Blues is a genre of
music that has been around for many of years. Riley B.B. King was a
professional blues singer who was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi on September
16, 1925 (Adelt, 2011, 197). Before he became a musician, King was a tractor
driver and worked as a sharecropper. In Memphis, in 1948, King started his
career as a radio disc jockey at a local radio station. While in Memphis B.B.
began to play his guitar and sing at local clubs and bars. He picked up the
nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy,” which shorted to B.B (Adelt, 2011, 198).
B.B.
King had then become a star. In the 1960’s, King’s career began to fail. He tried
in the 1950’s to play for white audiences, but it was not a success. He also
failed at black, older, and well-off audiences (Adelt, 2011, 198). King had an
opportunity to play in San Francisco at the Fillmore West. During the time her
played, majority of the audience was black. It later grew to mostly white. B.B.
(Adelt, 2011, 199). King then became a famous blues singer with mostly white
audiences. Blacks listened to mostly soul music during this time period.
Most
people do not know that before the Civil Rights era, King sang in the south for
the whites. He made an appearance at a rock festival in Macon, GA. He was in
the south and wasn’t sure how to act. All the theaters he played at in the past
were all once black, but this had changed. Majority of them were white. In the
1970’s B.B. went on 10-day tour with the Rolling Stones. This tour was a change
for him. All the music was rock and roll and he had been exposed to one of the
largest audiences he has ever had. B.B. states that he wasn’t comfortable
(Adelt, 2011, 200).
During
B.B.’s career, he had a “crossover.” In the 1960’s, he had continually talked
about how he was not happy with the blacks and their music change from blues to
soul music. Young black audiences booed him. Bobby Shiffman, the manager at the
Apollo Theater, stated that “blues represented, at the time, misery.” Blues
came out at a time of slavery and was a black man’s lowest point in history
(Adelt, 2011, 203). B.B. continued to
wow other audiences. White hippies found purity in blues music. He then began
to travel to other countries and sing. ABC Records later took over King’s label
in 1962. In 1968, he broke the pop charts and won his first Grammy. After that;
he opened for Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley (Adelt, 2011,204.).
The
1970’s was a time when white performers began to emerge. Elton John Billy Joel
climbed the charts (Adelt, 2011, 207). B.B. King began to grow even more
popular and was acknowledged everywhere. By 1970, King released his third album
which made number 26 on the charts. This was the highest he had been. His cover
also won a Grammy for the Best Album Cover (Adelt, 2011, 208). King continued
his career under the production of Bill Szymczyk. . they used “white” sounds
and images to charm white audiences. Finally, in 1969 and 1971 he used “black”
sounds and fewer images to charm the same audiences. Even though B.B. was now a
hippie rock star, he was still related to the black audiences (Adelt, 2011,
210).
Blues
was a big part of the white culture. Blacks seemed to like soul more at the
time. B.B. King had mostly white audiences during this era. His first mostly
black audience was played on September 10, 1970 in front of 2117 inmates
(Adelt, 2011, 212). King’s music was made mostly of “white” sounds and images.
He affected many different kinds of audiences. He is an inspiration to a
variety of ethnicities and continues to be a very successful musician.
References
Adelt,
Ulrich. (2011). Black, White, and Blue: Racial Politics in B.B. King’s Music
from the 1960s. The Journal of Popular
Culture, Vol 44, No 2, 195-214.
Bridgette,
ReplyDeleteThe article the you chose was a great one. I love this time area because it reminds me of my parents and how the stories they would tell me about their music and the hops they would go to.I found it very interesting that BB King was more popular with the white audience then with the black, and that the biggest black crowed that he played for was in front of black inmates. I also thought that it was great that he went on tour with the Rolling Stones and he sang with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.Betty you did a great job on this article thank for the memories with my parents.
Bridgette,
ReplyDeleteAwesome job on this article! I really enjoyed reading it. I agree and also find it very interesting that BB King was more popular with the white audience then with the black. It makes sense in a way because of what was stated that blacks thought of this music as a time of misery. BB King came out with the Blues during the time of slavery, which I also caught my interest. I also think that awesome that he won a Grammy for Best Album Cover. He really showed what he was capable of.
Great Job!