Living Blues #298 (September/October 2025)

WHAT'S INSIDE:

On the Road with B.B. King

Not only was B.B. King the King of the Blues, he was also the King of the Road. King played 250–300 dates per year for decades and he and his band lived much of their lives on the road. We pull back the curtain and take a look at what life on tour with the King was like.

My Strategies for the Show and Rules of the Road

By B.B. King

Stories from the Road 

• Mike Doster (bass)
• Russell Jackson (bass)
• Tony Coleman (drums)
• Herman Jackson (drums)

Photos of Life on the Road 

More Stories from the Road 

• Ron Levy (keyboards)
• Alvin Morris (driver)
• Alfonso Sanders (musician)
• Reggie Richards (bass)
• James “Boogaloo” Bolden (bandleader)

More Photos of Life on the Road 

B.B. King’s Live Albums 

The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center

By Bob Arentson

B.B. King and the Mississippi Blues Trail

By Bob Arentson

Let It Roll! B.B. King, MCA Records, various locations, 1997

By Jas Obrecht

“Guest star” albums are often easily greenlit, but B.B. King had to fight to get Deuces Wild recorded. King always wanted to do this album and the results show the passion and joy of everyone involved. With a who’s who of stars including Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, and even Heavy D, the result is one of the best of King’s late career albums.

Record Reviews:

• New Releases: Buddy Guy, Leonard “Lowdown” Brown, and Mud Morganfield
• Reissues: Furry Lewis, Memphis Slim, and John Lee Hooker

Editorial

Blues News

Radio Charts

Cover photo by Charles Sawyer: B.B. King at the Fillmore East, New York City, 1970.