THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

556-B.B. King-The Thrill Is Gone.

1969-Has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 3.13. B.B. King was once performing in Arkansas, United States, when a fight broke out between two men, which caused a fire. King evacuated the hall along with the audience, but forgot his guitar, so he decided to go back in and retrieve it. He found out later that the two men were fighting over a woman called Lucille.From that moment on he named his guitar ‘Lucille,’ as a reminder not to fight over women, or run into any burning buildings.

B.B. King was born Riley B. King on September 16th, 1925, in Berclair, Mississippi, United States, he died at the age of 89, on May 14th, 2015, from Vascular dementia, caused by a series of small strokes as a consequence of his type 2 diabetes. B.B. King was one of the most influential Blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname ‘The King of the Blues.’ He was a major inspiration, especially on white guitar players such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Gary Moore (see also best songs 932.) In the late 1940’s King worked as a singer, and disc jockey at ‘WDIA’ a radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was given the nickname ‘Beale Street Blues Boy,’ which was later shortened to ‘Blues Boy,’ and finally ‘B.B.’

‘The Thrill Is Gone’ was originally written and recorded in 1951 by the Blues musician Roy Hawkins. King had known of the song from playing it when he was a disc jockey, and finally got around to recording it for his 1969 Album ‘Completely Well.’ King was not happy with his recording, until at the suggestion of producer Bill Szymczyk, he added strings, which was a departure from his usual sound. Szymczyk would go on to become one of the worlds top producers, working with artists that included The Who, and Bob Seger, as well as producing six Albums by the Eagles, including 1976’s ‘Hotel California.

There have been 44 Studio Albums by B,B, King released between 1956-2006, and several more compilations, and live Albums. His only charting song in the UK came in 1988 when he collaborated with U2 on the track ‘When Love Comes To Town,’ from the ‘Rattle and Hum’ Album, which reached Number 6.

‘The thrill is gone, It’s gone away from me. The thrill is gone away from me, although,I’ll still live on, but so lonely I’ll be.’