Live in Cook County Jail (CD - 1971)

Recorded live on September 10, 1970 at Cook County Jail, Chicago, Illinois. Includes liner notes by Geoffrey Harding.

Digitally remastered by Erick Labson at MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California.

Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Brooker Walker, Barney Hubert (saxophone); John Browning (trumpet); Ron Levy (keyboards, synthesizer); Sonny Freeman (drums).

Recording information: Cook County Jail.

B.B. King has cut a lot of albums since the success of Live at the Regal. And, like the live shows they document, none of them are any less than solid and professional, hallmarks of King's work aesthetic. But every so often B.B. truly catches fire; his playing and singing comes up an extra notch or two, and the result is a live album with some real sparks to it. Live in Cook County Jail is one of those great concerts that the record company was smart enough to be there to capture, documenting B.B. firing on all cylinders in front of an audience that's just damn happy for him to be there. Possibly the best live version of "The Thrill Is Gone" of all its many incarnations, and rock solid renditions of classics like "Everyday I Have the Blues," "How Blue Can You Get?," "Sweet Sixteen" and a great medley of "3 O'Clock Blues" and "Darlin' You Know I Love You." Live at the Regal is still the champ of King's live output, but many say this runs a close second, and they just may be right. ~ Cub Koda

B.B. King has long been known as a road warrior who regularly plays over 300 dates a year. One of his most noted and unusual gigs, LIVE AT COOK COUNTY JAIL, occurred on September 10, 1970. Performing before 2,117 inmates with minimum security, King took his "captive audience" through a set peppered with staples of his impressive canon. Backed by a punchy horn section and peppering the set with his trademark quick licks, King immediately won over the audience. Of course, one of the most enduring facets of a live B.B. King show is the neighborly relationship he quickly establishes with whoever might make up his audience. The nearly 10-minute version of "Worry, Worry, Worry" finds the King Of The Blues discussing relationships and matters of the heart whereas "Sweet Sixteen" and the medley of "3 O'Clock Blues" and "Darlin' You Know I Love You," are a spoken mini-tour of his early catalog. Forming a neat bookend is the inclusion of "The Thrill Is Gone," King's only Top 20 hit that came off COMPLETELY WELL, his studio album of the previous year. minimize