It was in the watershed year of 1967, on the stage of New York CityΓÇÖs legendary Cafe Au Go Go, that Eric Clapton and B.B. King first met and shared their music.
In the three decades-plus that followed, these two giants of blues guitar have forged an enduring friendship centered on enormous mutual respect and a love for an idiom they have both helped to bring to worldwide attention.
Now, this extraordinary personal and professional bond has brought Eric Clapton and B.B. King together to create their first full length CD together, Riding With The King. The CD is an historic collection of blues and R&B classics as well as specially selected material from some of todayΓÇÖs best songwriters.
Recorded over a three-month period in Los Angeles earlier this year, Riding With The King was produced by Clapton and longtime collaborator Simon Climie and spotlights an A-list assemblage of studio guests, including drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Nathan East, keyboardists Joe Sample and Tim Carmon, along with Andy Fairweather Low, Wendy and Susannah Melvoin, Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall II, and others. Arif Mardin provided string arrangements and orchestrations on the albumΓÇÖs glorious rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine."
Clapton and King offered international audiences a taste of what was to come on Riding With The King when the duo performed together on a recent Grammy telecast. The breathtaking simplicity displayed the close creative camaraderie and an unparalleled artistry honed by two lifetimes of dedication.
On Riding With The King, Clapton and King have created an enduring testament to the power of music…and friendship.
"Riding With The King": written by John Hiatt for his album of the same name released in the mid-ΓÇÿ80s. Original version produced by Nick Lowe.
"Ten Long Years": a B.B. King classic from the ΓÇÿ50s, recorded by King for the Modern Records label.
"Key To The Highway": one of the most influential blues songs of all time, written and originally recorded by Big Bill Broonzy in the 1930s. Broonzy, often cited by Clapton as a primary inspiration when he first started playing guitar, usually recorded as a solo performer, but also played on hundreds of other sessions during the course of his long recording career.
"Marry You": written by Doyle Bramhall II, Susannah Melvoin, and Craig Ross. Bramhall II is a contemporary singer-guitarist from Texas, the son of Doyle Bramhall, who co-wrote many songs with Stevie Ray Vaughan and was in several of Jimmie VaughanΓÇÖs early bands. Melvoin is the sister of Wendy Melvoin and half of Wendy and Lisa. Ross is an Austin-based singer-songwriter.
"Three OΓÇÖClock Blues": one of KingΓÇÖs most popular songs from the ΓÇÖ50s, covered by many other blues singers in the last 40 years. Original recording done at the Memphis YMCA in 1951 for Modern/RPM Records. This was the song that helped launch King to blues stardom.
"Help The Poor": a King favorite from the early ΓÇÖ60s, once featured on his seminal 1962 album Live At The Regal, which many critics hail as the greatest live blues recording ever made.
"I Wanna Be": co-written by Doyle Bramhall II and Charlie Sexton. Sexton is an Austin-based singer-guitarist with several solo albums who currently is the lead guitarist in Bob DylanΓÇÖs touring band.
"Worried Life Blues": written and first recorded by Big Maceo Merriweather, a Chicago-based singer-pianist who went on to write and record many popular blues songs, including "Chicago Breakdown," "Texas Stomp," and "Detroit Jump." MerriweatherΓÇÖs playing was often credited by later piano greats Otis Spann, Eddie Boyd, and Johnny Jones as a strong influence. "Worried Life Blues" was one of Chuck BerryΓÇÖs early hits for Chess Records in the mid-ΓÇÿ50s.
"Days Of Old": a classic King shuffle from his early days with Modern Records.
"When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer": a striking King ballad from the ΓÇÿ50s that still echoes true today
"Hold On IΓÇÖm Coming": originally recorded by duo Sam & Dave in the mid-ΓÇÖ60s in Memphis at the Stax Records studio. The session band, Booker T. & the MGs, featured Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and Al Jackson, Jr. The Sam & Dave single went on to become a soul music anthem.
"Come Rain Or Come Shine": written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, the song received its first prominence in blues with Ray Charles' moving version on his 1959 album The Genius Of Ray Charles.
