By James Casey
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 26, 1997

Blues-blooded royalty

Robert Henry Becker Arizona Daily Wildcat B.B. King sings with youthful zeal as he plays his guitar with his own blues magic, while his orchestra grooves behind him.

On Sunday, the undisputed king of blues, B.B. King, played a one night show at Centennial Hall. He was backed by a likely prince of blues, Corey Harris, who at the young age of 28 has many traditionalist fans swaying to his sounds and moving to his grooving.

The show started at 7 sharp, with Corey Harris taking the stage with his own special guest, Jamal Mayner. Harris started his set by mixing the sounds of timeless blues with inspiring roots rhythms. It was as though someone had searched through a Mississippi Delta attic and dug out a 70-year-old blues record without the crackle. Harris combined standard electric guitar with laptop slides and his "National Islander" steel acoustic, for which he has gained most of his fame, to create one of the most unique yet simply timeless sounds around.

Corey Harris' act consisted of spoken word, bottleneck and slide guitar. Many of his songs were sung in French; he used to be an elementary French teacher. This comes as no surprise since Harris was a longtime resident of Louisiana; he also lived in Denver, not really known for the blues, but as he put it, he just "grew up around the stuff."

Crowd involvement played a large role in his show; he often urged the fans to sing along and clap to many of his songs. The pinnacle of the set was the performance of the title track from his new album, Fish Ain't Bitin'. It was played with heart and soul, and the dialogue between Harris and his guest set the scene. It was even possible to imagine walking in on a porch blues man, playing to his friend, in the dreary heat of the southern delta.

Harris' set lasted for around an hour and he announced that he'd be in the lobby during the interval, signing copies of his new album. A true gentleman who chose, with all his success and fortune, to be a regular guy.

The 20 minute interval was enough time for a quick cigarette, signing of the compact discs and obtaining ablutions, so there would be no leaving while B.B. King was playing the blues. When the B.B. King Orchestra hit the stage and instantly launched into an upbeat melange of forceful horns, organ, guitar, bass and drums, the energy in the room was immeasurable. The orchestration was amazing; one could feel the common bond all the members of the band share.

Robert Henry Becker Arizona Daily Wildcat Corey Harris and Jamal Mayner, (from left) who opened for B.B. King, get into a Louisiana Creole style of blues, with their laptop slide and guitars.

The instrumental introduction finished and King was ushered on stage. He picked up Lucille, the guitar that is almost as well-known as he is, and started bending and twisting the notes the way he is famous for. The crowd was brought to their feet and many could be heard screaming and cheering throughout the hall. King, who just celebrated his 72nd birthday, had the energy of a young schoolboy, dancing around stage with such enthusiasm that one could even look past the gray and see the color again. Sadly, how he pulls it off is King's secret alone and not available to the aging general public.

The crowd favorites, "Nightlife" and "The Thrill is Gone," had the whole house clapping and singing along to the electrified blues that B.B. is so famous for.

What is truly amazing is that a man who has been playing live for more than 50 years, averaging 275 shows a year, has not slowed down and still gives every ounce of himself to his fans.

Like Harris, King urged the crowd to join in on his act. He promoted clapping and singing along, and even with a crowd as large as the one at Centennial Hall, he managed to make everyone feel at home and comfortable with him. He added quips and laughs in between songs and reminisced about the times of old and how glad he was to be in Tucson.

All in all, a great night for the blues, and for music in general, as the two artists, King and Harris, proved to be the men that the press have made them out to be.

Long live the king and the heirs to the throne.