It’s not every day that you get to see a collective of some of the greatest musicians of multiple generations come together to create a truly memorable work of art, but the late great blues musician BB King brought that for us at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2011. The blues superstar was joined by Guns N Roses guitarist Slash, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood, and Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall for a magical rendition of “The Thrill Is Gone”.
This supergroup of musicians aren’t just spectacular in their own field. They have their own personalities that they bring into the performance, and all of them shine in their own special ways all throughout. B.B. King’s iconic, smooth voice is the powerhouse that kicks this performance off on a high note, but the moment is all the more complete with a full band backing them all up. Watch the incredible video below:
When we watch this performance of music superstars coming together to create one blistering blues track, it’s clear that every single member is fully fuelle in their passion. Most of all, however, is BB King himself, who is seen dancing a little and smiling through the entire performance. During one moment, he manages to let Slash give him his iconic hat, which erupts a beam of light on King’s face as Susan Tedeschi’s performing. It’s a lovely moment in the performance that makes it memorable.
B.B. King had a long and inspirational life, and has inspired countless others to pursue their own ventures into the world of music. He penned his own style of soloing that would become influential in the years to come, and earned the nickname “The King Of The Blues” due to his incredible career. A self-taught virtuoso, King would go on to release a plethora of records in his life before his death in 2015 at the age of 89, with one of his most popular songs being “Every Day I Have The Blues”:
King was noted as being incredibly down-to-earth, humble, and a pleasure to be around. He collaborated with countless artists in his time, and performed sold-out shows across the nation all across his life, all the way up to the age of 88 in 2014, where he performed his last show at the House Of Blues in Chicago. He also won a vast array of awards for his contribution to music, including the coveted Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording.
This supergroup of musicians isn’t the only time that B.B. King has collaborated with prestigious members of the music scene. In 1983, B.B. King joined forces with the iconic James Brown and Bobby Bland to play a selection of tracks that rocked the world. It’s a collection of talent that the world will sorely miss, and hopefully inspires generations to come to pick up an instrument and play their hearts out.