Photos: Dianne Bruce Dunklau.
The evening was capped by a rendition of B.B.’s signature, The Thrill Is Gone , and with the final strains of that classic, Riley B. King was escorted off stage by what looked to be a contingent of enormous secret service agents, and the evening had come to a close. It was two hours that seemed to pass like 10 minutes, and it was filled with joy, humility and power.
There was a time when the Mississippi native and his horn-powered band would run through a collection of hits in rapid succession, as if their tour buses were double-parked. But no more. Now King's concerts are strictly a casual affair, relaxed and remarkably intimate, even in large spaces.
Of course, listening to King play now, it's impossible to mistake his influence on generations of blues and rock guitarists. He's always expressed his admiration for their technical proficiency. But truth is, he can say more with a few notes located within reach of one hand position than most of his fret-burning disciples can while navigating the entire guitar neck. During one tune, in fact, King relied on just a single piercing tone to get his point across, sustaining it with one finger while dreamily resting his head in the palm of his other hand, as if in thrall to the sound of Lucille's voice. (King didn't introduce Lucille; he didn't have to. Prior to the concert, fans with cellphone cameras lined up in front of the stage to snap photos of the world's most famous axe.)
From all indications, the iconic guitarist started performing in the late 1940s, inspired by his Delta blues-playing cousin Bukka White.
Oh, age and diabetes and other ailments certainly have slowed the blues musician down, forcing him to cut back on his touring schedule in recent years. And, of course, he’s been playing his beloved “Lucille” guitar while seated on stage for several years.
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