The Thrill is Gone

I am away from my guitars this week...visiting the folks in the Midwest.  So, I won't be posting any videos for a bit.  But, I'm in the midst of working on BB King's "The Thrill is Gone." 

The song was composed in 1951 by Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell and recorded by Hawkins in the same year.  It ultimately reached #6 on the Billboard R&B charts that same year.

BB King recorded the song in June,1969 for his album Completely Well.  Released as a single in December of 1969, the song went on to become the biggest hit of King's career when, in 1970, it reached #3 on the Billboard R&B charts and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop charts.  It also earned him a Grammy Award for Vocal Performance in 1970.

I will be working with a version of the song that appeared on the live album The Thrill is Gone: an Evening with BB King.  The exact version I'm working on is available on Amazon.  But here's version that's a little different for anyone not immediately familiar with the tune. 
 



I'm really focusing on those bends and that vibrato.  Both are areas of my playing that I want to improve.  Strong bends and signature vibrato are key to expressing the unique soul of a player.  They are fundamental to making the guitar cry...and BB does both with a signature fluidity.  My goal is to add a bit of that fluidity to my own playing.

Hopefully, I'll have a video up by mid-April, when I get back to the west coast.