To suggest that B.B. King's ABC-Paramount debut LP Mr. Blues (1963) is stylistically diverse is an understatement. Granted, cohesion might not have been a top-shelf priority to a label which actually sandwiched Mr. Blues between releases by Fats Domino and the N.Y. Salvation Army Staff Band. Another equally legitimate rationale is that the album was filled with a dozen tracks cut at three disparate sessions. These chronologically commence March 1, 1962 with the Maxwell Davis Orchestra. Then, nearly seven months later -- on September 19, 1962 -- King is backed by Belford Hendricks and ensemble. Finally on April 11, 1963 he joins Teacho Wilshire to collectively produce enough material to cobble together this compilation. Fortunately, half of Mr. Blues is derived from the superior Davis-led recordings, highlighted by the Ahmet Ertegun-penned "Chains of Love" -- a hit for blues shouter Big Joe Turner. While Ivory Joe Hunter's "Blues at Midnight" allows King to show off his own brand of blues testifyin'. Equally enjoyable are the ebullient "I'm Gonna Sit in 'Til You Give In" and "My Baby's Comin' Home," as they bear the distinct presence of King's nimble guitar craft. Belford Hendricks took King through the decidedly more sensitive "By Myself" and "A Mother's Love" with comparable arrangements that bring King's intimate vocals to the center of attention. Hendricks' uncertainty as exactly how to present King is evident on the garish orchestration of "Tomorrow Night" and the Jesse Belvin co-penned "Guess Who." Yet those missteps pale when compared to the overbearing singers who smother the Teacho Wilshire-led "On My Word of Honor" and the opener "Young Dreamers." Perhaps one initial direction for King was as a Johnny Mathis-type of crooner, as these scores indicate him offering little more than over-the-top lead vocals. While Mr. Blues is far from a total washout, there are much better examples of B.B. King's mastery as a singer and guitarist circa the early '60s. That said, interested parties are encouraged to locate Hip-O Select's 2006 CD reissue. It offers the best-known transfer of the original analogue tapes, an exhaustively researched sessionography for each song, and full reproductions of the vintage LP jacket.To suggest that B.B. King's ABC-Paramount debut LP Mr. Blues (1963) is stylistically diverse is an understatement. Granted, cohesion might not have been a top-shelf priority to a label which actually sandwiched Mr. Blues between releases by Fats Domino and the N.Y. Salvation Army Staff Band. Another equally legitimate rationale is that the album was filled with a dozen tracks cut at three disparate sessions. These chronologically commence March 1, 1962 with the Maxwell Davis Orchestra. Then, nearly seven months later -- on September 19, 1962 -- King is backed by Belford Hendricks and ensemble. Finally on April 11, 1963 he joins Teacho Wilshire to collectively produce enough material to cobble together this compilation. Fortunately, half of Mr. Blues is derived from the superior Davis-led recordings, highlighted by the Ahmet Ertegun-penned "Chains of Love" -- a hit for blues shouter Big Joe Turner. While Ivory Joe Hunter's "Blues at Midnight" allows King to show off his own brand of blues testifyin'. Equally enjoyable are the ebullient "I'm Gonna Sit in 'Til You Give In" and "My Baby's Comin' Home," as they bear the distinct presence of King's nimble guitar craft. Belford Hendricks took King through the decidedly more sensitive "By Myself" and "A Mother's Love" with comparable arrangements that bring King's intimate vocals to the center of attention. Hendricks' uncertainty as exactly how to present King is evident on the garish orchestration of "Tomorrow Night" and the Jesse Belvin co-penned "Guess Who." Yet those missteps pale when compared to the overbearing singers who smother the Teacho Wilshire-led "On My Word of Honor" and the opener "Young Dreamers." Perhaps one initial direction for King was as a Johnny Mathis-type of crooner, as these scores indicate him offering little more than over-the-top lead vocals. While Mr. Blues is far from a total washout, there are much better examples of B.B. King's mastery as a singer and guitarist circa the early '60s. That said, interested parties are encouraged to locate Hip-O Select's 2006 CD reissue. It offers the best-known transfer of the original analogue tapes, an exhaustively researched sessionography for each song, and full reproductions of the vintage LP jacket.false2022-11-10 07:14:46Mr. Blues19631963-01-011963-01-0130Blues RockElectric Blues11428522420436358647b-0ac9-4d06-a18c-60032079f48bdcb03ce3-67a5-4eb3-b2d1-2a12d93a38f3cc6ad0d2-dcbe-47a7-b885-fa4d7817a5fd/media/data/media5/Music/B.B. King/Mr. Blues (1963)/folder.jpgB.B. KingAlbumArtist/config/metadata/People/B/B.B. King/folder.jpgB.B. KingArtist/config/metadata/People/B/B.B. King/folder.jpgB.B. KingB.B. KingRiley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.King was born on a cotton plantation of Berclair near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, toured the world extensively. King died at the age of 89 in Las Vegas on May 14, 2015.