King of the blues and the road

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King of the blues and the road
June 3, 2011
BY ED CONDRAN
newsobserver.com

t's difficult to imagine that B.B. King has anything left to accomplish.

The legendary vocalist-guitarist has played more than 15,000 concerts. A Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, he's regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in history, one who has changed the blues landscape. He has sold millions of albums and influenced perhaps as many players.

And yet, the affable 85-year-old still just wants to play.
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"There's just nothing else that I want to do," King says. "I know I'm past retirement age, but I just love playing. I could stop, but I don't want to quit. I still have the energy and desire to get out there and entertain. There's nothing I enjoy more than getting out in front of the crowd and playing the blues. I play just as good as ever. I'm still going out there and making a living. If I wasn't doing this, what else could I do?"

'I'm feeling good'

Well, he could oversee his chain of B.B. King's Bar and Grills. He could just fool around in the studio. King could also do something that he could never imagine, relaxing at home in Indianola, Miss.

"I could do that, but I would rather not," King says. "As long as I have this energy, I'll do what I love best. Just because you're older, that doesn't mean you have to shut down. I'm feeling good."

King is hellbent on spreading the news about the blues, and is happy to encourage any fledgling artists. "The younger people are the future of the blues," he says. "We got to keep the blues going."

King's words and music still carry considerable weight. Fans come out in droves to check out the guitar, Middle-age white folks predominate in the audience.

"Every now and again I'm asked if that bothers me," King says. "The only thing that would really bother me is if I didn't have any people at all in the audience. I would like to have more black kids come out to the shows. I would like young people in general to come out to catch the concerts.

"I'm not necessarily talking about them seeing me as much as [experiencing] the music. If they could come out they could better understand the music. We have to teach the young people about the music. If people would give blues a chance, they might be surprised. I love it and so would many people if they listened to it."