King of the Blues

Product Description:

Personnel includes: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Al Kooper (various instruments, guitar); Trade Martin (various instruments, background vocals); Jerry Williams (various instruments); Steve Cropper (guitar); Joseph Malignaggi, Ethel Abelson, Ann Barsk, Maura Giannini, Anthony Posk, Carmel Malignaggi (violin); Robert Magnuson (alto & tenor saxophone); Ronald Cuber (baritone saxophone); Lou Marini, Tom Scott, Marty Grebb (saxophone); Alan Rubin (trumpet, reeds); James Pugli (trombone); The Muscle Shoals Horns (horns); Carson Whitsett (keyboards); Ray Griffin (bass); James Robinson (drums); Rodney Kelly, Jimmy Hotz (programming); Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, The Jim Gilstrap Singers (background vocals).

Producers include: Jerry Williams, Al Kooper, Trade Martin, Frederick Knight.

Engineers include: Chris Green, Richard "Fast Fingers" McIntosh, Rick Delana.

KING OF THE BLUES was an attempt to contemporize B.B. King by smoothing off all the edges of his sound and using lots of synthesizers along with a number of well-known names to help accomplish this goal. Half of the songs were produced by noted '80s songwriter Jerry Williams who brought in plenty of drum machines and guests like Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Steve Cropper on songs such as "Can't Get Enough" and "Standing On The Edge." Williams even frees King up from Lucille down to focus his great vocals on "You've Become A Habit To Me" by handling all the programming and keyboards himself. The legendary Al Kooper drops in as a producer/multi-instrumentalist on "Let's Straighten It Out" and a radically rearranged version of "Drowning In The Sea Of Love." King does end up cutting loose, slicing through the slick production of "Lay Another Log On The Fire" by squeezing out some particularly tasty licks and adding some swing to the vocal chorus of "Business With My Baby Tonight."