Welcome to the June edition of BLUES JUNCTION.

As many of us were preparing to spend the weekend in Dana Pont, California, for a mini-vacation highlighted by the Doheny Blues Festival, the news broke that B.B. King passed away at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 89.

The story of his passing was like King in that it transcended the blues genre and received mainstream worldwide news coverage. He received a front page, ‘above the fold’ tribute in the Los Angeles Times. I broke precedent for only the second time in the history of BLUES JUNCTION and “published” a mid-month supplement to the May edition of our ezine. It was my personal appreciation of B.B. King. That piece appears again in this edition of BLUES JUNCTION as B.B. King, the undisputed King of the Blues is in the Monthly Artist Spotlight for the month of June.

When it was time for B.B. King to depart these mortal confines, it gave all of us a chance to reflect on the man, his music and the legacy he left behind. For people all over the world he represented the face of the blues. His image, persona and music are what people expected blues to look, feel and sound like. He represented the quintessential American music and served as its ambassador for as long as any of us can remember. It was a role that he seemed to relish and one for which he seemed to be perfectly suited.

B.B. King rose to prominence in a post war America that was beaming with promise. It was a place where the possibilities seemed endless. There was a notion of American exceptionalism. B.B. King personified all of this.  

B.B. King was an American icon who traveled the globe to share one of our most precious cultural gifts. Was the title “ambassador,” which was attached to King just a hollow, honorary distinction with no real power or influence, like it so often is in the political-diplomatic world? Is it something that looks good on a resume and doesn’t have much more meaning beyond that? Was the term “ambassador,” which was used so frequently to describe King, just an empty cliché?

The expression “B.B. King Worldwide Ambassador of the Blues” is as empty and meaningless as we want to make it. If we as writers, musicians, record company people, publicists and fans of this music want to pay tribute to B.B. King then we are tasked with the responsibility to try to live up the ideals he represented. If all of us had just a tiny fraction of his drive, determination, work ethic, humility and a sincere desire to please others and put a smile on the face of a stranger the world would be a better place.

As life was slipping away from King in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago I thought about these things while attending an interesting show in Oceanside, California. It was Wednesday May 13, 2015. On this evening a show entitled International Rhythm & Blues Revue took place in a regal old theatre. The spirit of B.B. King and the legacy of his ambassadorship were palpable. His spirit lives in musicians of this caliber who come from all parts of the globe. Read my thoughts and enjoy the photography of San Diego based Jon Naugle who helped to document this wonderful evening of music.

The international flavor of the June edition of our ezine doesn’t end there. Our Monthly Album Spotlight feature focuses on the brand new record from The Headcutters. They are a Brazilian based band who recorded their latest album Walkin’ In USA while on their American tour last fall. The album, like their two previous efforts, was released on Sao Paulo based Chico Blues Records.

In addition to that I examine another brand new CD. This one is from an exciting Argentinean harmonica player named Nico Smoljan and his band the Shakedancers. This self titled release also is courtesy of Chico Blues records. 

Charlie Lange of Bluebeat Music gave me a hand as we take a quick peek at a few brand new albums which we would like to bring to your attention in the feature, New Album Notes.

While on the subject of new albums and Bluebeat Music we have another installment of Charlie’s Re-Issue Rodeo. Here we feature ten new re-issues which might make an important addition to your blues library.

We also, through words and pictures, take a look back on this year’s Doheny Blues Festival which took place on the weekend of May 16^th and 17^th.

Our Re-Visited feature examines a live recording by B.B. King entitled Blues Is King. Like so many of our readers I have a great affection for this recording. I have discussed this album with a B.B. King devotee and a wonderful guitarist in his own right, Otis Grand. Otis was the subject of an interview in 2014 and that can be found in the archive section of our site. We have remained in contact as Otis has been a valuable supporter, consultant and friend. I call him my “Senior London Correspondent.”

I told him that I thought the re-visited piece should be a B.B. King album this month. I told him that I welcomed any suggestions on his part. I wanted to do Blues Is King. I knew he would say the same thing. He did. I asked him if he would be kind enough to write it for me. He said that he would and that when the muse struck and the creative juices started flowing he would get back to me. So I told Otis I would write it and told him my deadline. Sometimes the deadline is the muse. So this collaborative process turned out to be a cathartic one. It gave both of us a chance to deal with the loss of B.B. King in a positive way.

THANK YOU OTIS!

When I think of B.B. King many things come to mind. I think of little tiny details of his performances which separated him from the pack. I think of the big things in his performances that made attending one of his shows so grand. I think of the sheer effusiveness of those performances.

I also think of a life that began in rural Mississippi on a cotton plantation in the Jim Crow south. Before that life was over he sang at the White House with another African-American who just happened to be the President of the United States. What happened in between is the story of B.B. King. It is the story of America.  

- David Mac