Personnel includes: B.B. King, Joe Louis Walker (vocals, guitar); Bobby Bland, Ruth Brown, Gladys Knight (vocals); Kenny Burrell, David T. Walker, Barry Finnerty, Leon Warren (guitar); Paul Butterfield (harmonica); Plas Johnson, Ralph Moore, Red Holloway, Gary Smulyan (tenor saxophone); Jerome Richardson (baritone saxophone); Wilton Felder (saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison, Snooky Young, Patrick Williams, Calvin Owens (trumpet); Robin Eubanks, Urbie Green, Benny Powell (trombone); Gene Harris, Ron Levy (piano); Charles Bowles (organ); Joe Sample (keyboards); Ray Brown (bass); Sonny Freeman, Stix Hooper (drums); Nana Vasconcelos, Tony Coleman (percussion); The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Recorded between November 21, 1964 and March 27, 1994. Includes liner notes by Mark Humphrey.
Digitally remastered by Erick Labson at MCA Music Media Studio, North Hollywood, California.
Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Ruth Brown, Gladys Knight, Bobby "Blue" Bland (vocals); Leon Warren, David T. Walker, Johnny Jones, Milton Hopkins, Leonard Gill, Kenny Burrell, Ray Parker, Jr., Barry Finnerty (guitar); Paul Butterfield (harmonica); Walter King (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Lee Gatling, Melvin Jackson , Wilton Felder (saxophone); Earl Turbinton, Jeff Clayton , Booker Walker (alto saxophone); Hilton Joseph, Plas Johnson , Ralph Moore, Red Holloway, Gary Smulyan, Louis Hubert, Bobby Forte (tenor saxophone); Eddie Saxman Synigal, Jerome Richardson (baritone saxophone); Gene Harris (trumpet, piano); John Willie Cook, Ken Sands, Glen Drews, James Bolton , Harry "Sweets" Edison, James Morrison , Oscar Brashear, Patrick Williams, Snooky Young, Al Aarons, John Browning , Joe Mosello, Calvin Owens (trumpet); George Bohannon, Steve Sherard, Garnett Brown, Joseph Burton, Robin Eubanks, Urbie Green, Benny Powell, Paul Faulise (trombone); Duke Jethro (piano, organ); Eugene Carrier, Robert Anderson, Ron Levy (piano); James Toney (organ, keyboards); Charles Bowles (organ); Phil Blackman, Joe Sample (keyboards); Calep Emphrey, Harold Potier, John Starks, Stix Hooper, Harold Jones , Sonny Freeman (drums); Efraim Logreira, Naná Vasconcelos, Tony Coleman (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Elliot Scheiner.
Liner Note Author: Mark A. Humphrey.
Recording information: B.B. King's Blues Club, Memphis, TN (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Coconut Groove, Los Angeles, CA (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Cook County Jail, Chicgo, IL (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Ebony Showcase Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); International Club, Chicago, IL (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Regal Theatre, Chicago, IL (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Rosengarten, Mannheim, Germany (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Royal Festival Hall, London, England (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); San Quentin (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Sankei Hall, Tokyo, Japan (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); The Apollo, New York, NY (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); University Of Mississippi (11/21/1964-03/27/1994); Villiage Gate, New York, NY (11/21/1964-03/27/1994).
Directors: Walter King; Ken Ehrlich; Calvin Owens.
Photographers: Ray Flerlage; Michael Wilson ; David Gohr; Cesar Vera.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Joe Sample; Johnny Board.
Arranger: Johnny Pate.
The double-disc collection How Blue Can You Get: Classic Live 1964-94 covers 30 years of B.B. King's remarkably popular and groundbreaking career, picking out choice live performances from a variety of sources. King has always been acknowledged as one of the most electrifing blues guitarists, as well as one of the best all-around entertainers that the genre has to offer, so it stands to reason that the compilation is filled with terrific music. And it certainly is -- from his astonishing performance at the Regal to recent performances in Japan, B.B. shines throughout the set. Despite all of the fine music this has to offer, it doesn't capture the spark of one of his live shows, where he interacts brilliantly with the audience; you still have to pick up Live At the Regal to experience that. Even though How Blue Can You Get lacks the kinetic energy of a live concert, there's enough prime material to make it an essential addition to any B.B. King fan's library. ~ Thom Owens
B.B. King is often referred to as King Of The Blues, due largely to his mastery of live performance and his immediate rapport with any audience by means of his charming stage manner. Averaging over 300 dates a year, the 30 years covered on HOW BLUE CAN YOU GET? means that King had over 9000 performances from which to choose material. Appropriately enough, a batch of numbers from the seminal LIVE AT THE REGAL album start off this 2-CD set including King standards such as "Sweet Little Angel" and "Everyday I Have The Blues" in which his sextet swings and the ladies swoon. Time tripping through these 30 years means the inclusion of the confessional "Worry Worry" recorded in Cook County Jail, a previously unreleased Japanese performance of his crossover hit "The Thrill Is Gone" and a swinging Apollo version of "When Love Comes To Town." Some of the most exciting moments come during B.B. King's collaborations with either established names such as Ruth Brown ("Ain't Nobody's Business") and Gladys Knight ("Please Send Me Someone To Love") or young bucks like Joe Louis Walker ("T-Bone Shuffle"). minimize