Search - B.B. King :: 1949-1952

A fine collection of King's often-overlooked early sides

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 06/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Another fine entry in the French Classics/Melodie label's series of 40s and 50s blues reissues, this one chronicles B.B. King's earliest recordings. Most of these singles have been issued on CD several times, but the first four sides, recorded in 1949 for the Bullet label, are pretty rare, and only the Catfish label's very similar but slightly shorter "Got The Blues" from 2001 have got all of them.



Those four early sides feature 24-year-old B.B. King backed by a very prominent horn ensemble which makes him sound even more jazzy than usual.

His fondness for T-Bone Walker is obvious on sides like "Mistreated Woman" and the instrumental "B.B. Boogie" (both 1950), and King's influence on younger blues men like Buddy Guy is equally obvious. He was the first practitioner of that urban kind of blues which was later dubbed the "West Side style", actually, inspiring Guy, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Albert King, and numerous others.



Most of these songs are relatively unknown (in spite of the high overall quality of the material assembled here), but King's first national R&B chart-topper, 1951's "Three O'Clock Blues", is here, as are a couple of other early classics, particularly "It's My Own Fault" and "Don't You Want A Man Like Me".



King's late 40s/early 50s output doesn't really get the attention it deserves, and this is a very welcome overview of those stylish early singles. Get this one along with "Do The Boogie: B.B. King's Early Classics", and the double-disc "Anthology" from MCA, and you're set!"