Personnel: Eric Clapton, B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Doyle Bramhall II (guitar, background vocals); Andy Fairweather-Low, Jimmie Vaughan (guitar); Joe Sample (piano, Wurlitzer piano); Tim Carmon (organ); Nathan East (bass); Steve Gadd (drums); Paul Waller (programming); Susannah Melvoin, Wendy Melvoin (background vocals).
RIDING WITH THE KING won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
Although Eric Clapton and B.B. King's 30-plus years friendship originated during a chance meeting and subsequent jam session at New York City's Caf' Au Go Go in 1967, the idea for a collaborative album only crystallized during the sessions for King's 1997 album DEUCES WILD. The resulting record, 2000's RIDING WITH THE KING, is a stellar event thanks to a wealth of rich material and a solid supporting cast including Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Sample and Steve Gadd.
B.B. King's extensive catalog provides a wellspring of inspiration, including signature songs such as the smoldering "Three O' Clock Blues," alongside lesser-known numbers like the ribald shuffle "Days Of Old," and the LIVE AT THE REGAL chestnut "Help The Poor." Elsewhere, King and Clapton look to guitarist Big Bill Broonzy (an acoustic "Key to the Highway") and Chicago pianist Maceo Merriweather (the slow-rolling "Worried Life Blues") for inspiration. Even the non-blues numbers are delivered with a rich subtlety befitting these guitar icons' consummate musicianship. John Hiatt's title track becomes a mid-tempo exchange between old friends, while their honeyed vocals on the standard "Come Rain or Come Shine" are worthy of Ray Charles' 1959 version.
What the critics say...
Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.113) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000".
Rolling Stone (7/20/00, p.136) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A commercially astute meeting of like minds, hearts and voices. There are times...when Clapton's sandy aging tenor is virtually a mirror image of King's gritty bellow..."
Entertainment Weekly (6/16/00, p.90) - "...On this triumphant collaboration, the 2 cross-generational masters take on...the blues in its many guises....'father' and 'son' find plenty of common ground." - Rating: A
Q (8/00, p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[A] roof-raising R&B party, delivering a mix of classic and contemporary tunes....there's plenty on offer here for anyone with a passing interest in the [blues]..."
CMJ (7/10/00, p.24) - "...[Their] chemistry is uncanny as they tear through every avenue of the blues....a union of prodigal father and son as magnanimous as any in rock'n'roll."
JazzTimes (10/00, p.72) - "...A brilliant blues-drenched CD..."
Mojo (Publisher) (7/00, p.106) - "...A program stuffed with serious blues in which the principals reawaken even such sleeping dogs as 'Key To The Highway' and 'Worried Life Blues' - both done exceptionally....This is a slow-burning fire with hours of warmth in it."
