The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: PegLeg45 on May 15, 2015, 11:51:54 AM
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B.B. King dies at 89........... the King is gone. :'(
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/b-b-king-dead-at-89-his-lawyer-says/
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When Ben E. King died recently some people got mixed up and said B.B. King was dead. He wasn't yet but was in bad shape. The thrill is gone is my favorite song of his. It reminds me of my marriage.
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Some years ago, (around 1994 or '95) B.B. King performed a free concert here in Tampa Bay. The venue was a barge on the river near Tampa General Hospital and Harbor Island. I was asked to captain the boat ferrying Mr. King between his dressing room on the shore, to the barge anchored in the river, where he would perform. His fans lined the shore. During the course of events, I had an opportunity to chat with B.B. at some length. He was really something.
Before the concert, I watched as Mr. King ate half a tuna sandwich, washed it down with a pint of brown whiskey, and followed that with a bottle of red wine. In the middle of the concert, I was approached by Mr. King's bodyguard (a nearly 7' tall black man of at least 300 lbs., and who was scared to death to get on my boat) who asked me to be ready to transport Mr. King to another location where EMTs would be available to check him out as Mr. King thought he might be having a heart attack. I confirmed my readiness.
King finished his concert and boarded my boat for the trip to the EMTs, but stopped me before we even left the barge. "Captain," he said, "can you get this boat up close to that wall over there?" He indicated a portion of seawall that was readily accessible. I acknowledged that I could, and following his request did exactly that.
B.B. had seen an elderly black woman in a wheelchair watching his concert, and when we got to the seawall, he hoisted his not unsubstantial bulk out of my boat and onto that seawall. He then walked over to that old black lady in the wheelchair, got down on one knee, and personally serenaded her while she held his hand and wept tears of pure joy.
Mr. King then re-boarded my bot, and I took him back to shore. He said, "You can never forget your fans, Captain."
He never did get to the EMTs and I think he probably realized that it might not have been a heart attack but rather something he ate.
Anyway, that generous, selfless gesture by a world renowned star elevated him to true hero in my eyes. It's something I will never forget.
R.I.P Mr. King. You made this world a better place for your having walked among us.
Crusader Rabbit
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Cool story. The closest I ever came to him was seeing his tour bus at a local store. He wasn't in the store so I knew he was on the bus but didn't see him.
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Holding out his hand
I've been waitin' on you brother
Welcome to the band
Good blues-stringin'
Heaven-fine singin'
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Been lis'nin' to your playin'
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
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I never met Mr. King, but I did meet that bodyguard and Crusader is right...he is a giant. My band was performing at a restaurant at the Tropicana in Atlantic City and BB King was doing a show that night. My guitarist buddy and I took a CD down to the bus to see if we could at least pass that on to our hero. He was resting, said Mr. Green Mile, and we would have to mail the cd to his management in Memphis. Oh well. His music was salve to the soul.
I'll repeat myself here, what I've been saying all week. If you don't get it? Listen to a copy of "Live At The Regal". You'll wish you'd paid more attention before he left us.
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CR, No wonder you call him "Mr" King.
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.......Before the concert, I watched as Mr. King ate half a tuna sandwich, washed it down with a pint of brown whiskey, and followed that with a bottle of red wine...........
If I'm not mistaken B.B. King was a diabetic. Booze is a big no, no. Still and all he made it to 89.
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He had diabetes and high blood pressure. He supposedly had a series of strokes because of the diabetes and that's what killed him. Time to go to YouTube and hear some more of his music.
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Now there is this:
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2015/05/26/bb-king-family-blues-legend-was-poisoned-by-manager-assistant/
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You can pick your nose but you can't pick your family.