Blues

This essential LP release includes B. B. King's splendid album, The Blues, which was originally issued in 1958 and marked his second LP on the Bihari brothers' Crown label. It collects a dozen sides King cut for RPM and Kent between 1951 and 1958. This album is distinguished by a raw, ragged feel, which proves refreshing in light of the artist's subsequent slicker recordings. It has a loose, roadhouse vibe and features B. B. King backed by a full band, including horns, piano, harmonica, and a thumping rhythm section. At the heart of the set are King's stinging, soulful leads and his passionate vocals, serving up instant classics like "Why Does Everything Happen to Me" and "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer." As was often the case with Crown's product, The Blues used a single hit tune (in this case the aforementioned "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer," a Top Ten R&B chart entry in 1954) to help sell a package of lesser-known material, but thankfully the label also picked some great tunes that hardly sound like filler, even if they didn't make the charts. The album is dominated by muscular, horndriven performances with B. B. King's interjections of single-note riffs and powerful string bends punctuating the arrangements, and his songwriting was already stellar, with "I Want to Get Married," "Don't You Want a Man Like Me," and "Ruby Lee" demonstrating his way with a melody and lyrics. In addition to the original LP, this collector's edition includes 4 bonus tracks from the same period: the staple "Everyday I Have the Blues," the heart-felt blues ballads "Sweet Little Angel," "My Sometime Baby," and the joyful "I'm In Love."

B. B. KING, vocals and guitar, plus:

The Maxwell Davis Orchestra.

Probable personnel: Maxwell Davis, Jack McVea,

Charles Waller, Lorenzo Holden, Bumps Myers,

Maurice Simon (tenor saxophone), Jewell L.

Grant (alto saxophone), Floyd Turnham (baritone

saxophone), Jack "Vernon" Porter (trumpet),

Tommy Tedesco (guitar), Red Callender or Ralph

Hamilton (bass), Willard McDaniel (piano),

Jesse Sailes or Jesse Price (drums).

Unidentified harmonica.

Arranged and conducted by Maxwell Davis.

Recorded between 1951 and 1958.

Original recordings produced by Maxwell Davis

or Joe Bihari.