THE LOWEDOWN 19TH MAY WITH VIRGINIA LOWE

B.B King, a true monarch who defined the blues for millions of people around the world has died. He was four months shy of his 90th birthday and had never stopped performing, averaging 250 concerts per year. He started recording in the 1940’s and has over 50 albums to his credit. His guitar style was instantly recognisable as were his vocals. In the mid 50s he was doing a gig in Kansas when a fight broke out between two guys in the audience. They knocked over a kerosene can and caused a huge fire. Everyone fled the building, including BB but then he realised his guitar had been left inside. He went back into the burning building to retrieve it narrowly escaping death.The fight had been over a woman called Lucille and from that day his guitars bore the name Lucille. The last time I saw BB King was at The Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1999. My show on Tuesday morning will include several tracks by this king of the blues.