My Kind of Blues (B.B. King album)

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My Kind of Blues
My Kind of Blues.jpg
Studio album by
B. B. King
Released1960 (1960)
Recorded1958 or 1960
GenreBlues
LabelCrown
B. B. King chronology
King of the Blues
(1960) 		My Kind of Blues
(1960) 		More B.B. King
(1961)

My Kind of Blues is the seventh studio album by American bluesman B. B. King. According to biographer David McGee, the songs were recorded in 1958 at the Chess Records studios in Chicago.[1] However, researcher Colin Escott identifies the recordings as being from a March 3, 1960 session, when King was under contract to the Bihari brothers and recorded in the Los Angeles area.[2]

The Bihari's budget Crown Records issued the album in 1960. The liner notes contained a blurb about King's "particular form of jazz ... blues-belter extraordinary" and little else.[3] McGee notes that King is backed by a small combo composed of pianist Lloyd Glenn, bassist Ralph Hamilton, and drummer Jessie Sailes[1] (most of King's recordings at the time included a horn section).[4]

Three singles from the album were released by the Bihari's Kent Records; "Walkin' Mr. Bill" reached number 23 on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart in October 1960.[5] In 2003, My Kind of Blues was reissued on CD by Ace Records with eight bonus tracks.[1]

"My favorite album of mine is My Kind of Blues. No one liked it but me [laughs]. I still love it today."[6]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[7]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings4/4 stars[8]

In a review for AllMusic, critic George Bedard rated the album three out of five stars and called it "A masterpiece: a sparse, uncluttered sound with nothing to mask King's beautiful guitar and voice".[7] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings calls it “One of the great B. B. King albums”.[8]

Track listing[]

The original Crown LP and many reissues do not list the songwriters, producers, nor running times.[3] Details are taken from the AllMusic review[7] and may differ from other sources.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now"B. B. King, Joe Josea a.k.a. Joe Bihari5:15
2."Mr. Pawnbroker"King, Jules Taub a.k.a. Jules Bihari3:16
3."Understand"Cecil Gant2:39
4."Someday Baby"Lightnin' Hopkins2:54
5."Driving Wheel"Roosevelt Sykes2:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Walking Dr. Bill"Doctor Clayton3:41
2."My Own Fault"B.B. King3:34
3."Catfish Blues"Robert Petway, Josea, King,2:29
4."Hold That Train"Clayton3:58
5."Please Set a Date"Minnie McCoy a.k.a. Memphis Minnie2:49

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c McGee 2005, p. 100.
  2. ^ Escott 2002, pp. 66–67.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Marlo 1960, Back cover.
  4. ^ Ecsott 2002, p. 66.
  5. ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 239.
  6. ^ JAZZ.FM91
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Bedard, George. "B.B King: My Kind of Blues – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 353-354. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.

Sources[]

  • Escott, Colin (2002). B.B. King: The Vintage Years (Box set booklet). B.B. King. Ace Records. Ace ABOXCD 8.
  • Marlo, John (1960). My Kind of Blues (Album notes). B.B. King. Culver City, California: Crown Records. CLP 5188.
  • McGee, David (2005). B.B. King: There Is Always One More Time. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-843-8.
  • Whitburn, Joel (1988). "B.B. King". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
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