B.B. King, The Thrill Is Gone | COVERS

In the 42^nd edition of COVERS (2023), B.B. King delivers a compelling rendition of “The Thrill Is Gone,” originally performed by Roy Hawkins.

Ah, it’s time to get cozy and totally cover up! In COVERS, we highlight a musician or band covering songs by another musician (likely a popular musician). COVERS focuses solely on the musician who covers, as opposed to the original/most famous performer.  It is open to both established musicians and musicians who may not be as well-known. In the 42^nd edition of COVERS (2023), 🎙 B.B. King delivers a compelling rendition of 🎵 “The Thrill Is Gone”, originally performed by 🎙 Roy Hawkins.

When you think, 🎵 “The Thrill Is Gone”, the first name that comes to mind associated with the song is the iconic, blues musician, 🎙 B.B. King.  His 1969 recording, which appears on his album, 💿 Completely Well, marks the biggest hit of career, peaking at no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. Furthermore, it would earn King the first of 15 Grammy 🏆 wins. Specifically, King won the Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. While B.B. has earned definitive honors, “The Thrill Is Gone” was written by 🎼 ✍  Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins back in 1951, 18 years before King would release it 🤯. Hawkins also originally recorded it.

What makes the B.B. King version the one to beat? Let’s start with the marvelous guitar 🎸 soloing by King. In the hands of King, that guitar oozes with soul. Besides killin’ it on Lucille 🎸, King also kills it with his vocals, bringing the heat. “The thrill is gone / The thrill is gone away,” he sings soulfully in the first verse, later adding, “You know you done me wrong, baby / And you’ll be sorry someday.” Woo! Besides amazing vocals and epic soloing, the arrangement and production (🎛 Bill Szymczyk) are utterly sublime. The core instrumentation includes electric piano 🎹, bass, drums 🥁, and of course King on guitar 🎸. The expanded instrumentation adds even more goodness – strings 🎻 – which amplify the blues. Additional drama on a blues song? Yes please! While it is a shame that the thrill is gone, musically, 🎵 “The Thrill Is Gone” is easily one of the greatest songs of all time, thanks to 🎙 B.B. King 💪.

🎙 B.B. King • 💿 Completely Well • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 1969

B.B. King, The Thrill Is Gone: Covers No. 42 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner /The Musical Hype; Geffen; cottonbro studio, MART PRODUCTION, Ron Lach from Pexels; Paul Brennan from Pixabay]