B.B. King & Eric Clapton – Riding With The King

B.B. King & Eric Clapton – Riding With The King

Riding With The King is the celebrated studio collaboration between two generations of blues guitar royalty: B.B. King and Eric Clapton. Originally released in June 2000, the album brought together King's masterful electric blues guitar and vocals with Clapton's deep roots in the blues, resulting in a record that moves effortlessly between traditional blues standards, classic R&B and contemporary blues-rock. The album was produced by Eric Clapton and Simon Climie.

Although King and Clapton had performed together as far back as 1967, Riding With The King represented their first full studio album as co-billed artists. Clapton had long cited B.B. King as one of his greatest influences, making the project a particularly significant meeting between one of the most important figures in post-war blues and one of Britain's most celebrated blues-rock guitarists. The sessions were recorded in London and Los Angeles, with both musicians sharing lead vocals and guitar duties.

The album opens with the title track, “Riding With The King”, written by John Hiatt, before moving into a superb selection of blues standards and B.B. King favourites. “Ten Long Years”, “Key To The Highway”, “Three O'Clock Blues” and “Help The Poor” showcase the conversational guitar style at the heart of the album, with King's expressive phrasing complemented by Clapton's understated blues guitar. The extended “Three O'Clock Blues”, running for more than eight minutes, is a particular highlight.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. The album features Doyle Bramhall II, Andy Fairweather Low and Jimmie Vaughan on guitar, with Joe Sample on piano and Wurlitzer, Tim Carmon on Hammond organ, Nathan East on bass and legendary drummer Steve Gadd. The combination gives the record a polished contemporary sound while retaining the warmth and spontaneity of classic electric blues. B.B. King described many of the performances as being recorded live in the studio, with several tracks coming from only a small number of takes.

Among the later highlights are “Worried Life Blues”, “When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer”, the Sam & Dave classic “Hold On I'm Coming”, and the beautifully arranged “Come Rain Or Come Shine”. The latter was initially a surprising choice for King, but Clapton encouraged him to tackle the Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer standard, producing one of the album's more distinctive performances.

This edition also expands the original album with two previously unreleased recordings: “Rollin' And Tumblin'” and “Let Me Love You Baby”. Both were added for the 20th Anniversary edition released in 2020, making this 2LP configuration particularly attractive to collectors who want the expanded version of the album rather than the original 2000 tracklist.

Riding With The King went on to win the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album, topped the Billboard Blues Albums chart and was certified double platinum in the US. For collectors of B.B. King vinyl, Eric Clapton, blues guitar, electric blues and blues-rock, this remains one of the most accessible and star-studded blues collaborations of the modern era.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Riding With The King – 4:23
2. Ten Long Years – 4:41
3. Key To The Highway – 3:40
4. Marry You – 4:59

Side B

1. Three O'Clock Blues – 8:37
2. Help The Poor – 5:05
3. I Wanna Be – 4:46

Side C

1. Worried Life Blues – 4:26
2. Days Of Old – 3:00
3. When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer – 7:08
4. Hold On I'm Coming – 6:20

Side D

1. Come Rain Or Come Shine – 4:10
2. Rollin' And Tumblin' – 4:30
3. Let Me Love You Baby – 5:07