a student of
jazz improvisation, perhaps because of his informal learning and of being
forced to remain within the confines of the blues framework, which
utilizes the basic I7-IV7-V7 chord progressions for the most part.
However, the a r t i s t has developed an incredible accuracy of placing
notes where he wants them through his note-bending and note-sliding
techniques. Most guitarists who improvise, whether i t be in the rock,
blues, or jazz idiom, use this device as a means of obtaining accuracy in
note placement as well as for expression. King's accuracy has evolved
during the course of time in using this technique:
I am always afraid that I might miss a note if I try to h i t i t
right on the head, so if I h i t down8(below) and slide up to i t ,
my ears tell me when I get there.
This evolution is especially apparent in comparing King's e a r l i e s t
recordings of the early 1950s, which exemplify a raw, coarse guitar
technique (e.g., "Please Love Me," RPM 386, 1953), with his later
recordings of the 1960s and 1970s.
B. B. King has acknowledged several other guitarists as being among
favorites, although perhaps somewhat less influential. He cites such
guitarists as: "Lightnin"' Hopkins, Earl Hooker, Johnny Moore, Lloyd
E l l i s , Elmore James, Big Joe Williams, Robert Nighthawk, and Robert "Jr."
Lockwood. 39 The l a t t e r was helpful to King in obtaining his f i r s t gig in
West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1947.

Wheeler, " B. B. King," 64.

King, 22.
Instrumental Idols as a Secondary Influence on the A r t i s t ' s Development
As a Guitarist
B. B. King has stated that several other musicians have influenced
his development, such as alto saxophone player Louis Jordan, trumpeter
Cootie Williams, and tenor saxophonist Lester Young. "I'm a mixture of
many people. Like if you listen to Louis Jordan's phrasing, you'll hear
40
B. B. King."
In the instrumental category King specifically points to Louis
Jordan and Lester Young as his i n i t i a l instrumental idols. However, the
a r t i s t is quick to a t t e s t that his own musical vocabulary is eclectic,
drawing from many far-reaching sources:
These licks you hear me playing now, are kind of like tadpoles
in a pond, (King is implying here that he has an enormous pool
to draw from) but if we are going to go back to the same people
that I mentioned that were my idols — I am sure that some
parts of that i s kind of like a dinosaur — i t ' s been there a l l
the time — from them some of i t — but i t has grown to be such
an intertwine with my own personal feelings, because when I do
i t , I might even touch upon Blind Lemon, or Louis Jordan, or
any of the people not knowing i t now — that is B. B. King
today.
King had f i r s t encountered these instrumentalists from most of the
same sources cited earlier, such as his Aunt Jemima's Victrola records,
the many musicians that passed through Indianola on the
" c h i t t l i n ' c i r c u i t , " the moviola a t Jones Night Spot, and in his
programming as a disc jockey a t WDIA in Memphis. Louis Jordan and Lester
Young stand out as prime influencers of King's style, especially in

40
Ibid., 22.
41
B. B. King, interview with author.
the domain of articulation and phrasing. B. B. King extracted from Louis
Jordan the manner in which he would bend up to, or away from a given
note:
Louis Jordan had a way of hitting a t a note he really stayed
with. For instance, — if the note is in the key of C, he
would stretch the note to D f l a t or C sharp down to the C —
slur i t down. Let's assume, in the lick we're talking about, I
s t a r t on the fifth, the G to the A, to the C, then push that D
out back to the C (the D would stretch to E) that is Louis
Jordan — he would do that same sort of thing — so that is the
part I would have borrowed from him. I t is B. B. King, but
what I am trying to say is that that is what I would hear.Louis
Jordan doing even if I don't hear him, (at this moment).
Charles Sawyer, in The Arrival of B. B. King, points out that Jordan
was never regarded as a musical heavy, yet he was extremely popular with
both black and white audiences for his performance craft. In fact, B. B.
King has opened his own shows many times with the Louis Jordan standard,
43
"Let the Good Times Roll."
King draws a parallel between Django Reinhardt and Lester Young,
saying that the l a t t e r took more.time getting to an important note than
the guitarist, because Lester Young's tone was sweet and gentle and he
played in a very mellow, legato style. According to King, Lester Young
"milked" the important notes "like there is not going to be anqther
44
note." **

42 Ibid.
43 Sawyer, 177.
44 B. B. King, interview with author.
 There is no doubt that a wide variety of sources have contributed to
B. B. King'.s development of a somewhat eclectic guitar style. He is a
"lick" player relying on a bag of motifs and guitar runs assimilated over
the years, whose guitar improvisations have become progressively more
spontanous and creative, notwithstanding his sometimes monotonous style.
Technically, he has evolved from a crude, unrefined, unskilled guitarist to
one possessing a great amount of skill and expertise.
 Table 1
SIGNS USED IN TRANSCRIPTIONS

(,4/ circled numbers indicates string numbers ( M J

sounding string)

* pitch slightly higher than notated

\ pitch slightly lower than notated

T finger vibrato (tremolo) employed

V«/ string bend upward

*l downward release of previous upward bend

yf a slide into a note from several frets lower

ftfc fall-off or downward glissando

PO. pull-off

\J>^\ chord symbols

MS- whole-step bend

H.S. half-step bend

\*J ghosted note

r upward glissando
 CHAPTER 5
ANALYSIS OF B. B. KING'S GUITAR STYLE

B. B. King's Guitar Technique

The development of B. B. King's guitar technique has been gradual
yet continuous and deliberate. In fact, the artist has always been
motivated toward self-improvement, which accounts for his great penchant
for listening to a variety of musical styles. Also, his early reluctance
to use his instrument as an accompanying medium has only served to
increase his capacity for inventiveness and creativity in effecting
single string solos. This reluctance is borne out in his statement:
"I've never been able to actually accompany myself with chords like a
guitarist would do."
It can be shown that King's guitar technique has advanced in the
following areas: dexterity and facility and the gradual acquisition and
development of certain idiomatic or stylistic devices such as note
sliding, position shifts, note embellishments, tremolo, pull-offs,
octaves, and string bending.

B. B. King had not developed an impressive guitar technique by the

time he did his first recording sessions for the Bullet label in 1949.
In these earliest recordings (four altogether) King can be seen as a
crude unrefined soloist relying dn a limited guitar technique. This is
manifested by his adherence and confinement to a single guitar position

B. B. King, interview with author, 7 June 1986.

82
and by playing only descending blues scales. These early recording
sessions displayed loose arrangements without much continuity or
direction. Also a t this time King gravitated toward the key of C major,
as a l l four sides bear out this fact.
B. B. King did two separate sessions for Bullet in 1949: one in
July and one in November. In the July session he recorded "Miss Martha
King" (Bullet 309) and "When Your Baby Packs Up and Goes" (Bullet 309),
both up-tempo boogie woogie jump tunes. His only solo work on both songs
was confined to the introduction, which in the former was manifested by
two short descending blues scales and a brief statement of a "T-Bone"
Walker-derived motif (Figure 1). In fact, this motif was to become one
of King's signature "licks" during his early style development and is
s t i l l identifiable in a few cases in more recent examples.

Figure 1. "Miss Martha King"

He begins the introduction to "When Your Baby Packs Up and Goes"
with the same descending scale, only differing from the former in his
contracting the eigth note t r i p l e t J J J to the t r i p l e t figure J J
In both the previously mentioned songs we find short solo choruses by
both the tenor saxophonist and the trombonist. One outstanding
 84

characteristic of a novice guitar improvisor is his confinement to a

single key and a single position. This is the case in both Bullet
sessions.
On the November, 1949, session King recorded two sides, a fast
boogie woogie entitled "Take a swing with Me" (Bullet 315) and a slower
12-bar blues called "I Got the Blues" (Bullet 315). In both renditions
very little guitar is heard. In fact, one has to listen very carefully
to detect a few disjointed guitar responses to several vocal lines. Thus
we can conclude that in these earliest King sessions the artist possessed
minimal dexterity for soloing, limiting himself to several memorized
blues scale patterns in one position (the 8th fret) and a "lick" or motif
borrowed from his idol, "T-Bone" Walker.

Upon entering the modest studio of Sam Phillips in the early part of
1950, it appears that B. B. King had made some strides as a soloist.
Prior to his sessions for Phillips in the early 1950s King apparently
devoted much of his time to practice and to the scrutiny of his guitar
idols. Many of his early recordings for Phillips reflect a strong
influence from "T-Bone" Walker, in fact, almost an imitation. A prime
example of this influence can be detected by comparing Walker's solo in
"I Got a Break Baby" (Capitol 10033, 1942) with B. B. King's
"Questionnaire Blues" (KST-9011) recorded in January, 1951 (Figures 2 and

Figure 2. "T-Bone" Walker, "I Got a Break Baby"

t •*
& t fig
& > ?i ffit S/w. I*J
®\ fti—J»/T> =*« J •iffrf
f^)t iu£/T).-
J'/l^ Pi
<**

yfljffi
Figure 3. B. B. King, "Questionaire Blues"
It is also interesting to note that in a few of his early sessions
for Phillips King merely functions as a blues vocalist as is evidenced by
the overlapping guitar lines. The side musicians in these sessions
consisted of several young Memphis jazz musicians, including Phineas
Newborn on piano, Hank Crawford on tenor saxophone, and apparently Calvin
Newborn on lead guitar. Upon first hearing "B. B.'s Boogie" (RPM 304),
one might mistakenly attribute the guitar solo to B. B. King, as there is
no clear documentation on the sidemen used on this session. However,
given the fact that King's solo development had not reached the
inventiveness and jazz-like quality elicited in this rendition, the
guitarist would have to be Phineas' brother Calvin, who did play on
several of King's early sessions (Figure 4 ) .

\A Klfr-rffi^iJig^i
y PI r t: /v A f f C ^
iWl> W' 'Ppg^ &

^plYJ))\>7l^r!\r}Yl>^ >
^yJ'QyiiQ- 7J'f,/(ji/J'J]^^
Figure 4. Calvin Newborn, "B. B.'s Boogie'
 One of the first stylistic elements contributing to B. B. King's
developing technique was his repetition of the same pitch consecutively
played on an adjacent string. "T-Bone" Walker as well as many rockabilly
guitarists utilized this same technique. This was probably done as a
means of tonal contrast. This specific technique is effected by playing
a given note on a higher string, then immediately sliding on the next
lower adjacent string up to the same pitch. It is also an effective
method of going from a lower to a higher position. This technique is
evident in many of King's recordings of the early 1950s. A case in point
can be found in the ninth bar of his improvised guitar solo in "She Don't
Move Me No More" (US-7788, 1950, Figure 5).

® @ <§> Q QQ @> § @ -
p *—^
^zt m\y\_ •+—*•

Figure 5. "She Don't Move Me No More"

Another example can be detected in his first national hit, "Three O'clock
Blues" (RPM 339), which was released in 1951 (Figure 6).

h^\i)^ > ** -
Figure 6. "Three O'clock Blues"
It is significant to point out that both repetitions occur on the
dominant harmony and in the same measure of this 12-bar blues song. This
repetitive note sliding technique can be found in "T-Bone" Walker's solos
as well as in Chuck Berry's guitar solos of the mid to late 1950s. A
most representative example can be heard in the latter's introduction to
"Johnny B. Goode" (Chess 1691, 1958). King has continued to use this
technique throughout his career, although not in the same manner as has
been already demonstrated. In the mid-1950s and later he contracted the
technique into one single repetition. We can find an example of this in
King's guitar solo in "Boogie Rock" (RPM 435), a 1955 instrumental. This
technique occurs in both the second and seventh measures (Figure 7).

MtMSU**. -T*V«A/

Figure 7. "Boogie Rock"

As can be seen in the preceeding examples, King bends up to the
first note on a lower string, then plays the same note on the adjacent
higher string (Figure 8 ) .

STRINGS

© ® @(D © 0
First finger
i tt on
!VQ!t
i *

2
FRETS

3
Push third finger
<-: i rf.. on "3" to bend to "C",
4 \ * then play "C" on second
string, first fret

Figure 8. Method of executing measures two and seven

 88

This same technique is continued in "Gambler's Blues" (BL-6001 and

reissued later on MCA 27010 and ABC 509, 1966) in measure eight of King's
guitar introduction (Figure 9 ) .

]'"'! l'^LtJ.ifft|3
Figure 9. "Gambler's Blues"
Other examples can be found in "Don't Answer the Door" (MCA-27010, 1966)
and in "Sweet Little Angel" (ABC-509, 1965).
This technique not only gave King a tonal contrast but also helped
him extend his range on the instrument. There is a tendency for the
beginning improviser on the guitar to solo in one position, usually
because of a lack of expertise and the confidence to venture away from a
comfortable point of reference.
In the mid to late 1950s, B. B. King confined his soloing range to
one or two close positions, only moving on occasion into distant
positions with some uncertainty and uneasiness. In listening to King's
second twelve-bar solo chorus in "Days of Old" (1958, Kent 307), one can
detect a certain amount of apprehension and awkwardness in his attempt to
go from the fourth position to the sixteenth fret to play an A-flat. To
do this, he slides on the f i r s t string to the sixteenth fret. He barely
executes the note intended in a muddled fashion; then he quickly returns
to the fourth position where he regains his security. By the mid to late
1960s King became more proficient in moving into and out of various
positions on his guitar, a technique acquired through much experience and
practice. This is evident in his live recording, "My Mood" (1969,
 89

Bluesway 6031), an instrumental using the same chord progression as

Claude Gray's "Night Life," (Decca, 1968). In his second solo chorus he
is able to go from the seventh to the fourteenth position (Figure 10)
within four measures, a procedure which takes considerable dexterity.

W.f. wi.

Figure 10. "My Mood"

A technique which gradually appears in King's guitar solos in the
mid-fifties is his use of embellishments. This technique stems from his
initial listening to Lonnie Johnson and later to such jazz guitarists as
Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Bill Jennings, who played
guitar in Louis Jordan's Tympani Five. An early example of embellishment
can be seen in measure 5 of a recording previously mentioned, "Boogie
Rock" (RPM-435) (Figure 11). This can be compared to Lonnie Johnson's
"Stompin' *Em Along Slow" (OKEH 8558, 1928) in measure 6 of the third
chorus and again in measures 8 and 9 (Figure 12).

MaasuM. ft*,

fejS 3
ffi

Figure 11. "Boogie Rock"

 M f & t t t f * . fc
90
\^k
##4
WmSUH 9

jfltfTff • TH" f l
Figure 12. Lonnie Johnson, "Stompin' 'Em Along Slow"
One of B. B. King's favorite jump bands of the 1940's was Louis
Jordan's Tympani Five whose song "Salt Pork, West Virginia" (Decca 18762,
2
1946) left a strong impression on him. In Bill Jennings' guitar solo
one can hear a similar usage of embellishment at the end of measure 10 of
this 12-bar blues (Figure 13).

'j; f Cfrtf tffr i

fc

Figure 13. Bill Jennings, "Salt Pork, West Virginia"

This example is a reversal of the embellishment found in King's
"Boogie Rock." However, it can also be compared with King's "Days of

King, 23.
 91
Old" (1958, Kent 307). King's entire solo here is based on a similar
embellishment figure. (Figure 14, measures 3, 5, 9, 11).

rjffftrnrtp-Mgftfa

Figure 14. "Days of Old"

During the time B. B. King was living in Indianola, Mississippi, in
the mid-1940s, a close friend, Willie Dotson, brought him several of
Django Reinhardt's records he had picked up in Paris on leave from the
3
Army during World War II. King was immediately intrigued with the
gypsy guitarist's innovative technique and mode of phrasing. It is
obvious that B. B. King may have absorbed some of these techniques,
especially in his note bending and use of embellishments (Figure 15).

Sawyer, 157.
 92

-BUl-W
FAST 4iA)o-|>«xt" ' i^^

jff- r n r n | l l u | l r K ^ ; i U ^ j |

j'Hi Hyji jiirrn j j j i

Figure 15. Django Reinhardt "Djangology"
B. B. King was also quite impressed with Charlie Christian's style.
He had first heard Christian on a moviola located at Jones' Night Spot in
4
Indianola. It is difficult to trace semblances of Christian's style in
King's solos, especially in regard to embellishments. However, in the
tune "Wholly Cats" (Columbia, CL642) the jazz guitarist employs an
embellishing figure in the sixth bar of his second solo break which
resembles several of King's (Figure 16).

Figure 16. Charlie Christian "Wholly Cats"

It must be pointed out that considerable practice over a period of
time is required to effect a good grasp of embellishment technique on any
instrument. Embellishments such as mordents present extenuating problems

Sawyer, 53.
of execution on the guitar because of having to use a pull-off technique
to sound the upper neighboring tone before returning to the original
note.
King's use of embellishing notes diminishes somewhat after the
1950s, a t which time a noticeable development of other techniques i s
apparent, especially the refinement of his left-hand finger tremolo.
King fancied the bottleneck style of Delta blues guitariste, notably that
of his cousin Bukka White. However, he was not sure how to transfer
White's idiomatic vibrato sound to his own instrument. In fact, he can
be seen to have taken approximately a decade to develop fully the
technique. I t appears to enter King's guitar improvisations between 1958
and 1960. In a previously mentioned song, "Days of Old" (Figure 14), a
slight amount of tremolo is utilized on notes held longer than a quarter
in duration, but the frequency of oscillation is much slower compared to
his solos of the mid-1960s where his tremolo speed is increased
considerably. In his guitar solo choruses found in "Please Love Me"
(Kent-336, 1968) and "Crying Won't Help You" (Kent-336, 1960) we see this
tremolo development manifested both in the speed and in the frequency of
usage. His employment of the technique is fully developed in his solos
found in "Sweet Little Angel" (1964) and "Gambler's Blues" (1966), both
on the album B. B. King: Back in the Alley, (MCA-27010, Figures 17 and
Figure 18).
 94

Figure 17. "Sweet Little Angel"

QVA. .T
T T
pr^jT^n^m
ytib >>}i^i
mm i f ^ T ^ . - 3 f f * ^
'ihrKteri-lum
Figure 18. "Gambler's Blues"
It is significant that both of these songs are slower in tempo than
the previously mentioned "Please Love Me." In King's playing there is a
more frequent usage of the tremolo technique in slower 12-bar blues
tunes. In a faster King shuffle tune like "Paying the Cost to Be the
Boss" (MCA 27010, 1967) we find King's tremolo employed on most quarter
notes and those of longer duration (Figure 19).
 95
evA. £ ^ \ T P^ T *

Jt.^S\

jifl I'II ^ify-i^c/^i

1
jl.jljl I
Figure 19. "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss"
B. B. King employs his fully developed tremolo technique with the
utmost speed and agility. He accomplishes this speed by lifting his left
hand thumb completely off the back of the neck while "fanning" his index
finger as fast as possible. Most jazz guitarists play their vibrato with
the thumb supported behind the neck using slower motion. The "fanning"
technique of B. B. King is both revolutionary and unique. One can see
the continuation of King's tremolo technique into the 1980s. (See
transcriptions in Appendix.)

Still another technique which B. B. King employs, though in

moderation, is the pull-off, a technique usually reserved for jazz
guitarists and some folk blues guitarists. There are two types of
pull-offs, the single string pull-off and the chord pull-off. The former
can be diatonic or chromatic. It is played by initially putting down
from two to four left-hand fingers on a single string on consecutive
frets (Figure 20).
v
Figure 20.
The highest note is sounded with the pick and the remaining notes are
sounded consecutively by pulling (plucking) off the remaining fingers.
The second type is played by placing 3 or 4 fingers on a given chord
position and beginning with the lowest note, (lowest string) playing each
string consecutively, picking in one direction, and lifting each finger
off the chord position after playing each note. This gives the aural
illusion of a virtuosic picking technique to the uninitiated listener
(Figure 21).

<3L 0>
MaT&.

STAMT /»ic*,-MWA/ Pick, oniy

Figure 21.
Both types are very difficult to master. B. B. King plays the second
type only from a lower string to a higher, whereas some jazz guitarists
like Barney Kessel or George Benson (both of whom King acknowledges and
respects) will play from a higher to a lower string. This technique
necessitates putting the chord fingers down and then immediately
releasing them after they have been played. This device requires extreme
dexterity and diligent practice.
B. B. King incorporated the single string pull-off into his solos
early in his career.. In the song "Bad Luck" (RPM 468), recorded in 1956,
he employs a repeated pull^off riff starting on the flatted seventh of
the tonic (Figure 22).
Co<N/f«e«xrW«. rULfomrt

Figure 22. "Bad Luck"

In another song entitled "Time to Say Goodbye" (Kent'327, 1958) he
employs a pull-off on the third beat of the seventh bar of his 8-bar solo
(Figure 23).

Figure 23. "Time to Say Goodbye"

In his introductory solo to the song"Sweet Sixteen" (Kent 330, I960), he
employs several repeated pull-offs in a single measure on bar two (Figure
24).
covMeuriv*. PUML-Q*"S

Figure 24. "Sweet Sixteen"

King also uses pull-offs effectively in the same song in his guitar
responses to his vocal lines.
B. B. King employs the chord type pull-off on more limited
occasions, as it is more difficult to play and perhaps too jazzy sounding
to employ very often in a blues framework. A representative example of
this type can best be distinguished in "Gambler's Blues" (Bluesway 6001,
 98

1966, Figure 25).

Figure 25. "Gambler's Blues"

This pull-off riff sounds very virtuosic and impressive, occurring on the
upbeat of four.
In a later album entitled Live and Well (Bluesway 6031, 1969) King
plays a three-chorus introduction to "Sweet Little Angel," where he
displays an exorbitant use of pull-offs, mainly of the f i r s t type.
However, in the eighth and ninth bar of the f i r s t solo chorus he employs
both types (Figure 26).

Figure 26. "Sweet Little Angel"

In this solo, King sounds amazingly like the gypsy master Django
Reinhardt by straying from his normal blues style in utilizing more
chromaticism and also in his creative jazz-like lyrical lines.
Pull-offs are exemplified in his later recordings, such as "Three
O'clock Blues" from his album Together For the First Time (MCA2-4160,
1974), "Don't You Lie to Me" from the album King Size (ABC-977, 1977),
and in "Big Boss Man" from his album Six Silver Strings (MCA-5616, 1985).
A technique which King begins to employ in the late 1970s is his use
of octaves. This technique generally consists of strumming three
adjacent strings but muting the middle one. B. B. King's usage of this
technique is somewhat limited, as was also the case with the pull-off
technique. King often employs this technique toward the end of a solo
passage.
It has been established that King is an eclectic guitarist drawing
on many sources in forming his style and technique. He has no doubt
incorporated nuances into his playing technique through his constant
listening to other musicians over the course of his career. His octave
technique was probably derived through his listening initially to Django
Reinhardt and jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery, whose solos were
completely based on octave playing, and to George Benson, who has
continued that same tradition in many of his solo choruses.

B. B. King's octave technique is first evident in his album King

a 3Qn
Size (ABC-977, 1977) o n 3 entitled "I Just Want to Make Love to
You." He builds his guitar solo around the rythmic motif for an extended
period of repetitions. The entire song is a funky type of tune based on
an A-flat seventh chord endlessly repeated. His solo consists of playing
many melodic riffs based on this rythmic motif. His octave usage begins
at measure four and is stated several times using the rhythm mentioned
above (Figure 27).

I Vf^F
* *
2=

Figure 27. "I Just Want to Make Love to You"

In ending the song and his solo he alters the above octave riff by adding
the dominant seventh of the chordal harmony — a G-flat (Figure 28)
directly below the tonic note A-flat.

%SE
F ^

Figure 28. "I Just Want to Make Love to You"

B. B. King continues his octave technique up to the present time.
In his song "The Victim" from the album There Must Be a Better World
Somewhere (MCA-27034,. 1981) he ends his twelve-bar blues solo with an
octave figure (Figure 29), the last note falling off into a glissando.

$
ms?= ^
*E5^

Figure 29. "The Victim"

 101

In the song "Broken Heart" from the album Blues 'N Jazz (MCA-5413,
1983) King employs a similar octave technique at the end of the tenth bar
of his twelve-bar solo in almost the same manner as the preceeding
example (Figure 30).
BAR. to
6VA.
0 L.
I f try •' V »c=r* ^

Figure 30. "Broken Heart"

One can also find octave usage in B. B. King's latest album, Six
Silver Strings (MCA-5616, 1985). In the song "Big Boss Man" he plays
octaves at measures 10 and 11 and again at measures 21 and 22 (Figure
31).

I
8VA.

E£* E:E s
¥ P.O.
>-tnr*-
fry -y p^[?fff'/|
Figure 31. "Big Boss Man"
This is an interesting song in that the harmonic scheme is similar to
Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" (Epic 03509, 1982). King's song utilizes
the repaeated chord formula Ami - Bmi C6 - Bmi which repeats every two
measures.
On the same album, in a twelve-bar blues-rock tune entitled "My
Lucille" King plays an octave figure in his second solo chorus at measure
10 (Figure 32), glissing off the final octave B-flat»

m m
6*K. 10
_ ^
9 frr 7 7 ^.*^
w
Figure 32. "My Lucille"

Another technique, which is characteristic and fundamental to all

blues guitarists and employed in a rather unique way by B. B. King, is'
that of string bending. In the first place, King's string bending
technique is unusual in that it developed out of his insecurity and
inability early in his career to hit accurately notes outside a given
position on the instrument. This insecurity necessitated finding a
compensatory approach. He found that by hitting the note a fret lower
and bending up to it a half step he could sound bluesy and at the same
time gain a sense of security in his soloing. King explains his
unparalleled technique this way:
— I ' d never heard anybody do it the way I do it. My reason was
that my ears don't always hear like they should. I'm always afraid
that I might miss a note if I try to hit it right on the head, so
if I hit down and slide (or bend) up to it, my ears tell me when I
get there. But also its more like violin or a voice; you just
gliss up to it.

Any B. B. King guitar solo is rife with this technique,

although it has become more intense and more dramatic as his style
has developed.

5
Wheeler, "B. B. King," 64.
 103

During the early stages of his style development he mixed

glissandos and string bending proportionately, obviously because of
the insecurity he alluded to earlier. One can notice this mixture
of sliding and string bending in his early hit "Three O'clock
Blues" (RPM-339, 1951, Figure 33) in measures three through six.

Vy^dLf^lP
TO ijtoj^i'jirfl^fl
Figure 33. "Three O'clock Blues"
In later solos King favors his tremolo and string bending technique
over sliding as he has become more accurate in going in and out of
positions. For example, in the song "My Lucille" (MCA-5616, 1985),
King's solo displays a string-bending and tremolo technique which
out-weighs any other technical or idiomatic devices (Figure 34).
 104

; y-f
4 7 VP7 ? | 7 fit Lf Y h 717 I"J ^
j/p"|i £S
T
yn|^l7f,^,r^|7^[^pyr,i
wA**>

^mm g ? ^ ' J7 ^BES•OT^f

\T7-Z*,
* f w»
£
1

^=, ^ -^

j/-/fi r ^hbfftg Pv|7ft./ife£

^s
Figure 34. "My Lucille"
As was mentioned in an earlier chapter, besides being
initially influenced by "T-Bone" Walker and other Delta guitarists,
King also acknowledges saxophonist Louis Jordan as having given him
the inclination to stretch notes up or down a half step (See
Chapter 4).
In string or note bending King often plays these notes sharp
or flat, especially if he is going to play the note twice, which
occurs when he is returning to the original note a half-step lower
(Figures 35 and 36).

• j ft f, / [> j, / i i ^
Figure 35. "Don't You Lie to Me" (ABC 977, 1977)
 105

Figure 36. "Paying the Cost to be the. Boss" (MCA 270IO, 1967)
Often, when he bends up and holds a note out, his intonation tends
to fluctuate (Figure 37).
EfctJ

*m £ mfct
Jt

Figure 37. "The Victim" (MCA 27034)

When changing from a minor third to a major third he may play the
major third flat (Figure 38),
SAAIO

l??<fQT[si
Figure 38. "I've Got a Right to Love My Baby" (Kent 333, 1960)
Development of Motifs in Guitar Solos

Charles Sawyer contends that B. B. King uses no more than two

g
signature motifs in his guitar improvisations. However, upon
making a thorough perusal of his improvised guitar solos spanning
his entire career, one finds at least three pervasive motifs which
comprise a sort of musical grammar unique to King's guitar style.
In analyzing these melodic fragments one can see a kind of
evolution and style development of the guitarist in this respect.

Sawyer, 172..
 106

In the beginning, King is somewhat confined to a very limited

"bag" of motifs, ostensibly because of his inexperience as a
soloist. We can see, though, in his development a gradual
inclination either to vary or discontinue some of these melodic
fragments in favor of others. However, it can be noticed that now,
when performing songs from his earlier repertoire, he reverts back
to some of his earlier motifs. The reason perhaps is that his
older audience expects to hear a validation of their former
conception of B. B. King and the artist obviously recognizes this
and is very comfortable with his earlier repertoire himself. This
also seems to be the case with other professional entertainers who
do this as a means of continuing their identity and uniqueness.

One of the first motifs significant to B. B. King's style

development can be compared to a similar motif of "T-Bone" Walker
(Figures 39 and 40).

Figure 39. "She Don't Move Me No More" (us 7788, 1949-50)

Figure 40. "T-Bone" Walker, "I Got a Break Baby"

"T-Bone" Walker was the first and foremost contributor to B. B.
King's melodic style development. This same signature motif can be
found in many of King's guitar solos throughout the 1950s. He also
employed the motif in his guitar responses to his vocal lines
during the same time span (Figure 41).

Figure 41. "Three O'clock Blues" (RPM 339, 1951)

We can see numerous permutations of this motif in Figures 42-45.

b
'Q) U) i*
Figure 42. "Three O'clock Bluesf (REM 339, 1951)
.s.

Figure 43. "Boogie Rock" (RPM 435, 1955)

**

Figure 44. "Sweet Little Angel" (RPM 468, 1956)

Figure 45. "I've Got a Right to Love My Baby" (Kent 333, I960)
 108

B. B. King has not abandoned this motif entirely, as i t i s

found in his guitar solo in "Broken Heart" (MCA-5413, 1983) a t
measure 8 (Figure 46). I t is nonetheless rare to hear him employ
i t now.

Figure 46. "Broken Heart"

A second motif which King himself invented and began employing
in the mid-1960s is a t r i p l e t figure beginning on the fifth of the
chord going up a whole step and leaping to the tonic note. I t then
ascends to the third, descending to either the tonic or the fifth
on the f i r s t measure (Figures 47 and 48). Charles Sawyer briefly
discusses this motif in his biography of the bluesman but without
documentation of i t s occurrence. ^

Figure 47. "Sweet Little Angel" (MCA-27006, 1964)

Sawyer, 172.
 109

Pipi^m n
Figure 48. "Lucille" (MCA 27010, 1966)
King generally reserves this triplet motif for introductions
to slow 12-bar blues songs, although there are occasional
exceptions where he will employ a four note variation on a faster
song like "Gambler's Blues" (MCA 27010, 1966) (Figure 49).

0A«. a.-
2¥* ^

Figure 49. "Gambler's Blues"

In his hit song "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss," an up-tempo
blues, he remains on the third of the tonic chord on measure one
which resolves to the tonic note on measure two (Figure 50).
6A*. a.

jlujl'l lUJlL
Figure 50. "Paying the Cost to Be Boss"
In the introductory solo to "Gambler's Blues" King repeats a
variation of this motif two times with several permutations (Figure
51).

Figure 51. "Gambler's Blues"

 110

He begins the motif by sliding up to the sixth "B." Then, skipping

to the tonic "D" and on to the second "E," he arrives as usual to
the third, this time a minor third. King continues the use of this
basic motif up to the present time, especially when playing older
hits in live performances. In his live album, B. B. King and Bobby
Bland: Together For the First Time (MCA 2 4160, 1974), he utilizes
the motif to introduce his classic "Three O'clock Blues" (Figure
52).

1
filirifM •• -I
Figure 52. "Three O'clock Blues."
In observing the artist perform an engagement in Memphis,
Tennessee, in 1985, this author witnessed usages of this same motif
to introduce "Lucille" and "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss."
A third motif employed consistently in B. B. King's guitar
solos is one which begins on a note bend up a half step to the
lowered seventh of the tonic chord. The motif is most often played
against the I harmony although it may fit any of the three chords
employed in a traditional 12-bar blues framework. In the song "The
Victim" (MCA 27034, 1981) King begins the motif on the fourth bar
7
of this 12-bar blues. The underlying harmony at this point is a I
7
ready to move to a IV at measure five (Figure 53).
 Ill

Figure 53 "The Victim"

The basic motif itself can be analyzed in several ways. It is
fundamentally a descending A-minor pentatonic scale starting on
"G," or it could be seen as an implied "A" blues scale without the
flatted fifth E flat. A jazz musician might see the motif or
"lick" as part of a dominant seventh (Mixolydian) scale or
arpeggio. We might also say that it is a tonic minor seventh motif
pitted against the underlying secondary dominant harmony. The C
natural gives it the bluesy dissonant affect. King employs this
motif characteristically at times just before a chord change to IV7
to create tension and climactic building. Therefore, it is seen as
a building device to arrive at the second "A" section or the "B"
section of the typical three part blues form - AAB. This motif is
first evident in King's solos around the mid-1960s. He uses it
very effectively in his second solo chorus in the song "Worry,
Worry" (B. B. King: Live at the Regal, MCA 27006, 1964)* He

employs the motif here repeatedly as a building device in the first

7
four measures to arrive at the IV at the fifth measure (Figure
54).
 112
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Figure 54. "Worry, Worry"
As can be seen, he alters the motif slightly on the third
repetition at measure three. The harmony does briefly change to
the IV7 chord at measure two, but this is a common variation from •
the traditional harmony I - I - I - 17 for the first four measures.
In the second improvised chorus from his introduction to
"Gambler's Blues" (MCA 27010, 1966), he essentially employs the
motif in the same manner preceeding the IV7 chord change at measure
five. He continues this same modus operandi in his second chorus
of "Sweet Sixteen" ( M C S 27074, 1971).
In his solo in "Three O'clock Blues" (MCA2 4160, 1974) he
again plays the motif several times, first at the end of the third
measure, which seems premature to set up the IV chord on measure
(Figure 55a), and then again at the end of the sixth bar (Figure
7
55b) to announce the arrival of the I (tonic 7) again in measures
seven and eight.
Figure 55. "Three O'clock Blues"
We notice at this point that King deliberately ends up on an F
sharp to coincide with the tonic "D" chord at measure seven.
In the song "Don't You Lie to Me" (ABC 977, 1977) he employs
7
the motif in the same manner to arrive at the I coming up in
measure seven (Figure 56).

QAR. k.
)8VA-

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Figure 56. "Don't You Lie to Me"
B. B* King also uses this motif outside the traditional 12-bar
blues framework in tunes like ""My Lucille" and "Big Boss Man" from
his latest album Six Silver Strings (MCA 5616, 1985). His solo
chorus in the former is built around a harmonic progression based
7
on suspended I + 4 (sus 4) chords: (Figure 57).

&>7(S*S4)

Figure 57. "My Lucille" (Harmonic Rhythm)

He employs the motif twice in his solo chorus, both times on a
B-flat (sus 4) harmony just before a subsequent B flat 7 harmonic
change. The motif, however, is played identically in both cases
(Figure 58).

8**4/15 A
m

i ' for
»
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Figure 58. "My Lucille"

- *

King's song "Big Boss Man" (MCA 5616, 1985) is essentially a

12-bar blues with a double-time feel, making the overall form 24
bars. It also has a moving harmonic structure within each bar thus
making the song rather unusual. The underlying harmony is taken
from Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" (Epic 03509, 1982, Figure 59),
which was immensely popular. This progression gives King a new
slant on his otherwise sometimes monotonous three-chord blues
framework.

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laa

Figure 59. "Big Boss Man" (Harmonic Rhythm)

This borrowed harmonic accompaniment or formula is utilized only on
measures that would regularly employ a tonic harmony in a
traditional 12-bar blues. Again, predictably, King plays the motif
in the measure preceeding the change to the iv7 harmony (minor).
In this case, it occurs on the eighth measure because the song has
a double-time feel (Figure 60).
 6AK.&. *

Figure 60. "Big Boss Man"

In his song "Broken Heart" (MCA 5413, 1983) a regular 12-bar
blues, he digresses slightly from his normal usage in employing the
motif. I t is permutated rhythmically, on the second measure, and
again on the fourth (Figure 61).

teta-s j£ ^ j**^^ i t

^ 7 pfrtf *tLff f |» r fTf

Figure 61. "Broken Heart"
As usual King utilizes the motif for dynamic contrast and
expression in building his solo.
This motif can be seen as an intrinsic part of B. B. King's
musical grammar, unequivocally defining his style. We can see that
he has continued i t s usage up to the present time and almost always
in the same harmonic context.
Motifs Developed in Guitar Responses
One of the main style characteristics of blues a r t i s t s is the
instrumental response following their vocal lines, especially in
the 12-bar blues format. Examples of these responses can be found
throughout the recorded history of the blues, from the early
recordings of Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Blind Lemon Jefferson,
the Delta blues singers, and right up through to the post World War
II urban bluesmen like Muddy Waters, "T-Bone" Walker, and Howlin'
Wolf. Of course, B. B. King is no exception. Historically
instrumental responses have taken the following directions: (1)
orchestral accompaniment providing the responses (Bessie Smith and
other female blues singers), (2) soloists in the background playing
responses, (3) the blues singer himself providing the response. B.
B. King has incorporated a l l three types, but for the majority of
his recordings he chooses to play his own, especially in smaller
group contexts.
King considers his guiter responses very important in
communicating the totality of his thoughts. He asserts that these
short melodic fragments following his vocal lines are merely a
continuation of his vocal statements. He confirms this in stating,
"When the serious part comes after the melodic (vocal) line leaves
o

the l i p s , then the serious part s t a r t s on the guitar."

In other words, we might perceive his vocal lines as being
punctuated by short series of notes that could be seen as musical
statements serving to enhance his vocal statements.

B. B. King, interview with author.

 117

An interesting phenomenon unique to King's style, which can be

observed occurring simultaneously with his guitar responses, is his
facial expressions. He denotes these as taking the place of his
strumming:
—then I'm hearing, after I stop singing, the guitar. I am singing
through the guitar (by means of the guitar response). Then my
facial expression (which he has observed on video tape) and all
that is like the tempo of the strumming on the guitar that goes
along with the melodic line on the guitar.
As was mentioned in a earlier chapter, one of the main
incentives for King to develop responses on the guitar came out of
his own insecurity as an accompanist. He had the choice of
becoming a blues singer like Bobby Bland or Joe Williams, who rely
on their backup groups to play their responses, or to utilize his
guitar in creating his own responses. King's guitar responses have
also come to define the artist and his unique style.

These responses have basically taken on the same motivic

shapes as his extended improvisations, though over the course of
his career they have developed into shorter motifs limited to tonic
clarification or emphasis.
His earlier responses consisted of longer melodic fragments
paralleling and limited to those found in his improvised solos.
For example, in the song "She Don't Move Me No More" (US 7788,
1949-1950) he employs a similar melodic fragment (Figure 62) to one
found in his 12-bar solos during the same tune (Figure 63).

Ibid.
 11.8

9tt»m itfwit

Figure 62. "She Don't Move Me No More" (US 7788) (Guitar

response)

Figure 63. "She Don't Move Me No More"

As we follow the development of King's guitar responses during
the 1950's, we find that they continue to be almost identical to
the motifs observed in his extended solos. In comparing several
motifs (Figure 64) found in his guitar solo in "Three O'clock
Blues" (RPM 339, 1951) with his guitar responses in the same song,
we see an amazing similarity (Figure 65).

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Figure 64. "Three O'clock Blues" (RPM 339)
 119
truth* flryw>/.«r

Figure 65. "Three O'clock Blues" (guitar response)

We can compare measure one in Figure 64 with measure one in Figure
65. Measure three in Figure 64 can be compared to measure two in
Figure 65.
In examining a recording of the same song made almost 25 years
later we see that King draws on a mixture of earlier motifs while
developing newer ones. (Figure 66 a, b, c ) .

b.

qjl'u '"I

Figure 66. "Three O'clock Blues" (MCA2 4160, 1974)

Depending on the makeup of his accompanying group, King may
play his own responses, or he may play them against a riffing
ensemble background. He may also simply choose to have his back-up
soloists play the responses entirely. In several early songs he
chose to play his own responses for a few verses. Then in
succeeding verses his sidemen took over. His 1950 recording,
"Questionaire Blues" (KST 9011, 1951), is a prime example. Many
times King will play responses in a free-for-all context, everyone
competing for the spotlight. This occurs in early songs like "My
Own Fault tiarlin'" ( R E M 355, 1950) and "B. B.'s Blues"
(RPM-323, 1950). He still follows this trend in many of his live
recordings where he is not confined to a strict time factor. Such
albums as Live at the Regal (MCA-27006, 1964), B. B. King: Live
and Well (Bluesway-6031, 1969), and Blues is King (BL-6001, 1966),
are exemplary. A specific example of the bluesman playing
responses against a riffing ensemble background is found in his
recording "I've Got a Right to Love My Baby" (Kent-333, 1960).
This piece is also an excellent illustration of King's usage of
earlier motifs in his guitar responses. (Compare Figure 67 with
Figures 62-65)

Figure 67. "I've Got a Right to Love My Baby"

During the 1960s B. B. King continued to play several
identifiable signature motifs in his guitar responses. This is
clearly demonstrated in his song "Wee Baby Blues" (MCA 2-4124,
1966, Figure 68).

Figure 68. "Wee Baby Blues."

These responses occur consecutively. The first (Figure 68a)
follows the textual line - "It was early one Monday morning, I was
 121

on my way to school." The second response (Figure 68b), a

pull-off, i s employed a t the end of the vocal phrase, "and t h a t was
the Monday morning that I broke my teacher's rule."
In the l a t e 1960s, B. B. King's responses began to take the
shape of several shorter fragments accentuating the tonic note of
the key, sometimes isolated or followed by longer melodic
fragments. This trend can be seen in examining h i s responses from
approximately 1968 up to the present time. In the song "Having My
Say" (MCA 2-4124, 1968) h i s response begins with a statement of the
tonic note "C," which i s an upward bend, followed in the succeeding
measure by a short melodic fragment, both defining the tonal center
(Figure 69a). The next response (Figure 69b) begins with a similar
"C," also bent upward, then followed by a longer melodic fragment.
In another of King's songs from the same time period, "Worried
Dream" (MCA 2-4124), h i s f i r s t response (Figure 70a) i s a concise
motif beginning on the tonic note with E - f l a t , F, and G to follow,
thus alluding to the C-minor tonality. The ensuing response
(Figure 70b) consists of a typical statement of the tonic note "C,"
an upward bend, followed by a longer melodic fragment.
. "*• ' " ' fc.
OVA'

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Figure 69. "Having My Say"

 122

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j.f'-nyfrf gfe
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Figure 70. "Worried Dream"
By the early 1970's, King's responses continued to become shorter
and compressed, mostly beginning on the tonic and only occasionally
followed by longer melodic fragments. In his song "Sweet Sixteen"
(MCA-27074 1971) his f i r s t response begins with a tonic statement on "D"
accented (Figure 71). The r e s t of the response dimishes in sound,
seeming to imply a lesser significance.

Figure 71. "Sweet Sixteen"

From the mid-1970s to the present time we see a trend toward very
short motifs, usually employing the tonic note on a fast " t r i l l "
(vibrato). These are often followed by notes of a shorter rhythmical
value, which usually include the third or the sixth note of the key. In
the song "Don't Answer the Door" (MCA2-4160, 1974) we find two
consecutive responses, each concise and going to the third or the sixth
note of the key (Figure 72a and b).
 123

mm &

Figure 72 "Don't Answer the Door"

One finds a similar usage in "Never Make a Move Too Soon"
(MCA-27011, 1978). The first response consists of a long "trilled" note
followed by the sixth of the key, a shorter note (Figure 73a). The
second response (Figure 73b) is simply a trilled tonic G note.

T
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Figure 73. "Never Make a Move Too Soon"
Most of King's other response motifs since 1978 have been limited to
a range of a fifth. This can be seen in the following examples (Figures
74, 75, 76).

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f 33 ^m a
Figure 74. "When It All Comes Down'
 124

9V
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Figure 75. "The Victim," (MCA 27034, 1981)

. I tf **$} -I »• *• >• II r /• f ^ f e
Figure 76. "More, More, More" (MCA 27034, 1981)
Exceptions to this can be found in motifs originating on the flatted
seventh of the key. In the song "Heed My Warning" (MCA 5413, 1983) we
see the use of the dominant seventh motif (Figure 77a) as well as the
shorter "trilled" tonic motif (Figure 77b).

»* • 7 fa

7 "/Ci/I
Figure 77. "Heed My Warning"
These flatted seventh motifs can be compared to Figures 53-57, which
represent his guitar solo motifs of the same type. Other examples of
King's usage of flatted seventh motifs occur in several of his songs on a
In
more recent album, Six Silver Strings (MCA 5616, 1985)* the- second
response in the song "The Midnight Hour" (Figure 78) he bends up to the
flatted seventh, B-flat, then bends up to the third, "E," finally
sounding the tonic note "C" with a finger vibrato (trill).

T
8* & . > '

Figure 78. "The Midnight Hour"

In the song "My Guitar Sings the Blues" (MCA 5616, 1985) a more
typical flatted seventh motif is executed in the second response (Figure
79). This can be compared to measure two of his 12-bar solo in "Broken
Heart" (MCA 5413, 1983, Figure 80).

T
jj>* b ^ j - ^ h Ml
Figure 79. "My Guitar Sings the Blues"
 126

r ^QujkJ'
Figure 80. "Broken Heart"
Through developing numerous motifs during his career, B. B. King has
been able to become more of a spontaneous improviser, possibly playing
more from his "head" rather than contriving his solos or responses in a
more predictable manner as manifested in his earlier works. It often
takes many years of on-the-job experience to develop the expertise in
conceiving and inventing musical lines spontaneously. King has begun to
approach this ideal in the span of approximately 35 years.
The Relationship of King's Guitar Responses to His Vocal Lines

It has already been pointed out that B. B. King perceives his guitar
lines as a continuation of his vocal phrases. It is apparent, however,
that King's vocal phrases are more closely related to his vocal sources
as represented in the works of Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, Joe Williams,
and Louis Jordan, to name a few. Many of King's vocals have not been
original manifestations, although to be certain he has affixed his own
individual stamp on each song. His first commercial success came with "3
O'clock Blues" (RPM-339, 1951) recorded two years earlier by Lowell
Fulson, its composer. "Every Day I Have the Blues" (RPM 421, 1955) was
recorded earlier by Joe Williams, Lowell Fulson, and Memphis Slim.
"Sweet Sixteen" (Kent 330, 1960) came frcm Joe Turner via Walter Davis,
and "Sweet Little Angel" (Kent 340, 1960), one of King's most
 127

identifiable h i t s , had been previously recorded by Tampa Red and later by

Robert Nighthawk. B. B. King's greatest h i t , "The Thrill is Gone"
(BL-61032, 1970), was recorded earlier by Roy Hawkins.
King's guitar ideas, on the other hand, do not draw so specifically
from a particular recording but more from a s e t "bag" or reservoir of
licks, melodic fragments, or preconceived melodic lines — sort of a
defined repertoire. In other words, King's instrumental improvisations
as well as his guitar responses are somewhat s e t and predictable in an ad
l i b context. Earlier recordings of several vocalists serve as sources
for songs, not for arrangements. His guitar responses thus can be seen
as internal refrains, an instrumental extension of the vocal text drawn
from a previously mentioned readily available collection of musical
material.
B. B. King's Jazz Guitar Style
To be certain, King's overwhelming style characteristics place him
in the blues idiom. However, i t must be pointed out that on rare
occasions his guitar sound and use of certain idiomatic devices may have
momentarily positioned him in the realm of a jazz guitar style. King
performs most of the time in a three-chord 12-bar blues framework. To be
sure he has recorded with a plethora of jazz musicians, whose influence
has had a substantial impact on his musical thinking. Nevertheless, he
has confined his playing to the B. B. King blues style for the most part.
This can be confirmed in listening to such jazz session albums as King
Size (ABC-977, 1977), There Must Be a Better World Somewhere (MCA-5162,
1981), and Blues 'N Jazz (MCA-5413, 1983). Therefore, King's jazz guitar
style has only been evident on a few live performance recordings and a t
 128

his after-hours jam sessions. I t is on these rare occasions that we may

hear a jazzier guitar style emanate from the veteran bluesman. He
obviously feels most a t home performing in his own blues context, even
when other musicians may take l i b e r t i e s . He always puts his audience
f i r s t , desirous to play what they want to hear, not wanting to betray
their image of who B. B. King i s :
—but what makes identity, what makes a person be themself, is
being what they are continually, as far as I am concerned, —
There are certain licks that you are going to h i t because that is
me. I have to do that. That is kind of like trying to talk to you
— you say the cliches or something to try to get my point over. I
think the same way when I am on stage. To me I am carrying on a
rapport with my audience — in other words, I am trying to say
something so to identify to me — I feel like I am on stage with
long rubber arms with a dancing partner which is the audience, and
I like to be able to reach.
I t is easy to see why King is reluctant to change his image and the
blues-infected style he is most noted for.
What then distinguishes King's blues style from his jazz style?
King's jazz style evolved very slowly to be sure. He began by inserting
jazzy nuances and "licks" into his pervasive blues style, therefore, on
occasion offering a unique or peculiar sound.

B. B. King, interview with author.

 129

King began to acquire a few jazz guitar techniques in the early

1960s. This is evident in his recording of "Mr. Pawnbroker" (Crown 5188,
1960).

In this rendition he transcends the blues idiom by incorporating a

pull-off into his more lyrically conceived jazzy sounding solo and at the
same time using fewer bluesy affects. Even his vocal lines hint more
towards a Joe Williams sound rife with jazzy embellishment (Figure 81).

v
lUiji, •|y|lurfHyr> cTs3
* !«T **&. p.o.

hW iTTfiW[fffT?ri[ f^-n
Figure 81. "Mr. Pawnbroker"
While the previous example demonstrates King's growing awareness and
predisposition for utilizing a few jazz guitar sounds, we do not hear a
more fully developed jazzy guitar inclination until his album Live and
Well (Bluesway-6031) produced in 1969. A most exemplary jazz-conceived
solo occurs in King's introduction to "Sweet Little Angel" (Figure 82),
where he displays a phenomenal use of jazz guitar technique and novel
devices in a few of his guitar lines.
 130

Figure 82. "Sweet Little Angel"

He begins his solo with a signature motif in measures one and two,
continuing to play in a typical King blues style up to the third measure.
At this point he slides into several double-stopped notes on beat two.
Sliding into thirds is more common in the jazz guitar idiom, as evidenced
in the solos of Barney Kessel, Kenny Burrell, and a host of other jazz
guitarists. In measure five King sets up a jazzy sound by his employment
of stark chromaticism and by his grace note usage. In measure six he
portrays a jazz-like style in his slide to F sharp on beat three and in
 131

his glissando and pull-off on beat four. However, his inadeptness in

fitting notes to the implied harmonic background stands out a t this same
point as he implies a "D" harmony against the G7 accompaniment. A common
fault of amateur jazz soloists is to improvise ahead of an upcoming
harmonic change. This is the case on beats three and four of measure six
where King creates ambiguity and dissonance erroneously and prematurely.
King gets back on track in measures seven and eight with his tasteful
usage of note sliding and an embellishment. The zenith of his jazz-like
digression occurs in measures nine and ten. He begins measure nine with
a flashy jazz pull-off on beat one. On beats two and three his tasty A7
scale, with i t s chromatic passing tones, compliments the implied harmony
a t that point. On beat four he again prematurely sets up the forthcoming
IV harmony by playing an E minor chord arpeggio. However, these notes
tend to sound consonant because they are really an extension of the
present A7 harmony, thus making the end result an A9 sound. This can be
seen as purely accidental, as King would not have purposely created this
tension. In measure ten he continues his jazz sound by playing a
G-major-seven arpeggio on the f i r s t beat, which is syncopated, then
completes the measure emphasizing the sixth of the G chord - E. In
measure eleven he brings us back home to the blues with his string bends
from a minor to a major third.
This rendition shows us that King has purposely listened to jazz
guitarists and other jazz instrumentalists in a quest to diversify his
style, and while he is capable of showing some expertise in this remote
area, his inexperience as an improvisor is apparent. I t also shows us
that King is reluctant to perform in his jazz style except in a relaxed
context.
As has been the case with many jazz aspirants, B. B. King showed
great curiosity and interest in Charlie Christian's jazz guitar style.
During King's formative years, which encompassed the mid-1940s, the only
jazz guitarists of any notoriety were Charlie Christian, Django
Reinhardt, and to a lesser degree, Bill Jennings. These as well as later
guitarists motivated King to practice major and minor scales and some
arpeggios a t various times in his development. However, one of King's'
greatest attractions was for the diminshed harmonies of Charlie
Christian. This attraction is borne out in King's own statement:
—Charlie Christian was really known for what we call diminished
chords, and, man, he could break them up so pretty.
As has been previously demonstrated, most of King's studio
recordings are devoid of the jazz guitar style alluded to in his live
recordings or performances. In these few rare instances, King's
knowledge and use of altered scales is apparent. This occurred
specifically in his instrumental ballad "My Mood" (Bluesway 6031, 1969)
from the album Live and Well (Figure 83). King demonstrated a style
influence from both Charlie Christian, with his use of diminished runs,
and Django Reinhardt with his use of embellishments and phrasing.

Ibid.
 133

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Figure 83. "My Mood"
This ballad is in a 32-bar A-A-B-A form with cycle-of-fourth harmonies
resembling Claude Gray's early tune "Night Life" (Decca, 1968, Figure
84). King has followed this chord formula in many of his ballad songs
throughout his career.
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Figure 84. "Night Life" (harmonic rhythm)
A sampling of this genre of ballads can be found in the following B. B.
King repertory: " I ' l l Survive" (CST-195, 1958), "I'm King" (CST-195,
1958), "How Long How Long Blues" (MCA-2-4124, 1981), "There Must Be a
Better World Somewhere," (MCA-5162, 1981). I t is interesting that in
these examples King never plays the guitar but functions solely as a
vocalist. The probable reason for this i s that the harmonic scheme does
not lend itself to a downhome bluesy style but rather more to a jazzy
popular vocal style. Since a l l of these are studio recordings, King
chooses to focus on his lyrical vocal style rather than to risk making
mistakes in his attempt to improvise over the more diverse harmonies.
"My Mood," on the other hand, is the perfect vehicle for B. B. King to
demonstrate his limited prowess in the jazz style he is moderately
familiar with. He is also situated in a more relaxed atmosphere — the
club or concert setting.
Up to the present time jazz musicians have enjoyed improvising to
tunes which either change chords in every measure or every other measure,
giving them the opportunity to play a diversity of scales, arpeggios and
idiomatic motifs. This type of improvising occurred in small group
settings beginning with bebop in the 1940'and continuing in the "Cool"
 135

era of the mid to late 1950's. The tunes played would be standards drawn
from the 1930's and 1940's such as "I Got Rhythm," "Sweet Georgia
Brown," and "Stardust." In the 1950's and 1960's jazz musicians liked to
improvise to tunes like "Misty," "Satin Doll," "Early Autumn" and "Girl
from Ipanema." All of these tunes have a harmonic scheme focusing on a
cycle of fourth chord progressions. This same kind of progression is
found in measures 4-8 in the "A" sections of "Night Life." Here each
successive chord moves up by a fourth -B7-E7-A7-D.
The transcription of "My Mood" (Figure 83) demonstrates King's
inventiveness and use of jazzy nuances, such as note sliding, pull-offs,
embellishments, and glissandos. In several cases he uses altered chord
scales, never distinguishable in any of his studio recordings.
B. B. King begins his second eight-bar solo chorus (the A section
repeated) with several slides which serve to get to a higher position
while exhibiting both a jazzy and bluesy affect. In measure 2 he employs
double stopped thirds, which he slides into twice. On the upbears of
"three" and "four" he plays the melody slightly altered by whole step
note bends which are uncharacteristic of his straight blues solos. He
also hints a t the melody on the f i r s t two beats of bar 3. However, on
the third and fourth beat King surprises us with a premature G sharp
diminished seventh run, as the organist does not sound the harmony until
the beginning of the following measure. As we have seen before, this is
not out of line with King's thinking or background. Fortunately, his
diminished seventh run does not sound too bad with the exception of the
G-sharp which is dissonant with the accompanying G-natural. Finally
arriving a t measure 4 he plays a series of G-sharp diminished seventh
chord pull-offs which are very jazz-like, fully complimenting the
underlying harmony at that point. Then, at measure 5, King returns to a
bluesy feel with half-step note bends to several F-sharps and an
A-natural. He brings us back to a jazzy style in measure 6 with a
glissando from "E" down to "A," a technique he reserves mostly for his
jazz style. On beat "three" of the same measure we are once more
surprised at his rare end employment of an augmented run against a
dominant harmony. On beat "four" he returns again to a more bluesy
affect by bending up and back on the eighth notes which move toward the
tonic harmony in measure 7. In bar 8 he adequately sets up the
sub-dominant harmony of the forthcoming "B" section by playing a tonic-7
(D7) scale lick which includes several chromatic triplet figures on the
upbeat of "two" and on the down-beat of "three."
In the ensuing "B" section (refrain) he returns to his typical blues
style with a riffing horn section in the background. In this section he
does nothing extraordinary. However, in the final "A" section he again
reminds us of Charlie Christian with his descending G-sharp diminished
seventh melodic structure, the first three notes bent upward (Figure 85)
in measure 4.

Figure 85. "My Mood" (measure 4 closing "A" section)

 137

Finally, we can conjecture that B. B. King sees himself primarily as

a blues guitarist with a diversity of musical interests, and an
occasional inclination to got away from a strict three-chord blues
framework. He accomplishes this by showing off his somewhat limited jazz
technique in situations where he feels most relaxed — the live
performing context. We must keep in mind that his 300-plus
nights-per-year performing schedule allows him at least some flexibility
to perform in other style mediums.
As evidenced, B. B. King is not an expert jazz soloist, but he does
exhibit enough knowledge and technique to impress the average blues
enthusiast and is perhaps poor enough to sow the seeds of doubt in the
minds of a few schooled jazz musicians or jazz critics.
In summary, B. B. King has gradually incorporated a variety of
technical devices — some original — into his playing style. These
advances in technique have served to distinguish him as a unique soloist
capable of improvising in an electric blues guitar style and occasionally
in a more jazzy mode of expression. Thus, over the period of his entire
career he has become a consummate soloist drawing upon a reservoir of
predetermined motifs and melodic fragments, enabling him to appear as a
spontaneous and creative musician.
 Table 2

Chronology of B. B. King's

Developing Guitar Style

1935 1943 1945 1946 1949 1950 1951 1955 1956 1958 1960 1964 1968 1969 1977 1985

Receives instruction on guitar from Archie Pair.

Plays and sings on Indianola street corners (frailing style).
Absorbs note bending & embellishment techniques from recordings of C. Christian & D. Reinhardt.
Scrutinizes T-Bone Walker's guitar style.
Copies Walker's melodic motifs.
Lives with cousin Bukka White who tutors him on guitar.
Begins recording career.
Begins note sliding technique.
Introduces repeated notes on adjacent strings.
Records "Three O'clock Blues," his first hit.
Two-note repetitions employed (First note bent up, second note repeated
on higher adjacent string).
Range confined to close positions.
Pull-off technique first employed.
Tremolo technique first discernable.
Jazz guitar style begins to emerge*
Range expanded to higher playing positions.
Introduces triplet motif in introductions.
First employment of descending Don 7 motifs.
Tremolo technique fully developed.
Begins to employ shorter response
motifs following vocal lines.
Mature jazz guitar style.
Oiminshed 7th runs first discernable
in recordings.
Octave technique
First employed.
Use of novel
chord progressions
(montunos).
 CHAPTER VT

CONCLUSIONS
It has been the purpose of this dissertation to present a detailed
study of the development of B. B. King's guitar style and to determine
the nature and sources from whence his guitar technique evolved. In a
lengthy interview with King it has become apparent that his guitar
playing has evolved from a myriad of sources, both direct and indirect,
and that these sources, have had a substantial impact upon his style
development.

It has also been made clear that most previous studies of blues have
concentrated on biographical and descriptive facts with little attempt to
deal with the music itself, other than tablature instruction books. B.
B. King has been no exception, although there was an endeavor to analyze
one of his guitar solos in an extensive biography.

In the present study a detailed analysis of the artist's guitar

style has been made through a sampling of transcribed guitar solos which
have been determined to best exemplify his style development over the
period of his entire career. It has been demonstrated that the
development of B. B. King's guitar technique has been gradual yet
continuous and deliberate through his unabating desire for
self-improvement and through his continued listening to other musicians
and guitarists, both in live contexts as well as in recordings.

139
 140

In King's earliest recordings it can be seen that he primarily

functioned as a vocalist, exhibiting little guitar technique. However,
in subsequent recordings we readily notice considerable improvement and a
leaning toward a guitar style similar to that of his idol "T-Bone"
Walker. Technical devices borrowed from the latter include repetition of
pitches on adjacent strings (enacted by either sliding or note bending)
and paraphasing almost note-for-note a specific riff or motif which King
has used in his improvisations throughout his career.
It has also been pointed out that, as the artist has advanced
technically, he has manifested increased "dexterity and facility by
expanding his soloing range to include the entire guitar fingerboard,
whereas his earlier technique saw the artist confined to one or two
adjoining soloing positions.

This study has also shown that the artist has progressively adopted
other techniques, some unique, to incorporate into his own blues style.
These have included a use of embellishments derived from both earlier
blues guitarists, such as Lonnie Johnson, and from jazz guitarists like
Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Bill Jennings. King has become
a unique stylist in the use of his finger tremolo, initially conceived by
the careful scrutiny of Bukka White's bottleneck style. King's guitar
style is also unique in that he has borrowed nuances from several
contemporary jazz guitarists, which include Barney Kessel, Wes
Montgomery, and George Benson. A few technical devices, such as
pull-offs and improvising with octave doubling, place King in the realm
of a blues-jazz performer. It has been established, however, that his
occasional jazzy guitar style is more apparent in his live concert
performances than in his studio recordings.
 141

This study has also shown that B. B. King employs three

distinguishable motifs in most of his improvisations that seem to
comprise a sort of musical grammar unique to his guitar style. The first
was a direct imitation of his guitar idol "T-Bone" Walker. His other two
pervasive motifs, one a three note ascending triplet figure employed
primarily in his introductions, and the other a descending dominant
seventh motif, are, however, of his own invention. King employs these
same basic motifs in his guitar responses to his vocal lines, though over
the course of his style development he has invented a few shorter
tonicized motifs.
It has been pointed out that King's vocal phrases more closely
resemble his vocal sources and that he has reworked a few songs from the
latter, making up his own arrangements. We have seen, on the other hand,
that the artist draws his guitar ideas primarily from a resevoir of
preconceived melodic motifs or fragments in which, through his expertise
as a fully matured guitarist, he is frequently able to elicit a "head" or
spontaneous improvising style.

It is hoped that this study will serve as a catalyst for future

research on other individual blues artists' guitar styles, an area which
has been neglected in the past. This study represents only a beginning
for research of individual blues guitarists as well as country, jazz, and
even rock guitarists. Certainly in the case of B. B. King a future
researcher may be inspired to do a comparative study of his vocal
technique or an in-depth statistical analysis of a predetermined sample
of characteristic guitar style traits, showing their incidence of
occurrence during several phases of his career.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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 143

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APPENDICES

146
 APPENDIX A

TRANSCRIPTIONS OF B. B. KING'S GUITAR SOLOS

147
 PLEASE NOTE:
Copyrighted materials in this document
have not been filmed at the request of
the author. They are available for
consultation, however, in the author's
university library.
These consist of pages:
P. 148-167
P. 169-173

University.
Microfilms
International
300 N. ZEEB RD.. ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 (313) 761-4700
 APPENDIX B

TRANSCRIPTIONS OF GUITAR SOLOS BY

"T-BONE" WALKER, CALVIN NEWBORN,

LONNIE JOHNSON, BILL JENNINGS,

AND DJANGO REINHARDT.

168