ARTS t The Michigan Daily Wednesday, April 8, 1987 Page 7 B.B.: King of the blues still reigning By Alan Paul B.B. King has dominated the modern blues scene and is quite possibly the most influential musician still on the road. His stinging, lyrical guitar style can be heard in the playing of virtually every blues and rock guitarist. He plays cleanly and with great economy and restraint, never wasting or misplacing a note. But King's influence and importance reach well beyond his guitar playing. He is a moving vocalist, a great bandleader, and a consummate professional. Born on a Mississippi plantation in1925, King moved to Memphis to perform in 1949. After a stint as a popular disc jockey when Riley "Blues Boy" King became known as B.B., King scored a success with one of his first recordings. In 1951, "Three O'Clock Blues" became a number one R&B hit. Thus began a 15 year stint playing the "chitlin circuit" of black clubs some 300 nights a year. Continuous mention by rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton brought King to the white rock audience. In 1966, he performed at San Francisco's Fillmore West, his first appearance in a predominantly white venue. Since that time, King has continued to tour and record prolifically. As a new generation of blues guitarists such as Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughn gain promin - ence and the music continues to regain popularity, the importance of B.B. King can not be forgotten. He almost singlehandedly did not let the blues die, staying on the road through the many lean years for the music. The Daily spoke with King, who appears Friday night at the Michigan Theatre for two shows, recently from his Indiana hotel room. Daily: How much are you on the road now? King: I usually average 300 nights a year but I'm cutting back this year so I'll be doing 250 to 275 nights. D: Why still so much? K : Well, I've got a group I enjoy playing with and I've got to keep their checks coming, keep them happy so I can keep them together. Secondly, blues music is not played that much. It doesn't get much exposure and when I visit a city it seems to stimulate interest in the music. Thirdly, I've got to pay my bills and finally I've been doing it for 38 years. It's a way of life now. D: Don't you ever get tired of K: No it hasn't always been an asset. At times, there's been no place for me. The blues purists were unhappy because I wasn't pure enough. They said 'that's not blues' and the "contemporary people" said I wasn't doing enough, I was still too old fashioned. It hurt a lot of the time but I've always played what I feel. I can't worry about the other stuff. I feel that all the years weren't wasted. People were listening. People did hear. B.B. King it? K: Of course I do sometimes but it's my job. And it's like any other person with a job; when you're tired, you go home, get some sleep, and then go back to the job. It's what I do. D: Was it a great thrill to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? K: Oh my yes. It's something I never even dreamed of. D: What do you think is rock and roll's relationship to your music? K: I think rock and roll has it's roots, both directly and indirectly in the music we play. A lot of what's really rock and roll came from Britain. It's strange. Those guys listened to and sort of reimported the stuff. That's when people started to notice us. Of course, we had guys like Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Elvis over here. D: How would you answer the criticism of the blues purists who say you haven't kept playing straight blues? K: I would agree with them. D: But that's an asset too. D: Then it must be all the more satisfying to get the recognition of the Hall Of Fame, to be widely recognized. K: It makes me very happy now but was very frustrating for a long time. D: I find it amazing that so many blues guys, like Buddy Guy and Otis Rush, have never really gotten much recognition but they're still out there playing. K: Well, we don't play just to be recognized. I'd still do it if no one knew my name...I did do it for years. I get a lot of fulfillment from my music. D: Was it a big moment in your career when you played the Fillmore West in 1966? K: That wasthe turning point of my career. Prior to that, I think I played two weeks with the Rolling Stones. These things were the start of a whole new thing. All of that was "the crossover." D: How was it working with the Stones? K: It was nice but we never really got to know each other, never developed a relationship the way you sometimes do. They're like me; they just come to the hall to work. They go to their dressing room, then go on stage. Really. They're nice guys. D: Then, in the late sixties, you began to work with rock producers and musicians. How was that? K: That was great because those guys were very enthusiastic. I had the chance to work with guys like Bill Szymczyk who were just out of college. They had fresh ideas. They could see progress for the music and that was real nice. D :You're mentioned as an influence by virtually every guit - arist from Eric Clapton to Buddy Guy to Stevie Ray Vaughn and everyone in between. Is that very satisfying? - K: It makes me very happy. I feel that all the years weren't wasted. Peoplewere listening, peo - pledid hear. D: It seems blues are moving towards the commercial mainstream again with guys like Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughn. K: Yes, it is somewhat. Those guys can play but there have always been people around.-You go back to the sixties and many rock superstars played the blues and it was accepted. That opened it up for a lot of us. Then when they stopped and moved on, wanting to do some - thing different or whatever, a lot of people stopped listening and a lot of the exposure and media coverage stopped. D: But you always worked 300 nights a year. K: Yes, of course that's true so I See KING, Page 8 Blues guitarist B.B. King appears Friday night at the Michigan Theater for two shows at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. CLASSIFIED ADS 'Continued from Previous Page . . ROOMMATES GOING PLACES CALL REGENCY TRAVEL for low fares to Europe, the Orient, and around the world. Ask about Eurail and Britrail passes. Call 665-6122. COME WITH US AND RENT AN RV(V AN) A ND GO TO PA TO VIS YOUR FRIENDS FOR SPRINGFLNG AT UOF P!!I Leaving Thursday yApril 9 at 4pm Retumm Sund e April f2 -LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DRIVE PYOUR CAR TO THE CONNECTI- CUT/NEW YORK AREA AT THE END OF THE APRIL? Call Kathy, 747-8557. FLY TO BURLINGTON VT 4/24- 4/27. 'Fare negotiable. 747-6873. GOING HOME FOR THE SUMMER? One- ay tkts. to.ORLANDO or PHILADELPHIA fr sale. Lv. 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