For those who have never heard of Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, he was the primary song writer and arranger for the famous 1960s blues boogie band Canned Heat. Canned Heat played one of the biggest roles in the blues revival of the 1960s and early 1970s. B.B. King once said that there wouldn’t be blues music today if it wasn’t for bands like Canned Heat. I believe that statement is very true. Even blues music in the 60s, at its peak in popularity, appealed mostly to a certain crowed. Because of this, there were few bands that were solely dedicated to the blues. However, Canned Heat created an authentic blend of pre-war blues and modern rock that seemed to catch on with main stream audiences yet appeal to, and inspire the purist of blues fans. Alan Wilson is the only musician in history that could accurately interpret the stylings the early bluesmen yet electrify it and blend it with the sound of a full band in a way that didn’t corrupt the purity of the music. The full Canned Heat group deserves a lot of credit for this, but Alan was the brain child behind the innovation. Alan Wilson is the utmost pure, creative and real musician I have ever heard in my entire life. Although he had various musical interests, there was a certain quality about the country blues of the 1920s and 30s that grabbed him. Alan began collecting blues albums at a young age and while most record buyers would just listen to the music, Alan would dissect and learn each part while attempting to understand the meanings both lyrically and musically behind what was being presented. Wilson was not just another musician, he became almost spiritually attached to the songs he played. His understanding of blues music would gain him the respect of the elitist of bluesmen. One of these great bluesmen was none other than the legendary Son House. In 1965 Son House was getting ready to make his way back into the blues scene with a new album, but he was not fully ready for this endeavor. As a result of alcoholism and a 28 year musical absence his memory suffered greatly as he could not even remember his own guitar style. Alan Wilson was so knowledgeable with the musical style of Son House that producer John Hammond Sr. asked Alan to teach Son House “how to play like Son House.” Wilson agreed, so at the age of only 22 Alan joined the grandfather of the delta blues in the studio for these historic sessions. Wilson also accompanied him on the record with harmonica and a second guitar for the various songs that they felt needed the accompaniment. These legendary recordings were documented on the “Father of the Delta Blues: The Complete 1965 Sessions.” Alan also performed live with Son House on occasion. They can be heard performing together for a few tracks on the album titled, “John the Revelator: The 1970 London Sessions” Another great bluesman that Alan had the opportunity of recording with was the boogie man himself, John Lee Hooker. The recordings with John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat document what is perhaps Alan’s best musical work ever. The sessions were released in 1971 titled “Hooker and Heat” as a 2 record set. The album features songs with just Hooker, Hooker and Alan together and Hooker with the full Canned Heat group. The album is a truly amazing work of musical art. It is a form of power and purity that cannot be heard on any other progressive blues album. John was more than just impressed with Alan’s playing, in fact, he called Alan the best harmonica player ever. Hooker would also go on to say later in his life that nobody played his music better than Canned Heat. Sadly, on September 3, 1970, at the height of Canned Heat’s fame, Wilson passed away from an apparent overdose of powerful sleeping pills on a hill behind the house of his band mate Bob Hite. The spot where Alan was found is where he often slept as he loved to be part of nature. Although the cause of death was officially ruled an accident, Alan’s close friends believe it was a suicide because Alan had attempted to kill himself before. No one knows for sure why Alan died, but there is no question that he was looking for a less polluted, more peaceful world where he could put his troubled mind at ease. - Kyle Fosburgh (blindowlbio.com)

Alan Wilson is also a member of the 27 Club.

One Kind Favor is his best album in ages, and, ironically, it's the one that seems the least interested in being a comeback. The blues legend has toiled for a decade or more with any number of producers and collaborators, turning out forgettable duets albums and studio projects polished with a smart but dull sheen, going through all the motions of a veteran itching for a comeback but never really sounding like he was hungry for it. Only adding to the irony is that he's finally achieved a comeback worthy of his name with an album that deliberately harkens back to his earliest albums, one that recreates the sound of 1940s and 50s swing-blues with uncanny accuracy but has all the grit and fervor of a master musician entering the studio with a crack band and knocking off a quick, unfussy, and absolutely killer set of songs.

Of course it isn't too surprising that King's guide here is T-Bone Burnett, the man who's recently masterminded twilit, latter-day milestones from Robert Plant and John Mellencamp. Burnett has produced other fine albums, too, but never anything as good as this; like Bob Dylan's Love & Theft and Modern Times, One Kind Favor sublimely recalls an era long gone and a kind of music mostly forgotten, but it's neither as devlishly funny and unhinged as the former, nor as meditative and mystical as the latter. Instead, it's just a killer blues album, a monstrously tough, lean record that's straightforward and uncomplicated in its vision, but still cuts to the bone. It swings, it stings, it shoots from the hip and hits right in the gut-- a towering achievement from a true master, one who's able to live with one foot in the past but create music that's totally of the present.

Those looking for King's meditations on mortality or anything as self-conscious as a "legacy" album might initially be disappointed; this isn't anything as calculated as all that, simply a hard-hitting blues album. But that's what makes it such a thrill, and indeed, that's what makes King such an astounding talent. One senses that he made this album not because he wanted to make some sort of a statement, but simply because there was work to be done, and he's still the best man for the job.

And so he and Burnett have unearthed some of their favorite blues gems from yesteryear and given them the treatment they deserve-- rich, spontaneous, lively performances by King and a backing band that knows whose show it is and acts accordingly, offering supple but never flashy accompaniment. Dr. John plays piano, Jim Keltner (and on some tracks, Jay Bellerose) plays drums, and Nathan East plays bass, and a full brass section provides these rollicking, roiling performances with a rich, seductive, and suitably playful backdrop. The songs are straight-to-the-bone blues numbers, and King lets loose with equal parts youthful ferocity and aged wisdom and restraint, showcasing the full breadth of his powers by singing with robust vigor and playing the hell out of his guitar.

It's a stomping, stellar blues album that rocks hard, plays it loose, and makes it all sound like the easiest thing in the world. Which is, of course, how the blues are supposed to sound-- natural, effortless, unadorned. And that alone would make it a fine addition to King's catalog, but the fact that it's got more energy and fire than anything he's done in years makes it a landmark, and, in its own way, the ideal career capstone from a true bluesman. One hopes it's just the beginning of his latter-day renaissance.

Let’s get this out of the way first: Riley B. King is a god among men.

Age has a way of robbing some of the best singers of their most personal instrument. But B.B. King’s 82-year-old voice sounds the best to date on this year’s One Kind Favor. With a catalog as large as King’s, that’s a bold statement, but the 12-track disc is definitely a treat for R&B/soul blues fans.

Probably the most well known pioneer of Memphis, piano and delta blues, King struck a chord outside the realm of blues with his cover of “The Thrill is Gone” in 1969. The primary elements that made the song famous – singing guitar lines, a strong rhythm section and a voice thicker and sweeter than honey – haven’t changed in the past four decades. One Kind Favor sounds big and authentic enough that one would swear it was released in 1952, with just a touch of added studio polish.

As is the standard for most blues albums, King covers standards from his heroes T-Bone Walker and Blind Lemon Jefferson , opening with “See That My Grave is Kept Clean,” a slower bop/swing piece that showcases King’s commanding yet sultry voice and complimentary guitar. It’s almost chilling to hear the old man sing about preparing for death, but it lends a certain morbid authenticity to the tune. Did I mention that King has the best voice this side of the Mississippi (or anywhere else for that matter)?

The remaining 11 songs are a return to King’s big band blues roots, giving One Kind Favor that vintage but timeless flavor. Parts smoky ballad (T-Bone Walker’s “Waiting For Your Call,” “Tomorrow Night”) and straight-ahead blues (“The World Gone Wrong,” “Backwater Blues”), it’s a refreshing listen in a sea of overprocessed and trite pop albums.

If you’re new to the blues, you might find that some tracks sound similar to each other, so this isn’t an album to spin all at once. Instead, sample a few tunes at a time to get the feeling behind the music for best results.

One Kind Favor proves that King is still the king — it’s the best from King in the past decade, if not his career. Don’t hesitate to pick it up as a longtime blues fan or a newcomer to the genre.

Plotseling is er van de week een nieuwe cd van B.B.king binnen gekomen. En nu moet ik eerlijk zeggen dat ik het wel een beetje gehad heb met die blues artiesten die elke keer maar weer de hele rattaplan van gelikte populaire artiesten als Eric Clapton en Mark Knopfler erbij moeten halen. En daar had naast John Lee Hooker en Tony Joe White, B.B.King ook wel ee beetje last van. Maar deze cd van B.B.king is wel even andere koek. Dit is zonder twijfel zijn beste cd in jaren. Geen claptons of knopflers, nee gewoon eerlijke blues. Oude blues gezongen door een ouwe blues veteraan. geweldig lekker en geen gladde overgeproduceerde productie. En dan doet er toch stiekem nog een andere bekende mee. Op piano hoor ik Dr.John uit New Orleans. Laat dat nou net wel erg lekker werken. Zeer fijne blues plaat en een aanrader voor alle blues fans.

de Website van B.B. King

Nou, oke dan, omdat ik zo enthousiast ben, als je voor 10 september via de website reageert, krijg je een cadeaubon van €5.00 van ons voor je volgende aankoop.

Release Date:

Album: One Kind Favor

Rating: ★★★★★

Review: Its so unbelievably good it hurts! Every song, completely straight through its absolutely and completely brilliant. The now 82 year-old King of the Blues is as good as he gets. There's not much else to say, a living legend released his 24th or so studio album and its great.

http://www.orangekarmarecords.com

Jimmy Reed rates as one of the most popular and significant bluesmen of the postwar era. No one, save for B.B. King, so effectively reached both black and white audiences in the Fifties and Sixties. His most popular songs are indelible in their simplicity and accessibility. They include such classics of the genre as “Big Boss Man,” “Bright Lights, Big City,” “Baby What You Want Me to Do” and “Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby.” But that just scratches the surface of a very prolific artist who recorded extensively throughout his lifetime.  Like many blues artists of that era, Reed was born and raised in Mississippi and migrated north in his twenties. Unlike a lot of his Chicago contemporaries, however, Reed performed in a more relaxed, measured style typified by foot-tapping rhythms and a casual vocal delivery. He played guitar and harmonica, strumming time with the former and adding riffs and solos on the latter. His longtime accompanist, Eddie Taylor, contributed to the melodic warmth and laid-back charm of Reed’s music.  He was born Mathis James Reed on September 6, 1925. Reed was one of ten children in a sharecropping family that lived in and around Leland, Mississippi. He moved to Gary, Indiana, in 1948, and two years later, at age 25, quit his job in a steel foundry to become a full-time musician. He signed with a new label, Vee-Jay Records, in 1953, and cracked the R&B charts in 1955 with “You Don’t Have to Go.” Many more followed, as Reed scored a remarkable 18 Top Twenty R&B hits on Vee-Jay between 1955 and 1961. The highest-charting of these was his classic “Bright Lights, Big City,” which rose to #3 in September 1961. At the same time, he entered the pop charts on a dozen occasions, his most notable success being “Baby What You Want Me to Do.”   Reed’s crossover appeal peaked during the revival of interest in the blues during the early Sixties, a period that found him playing such hallowed venues as Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater. He also toured England, where he was revered by musicians such as the Rolling Stones, who covered “Honest I Do,” and Van Morrison, who recorded “Bright Lights, Big City” while with the group Them. Back in America, Reed’s influence extended to such groups as the Grateful Dead, who performed his songs in their jugband days and recorded “Big Boss Man” on a 1971 live album. Reed continued recording and performing into the Seventies, but his career was hampered by health and drinking problems. In 1976, Reed died after suffering an epileptic seizure at age 51. (from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Hilly Kristal was an American club owner and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club, CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute.  The club featured many famous musicians over the years and remained very popular until its closing. For a short while after the closing, Kristal considered moving the club to Las Vegas.   Kristal was born in New York, New York in 1931, but his family moved to Hightstown, New Jersey when he was an infant.  He studied music from a young age and eventually attended the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. Kristal also spent a period of time in the Marines.  He moved back to New York City, where he worked as a singer, appearing on stage in the men's choral group at Radio City Music Hall. He later became the manager of the Village Vanguard, a jazz club in Greenwich Village, where he booked Miles Davis and other musicians.  He married in 1951 and had two children: Lisa Kristal Burgman and Mark Dana Kristal.   In 1968 he co-founded the Schaefer Music Festival with concert promoter Ron Delsener; the festival took place every year until 1976 in NYC's Central Park and featured superstars from all music genres like The Who, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Bob Marley, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, Ray Charles, Patti LaBelle, Ike & Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, Curtis Mayfield, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith and The Doors, amongst many other bands.  In 1970 Kristal opened a bar in the Bowery section of New York called "Hilly's on the Bowery", which closed within a couple of years. Then, in December 1973, he created "CBGB and OMFUG", an abbreviation of the kinds of music he intended to feature there: "Country, BlueGrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers".  The club became known as the starting point for the careers of such punk rock and New Wave acts as The Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Television, and Blondie.  Kristal died on August 28, 2007 from complications of lung cancer, aged 75. - From wikipedia

Hands down the best blues album of the year, and one of the year's best in any genre, One Kind Favor is a triumphant return to form for one of American music's classic artists.  At age 82, B.B. King returns to his blues roots and offers 12 covers of songs that influenced him in his early years.  Produced by T-Bone Burnett (John Mellencamp, Robert Plant/Alison Krauss), the album is certainly a highlight for the venerable King.  They tried to make it sound like an album recorded in the 1950s and the band - including Jim Keltner on drums, Dr. John on piano and Nathan East on standup bass - provides solid backup while not stealing the spotlight from B.B. and, of course, Lucille.  It's tough to pick out highlights on an album this strong, but "Blues Before Sunrise" (from John Lee Hooker) has a nice groove and "How Many More Years" (Howlin' Wolf) is a rousing stomper, while "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" (Blind Lemon Jefferson) bobs along with a jaunty second-line beat.   King's not afraid to slow it down with "Get These Blues Off Me" or "My Love Is Down."  Like Buddy Guy's current Skin Deep, B.B. King has produced an unexpectedly strong album in his twilight years.  One Kind Favor is an essential addition to any serious collection of American music.  Highly recommended.

MP3: "Blues Before Sunrise"

MP3: "Get These Blues Off Me"

B. B. King official website

Order your copy: CLICK HERE

Recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, CA One Kind Favor is meant to sound like an album recorded in the 50s. To get this sound Burnett and King replicated the kind of blues band King had back in the day bringing in some of the greats – Dr. John on piano, Nathan East on stand up acoustic bass and Jim Keltner on drums, to name a few. Studio conditions of the time were reproduced. The result is a vintage sounding album filled with the songs that influenced King in his early days as an artist.

The full track listing for One Kind Favor, along with the name of the artist who originally recorded the track, is:” See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” (Lemon Jefferson), “I Get So Weary” (T-Bone Walker), “Get These Blues Off Me” (Lee Vida Walker), “How Many More Years” (Chester Burnett), “Waiting For Your Call” (Oscar Lollie), “My Love Is Down” (Lonnie Johnson), “The World Is Gone Wrong” ( Walter Vinson, also known as Walter Jacobs, and Lonnie Chatmon, core members of the Mississippi Sheiks), “Blues Before Sunrise” (John Lee Hooker), “Midnight Blues” (John Willie “Shifty” Henry), “Backwater Blues” (Big Bill Broonzy), “Sitting On Top Of The World” (Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon) and “Tomorrow Night” (Lonnie Johnson).

In other B.B. news, on September 13th King– one of the few musicians in the world to be so honored – will preside at the opening of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in his hometown of Indianola, MS. Also in September B.B. King will begin hosting his own weekly radio show on XM Radio on their newly relaunched blues channel “BB Kings Bluesville” (XM 74).

For more than 60 years, Riley B. King - better known as B.B. King - has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over 50 albums, many of them classics, won 14 Grammy® Awards, been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of the Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award and the NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) Chairman’s Award, among many other awards. In a special ceremony at the Library of Congress, Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington presented B.B. with a “Living Legend” medal in honor of his achievements as a musician and ambassador for the blues. After 10,000 concerts, B.B. King continues to bring his music to audiences around the globe spending the better part of each year on the road with his beloved guitar, “Lucille.”

B.B. King Tour Dates

9/06/08 Harrah's Laughlin Rio Vista Ampitheatre Laughlin, NV

9/07/08 Celebrity Theater Phoenix, AZ

9/18/08 CenturyTel Center Bossier City, LA

9/19/08 Beau Rivage Resort & Casino Biloxi, MS

9/20/08 Pearl River Resort Choctaw, MS,

9/21/08 Von Braun Center Huntsville, AL

9/25/08 The Klein Memorial Auditorium Bridgeport, CT

9/26/08 The Bushnell Ctr. for Perf. Arts Hartford, CT

9/27/08 Sovereign Center Reading, PA

9/28/08 Paramount Center For The Arts Peekskill, NY

9/30/08 MGM Grand Detroit Casino Detroit, MI

10/02/08 Stranahan Theater Toledo, OH

10/03/08 Rialto Square Theatre Joliet, IL

10/04/08 SIU Arena Carbondale, IL

10/05/08 Welk Resort Theatre Branson, MO

10/07/08 Century II Perf. Arts & Convention Ctr. Wichita, KS,

10/17/08 Route 66 Casino Albuquerque, NM

10/23/08 Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Mescalero, NM

10/25/08 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO

10/29/08 Iowa State Center Ames, IA,

10/31/08 The Riverside Theatre Milwaukee, WI

11/14/08 Riverwind Casino Norman, OK

11/16/08 Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas, TX

11/18/08 American Bank Center Corpus Christi, TX

11/24/08 The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA

11/26/08 Birchmere Alexandria, VA

11/28/08 North Shore Music Theatre Beverly, MA,

11/29/08 House of Blues - Atlantic City Atlantic City, NJ

11/30/08 Durham Performing Arts Center Durham, NC

12/01/08 Maryland Theatre Hagerstown, MD

Blues Traveler - North Hollywood Shootout
Cordero - De Donde Eres
DecembeRadio - Satisfied
Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine
The Derailers - Guaranteed to Satisfy
The Gabe Dixon Band - The Gabe Dixon Band
DragonForce - Ultra Beatdown
George Duke - Dukey Treats
Earshot - The Silver Lining
The Game - LAX
JJ Grey & Mofro - Orange Blossoms
B.B. King - One Kind Favor
Solange Knowles - Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams
Little Feat - Join the Band
The Lost Trailers - Holler Back
Patti LuPone - Gypsy - 2008 Original Broadway Cast
Raine Maida - Hunter's Lullaby
Maiysha - This Much is True
Motörhead - Motörizer
The Silent Years - The Globe
Slipknot - All Hope is Gone
Strive - Fire
Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies
Thriving Ivory - Thriving Ivory
Topaz & Mudphonic - Music for Dorothy
Tuck & Patti - I Remember You
The Verve - Forth
Jimmy Wayne - Do You Believe Me Now

Artist: B.B. King
Album: La Boîte Noire - 25 Ans Avant Nova [1956-1980] [25CD]

Tracklist :

• blind love

DVD
Poison – Live
Fantomas/Melvins – Live in London

and remember, whenever possible buy your music directly from the artist(s) or your local independent record store. both could become endangered without your support.

The two guys I met.  One worked at bloom.  The other got his girl to smoke.

Smoked b4 first song.  Hahahaaha 

My SetList:

Bigger than my body.(you know how there are some really great intros?  This was one of them.)  

Belief.(awsome soloing)(with jimi Hendrix if 6 was 9)"my writer...basic rock101 nail drying".  

I don't trust myself.(good second solo)(he definately loves playing music)

Crossroads.(nasty speed, rythem in solo)

Free Falling.(has the same intro as "In my atmosphere")

Good love is on the way.(damn right sir)(that was a great solo)

Mercy. pt2 (stevie ray v, jimi, and bb king all in one)(nasty solo)

Vultures.  

Stitched up...(on the dloaded track)

No such thing. ("remember that guy?"). Goes into why georgia.  

Waiting on the world to change.

 

You must watch this one below!

Gravity.(mental note: he did it on the last song...that mother fucker...if he went into soulshine...that would be ridiculous.  That was a long ass song and he melted it.). (he played slide guitar with some girls camera.).

Encore:
Who did you thing I was?  (Only guitar, very brave yet fucking great)(oh my god he just did a tribute song list for the trio.)

van Morrison, these are the days.  

Say

There are more on youtube, these just basically give you a basic idea of what it was like...aka awsome

The Real Setlist

Now For some random high ideas...lol

About good music...mike smith...

The ultimate concert: John Mayer and dave Matthews?

"Life equals music" -dave chappelle

"This world, I should be writing everyday...this type of crowd let's me play so many types of music.  "I just hope it's worth the price of admission." (oh it was...)

Sam brown any of those guys...this is there's, I just haven't been sued.  I just wrote it. 

"life is long...wait you got a long time.  But life is only short when you turn around.  And if you live every day like its short your an asshole..."
That one talk he was talking to the whole world and the other one he was talking about his girl.

Paul Simon????

Say what you need to say...so fucking true, great song.

p.s. I want to say thank you to apple for making this happen.  I love my iPod Touch

Yeah, it feels good.

And while you are attending the opening you must have lunch at the Crown Restaurant. My husband and I went there last week. The food was delicious and the service was excellent.

Local artists' works grace the walls. These particular paintings were done by the artist Jena King from nearby Inverness. By the way, they are for sale.