One of the many highlights from the 2019 documentary Summer of Soul is B.B. King’s segment. The American blues musician is still considered one of the most important guitarists from the 20th century and his music has a timeless appeal.
Why I Sing the Blues was co-written around 1968 with Dave Clark and released on the album Live & Well (1969). It also became the name of a 1983 album by King, but we’re focussing solely on the sing. Why? As we like it.
Uplifting Swing in Why I Sing the Blues
The blues has got that fabulous way of merging melancholia with uplifting oomph. This song doesn’t hold back, bringing in themes of systemic oppression, poverty, personal hardship, and the historical struggles of African Americans.
You can see that across the lyrics:
When I first got the blues,
They brought me over on a ship,
Men were standing over me,
And a lot more with the whip,
And everybody wanna know,
Why I sing the blues,
Well, I’ve been around a long time,
I’ve really paid my dues.I’ve laid in a ghetto flat,
Cold and numb,
I heard the rats tell the bedbugs,
To give the roaches some,
Everybody wanna know,
Why I’m singing the blues,
Yes, I’ve been around a long time,
People, I’ve paid my dues.
King died in May 2015 at the age of 89, but across a storied career he attended around 200 concerts a year. And he did that through to his 70s. Apparently, in 1956 he performed at 342 shows!
Now, we wanted to show the clip from Questlove’s documentary Summer of Soul. That was a recording of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, where B.B. King gives a brilliant, fast-paced version of Why I Sing the Blues.
Unfortunately, the only clip we could get is below (with the sound subdued). But it gives a great showcase of his style, plus with the modernised and punchy drumming in the background.
The drummer in that clip is Sonny Freeman, who is brilliant. Very punchy R&B style of playing that sounds entirely modern.
You can see them playing again here in 1973, this time in Paris, and you can see why King was so popular. Great stage presence, brilliant musician.
King just seemed to have a relentless amount of energy. If you can do 300+ shows a year, that’s pretty damn special. He even became an FAA-certified private pilot, learning in 1963 so that he could fly himself to gigs.
He only stopped doing that when he turned 70 in 1995, at the request of his manager and insurance company.
But yeah, he’d often rearrange Why I Sing the Blues to make it into either a punchy short number, as in Harlem, or turn it into a more extended jamming opportunity. As with here in 1974.
Anyway, bit of a shorter post today. But tough times demand great music and B.B. King was around a long time and saw his fair share of all that. Along with Nina Simone and other big names, these tracks provide a gateway to a therapeutic release.
Henceforth, embrace the blues a little bit more, people.
