Remembering B.B. King: Live Spotify Playlist

It’s been one year since legendary blues guitarist B.B. King passed away at the age of 89. The renowned musician was one of the greatest to ever play the guitar and he helped bring the blues to people around the globe. As Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio said last year:

It’s literally impossible to overstate B.B. King’s influence on every single electric guitarist who followed in his path. All of us who have ever bent a note owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.

To mark the life of the man born Riley B. King in Mississippi on September 16, 1925, below is a Spotify Playlist made up of 25 tracks of the influential performer on stage with his famed guitar Lucille culled from throughout his storied career. There are recordings from the 1960s, including his Live At The Regal LP from 1964, selections from the 1970s including a couple of lengthy tracks from 1971’s Live In Japan and a pair of mid-decade releases with Bobby “Blue” Bland. There are live recordings from across several decades made over the years at the BBC and a song from his Now Appearing At Ole Miss album represents the 1980s.

B.B.’s live releases from San Quentin and The Apollo Theater come from the early 1990s, and the playlist concludes with a track from his 2006 Live album and a guest-filled jam featuring Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood, Slash and others from Royal Albert Hall in London in 2011. Stream the playlist here: