Al2 - Friday, January 25, 1985 - North Shore News

IF THE Plazazz
Showroom is indeed
about to end its time as
one of the premier
spots for quality enter-
tainment, its backers
could do far worse than
going out with a bang,
B.B. King style.

By MARK HAMILTON

From the time he arrives

with a blistering double-time: ,
solo kick-off to Everyday 1

Have the Blues to his depar-
ture 90 minutes later with
the haunting The Thrill is
Gone still hanging in the
room, King is at work.
Backed by a tight, seven-
piece band, and accom-
panied by singer Debra
Boston who provides some

smoking vocals of her own,

King minces, shouts and

talks his way through a col-

lection of blues — his own
and such classics as
Caledonia -~ that share a
joyfullness most often
associated with gospel
music.

“Gospel was my first
love,’’, says King, a surpris-
ingly soft-spoken man, the
‘morning after opening night.
“In the area where I grew
up, it’ was two kinds. of
music. There was ‘blues by
blacks and country. by
whites. But they all. sang
gospel. I sang gospel ‘til !
was about 19 before I made
my decision to go into: the
blues field.’’

King’s blues aren’t what :

you would expect. As well as
gospel, there are jazz licks,

NEWS photo fan Smith

B.B. King mugs for the audience — bis showmanskig is as
integral to his success as his music.

rock touches and moments
of country swing. Even a

slow blues, like Just a Mat-.

ter of Time, has.a happy
feel.

“I was never bluesy
enough for the blues purists,
jazzy enough to be jazz or
soulful enough to be the soul
or rock enough to be rock,”’
King says in explaining his
much-imitated style. ‘*For
many years there was no
place for me, I had to make
my own place.”

That style and an

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undeniable virtuosity of
technique and art in playing
Lucille — his guitar — par-
tially explains the excitement
of the live show,

The other part is how hard
he works. King is 59 and has
played professionally for
more than 30 years. He’s re-
corded 60 albums, headlined
every major venue jn North
America, toured Russi and
has two Grammies to his
credit. Yet he works as hard
— and works the audience as
hard — as a 20-year-old
playing a make-or-break
date.

And has fun doing, it.

“Fun? Oh, man,. they
should make me buy a tick-
et,’ he says. “it’s not
always that you can get a job
where you can get paid for
what you like to do.”

That sense of fun perme-
ates the show, from the pat-
ented guitar solos to his
mid-song breaks where he
‘“‘preaches”’
about men and women and
their relationships. It is an
unpretentious act, as King
himself is an unpretentious
man.

“Through the years,’ he
says, ‘I've paid, paid dearly
to be able to walk onto the
stage now and have people
applaud. I paid for it and 1
sull try very hard to earn
what I get daily.’’

B.B. King wil! be earning .

it — and rightfully so — at
the Plazzaz to February 2.

- Starting this week

_ LEGS DIAMOND
& THE G MAN BAND

comne s soon

THE

stick AN)

) MEN

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