It always seemed to me that BB King was larger than life itself.

That perfect note, that deep felt solo, that big smile and that deep growl followed by perfect vibrato in his gifted voice.

The definition of a great musician is when you instantly recognize them no matter what they play – more than anyone else that was true of BB King

He not only set the bar for multiple generations of blues guitar players and blues musicians, but held everyone to a human standard that we need so much in today’s world.

An unconditional love, optimistic view that sets expectations for those who may have been down or trodden to rise up and be the best they can be…and we get that through his music too. Just because he played blues didn’t mean it gave us the blues. In fact, he gave us an outlet through which to FEEL real emotion, to stop and think about things and get back in tune with our heart instead of our head.

Here is one of my favorite BB King tunes…I can’t believe an entire year has gone by since the King of the Blues was silenced – maybe that’s because he still sings and plays on in my head as if he were just around the corner at his favorite juke joint or concert hall.

That sound will carry me through the next year, until we stop and remember the King of the Blues once again…until then, let’s continue to listen and learn from the vast material BB King left us with.

This is “How Blue Can You Get” performed live at Sing Sing Prison in 1972 – all I can say is WOW!