B.B King: The guitarist Carlos Santana called “chairman of the board”
When B.B King died in 2015, tributes from some of the worlds most prolific guitarists poured in, the likes of Mark Knopfler, Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton. King was one of the most acclaimed blues players in the world, a seemingly peerless presence mourned by President’s and musicians alike. His jovial energy onstage provided the perfect counterbalance to the devasting blues standards he was known for, the likes of ‘Why I Sing the Blues’ and ‘Worried Dream’.
Santana, famous for his fusion of Latin American and rock sounds joined legions of fans in paying tribute to King. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of ‘The Chairman of the Board,’ B.B. King,” he told Time. “He is now on the other side with Bob Marley, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and many others. His one of a kind sound was an inspiration to an entire generation of musicians, including myself. He will be missed by millions of fans and by countless musicians.”
In the years since his death, King’s influence on Santana never faltered. in 2021, he described himself, Michael Bloomfield and Peter Green as “children” of B.B King.
While he mentioned they also loved fellow King’s, Albert and Freddy, “somehow B.B. King was the one that had this thing over Buddy Guy and Otis Rush as well”. Part of his appeal was that he was able to nail the deepest traditional blues standards, but bring them to contemporary collaborations with artists like Ronnie Raitt and Elton John.
Such was King’s influence on Santana, he felt able to pick out when certain artists were nodding to specific eras of his sound. As he told Forbes: “The sound of Peter Green is like B.B. King from ’67 to ’72, only that sound. He honed in on B.B. King from ’67 to ’72, that B.B. King,” he explained. “He owned that sound because that was his fascination, that side and that tone of B.B. King from Live At Regal, in Chicago.”
King’s enduring message of racial harmony was also one shared by Santana, which he says he picked up in part from King. I learned in the ’60s, from Martin Luther King, and Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta, and Martin Luther King, and Harry Belafonte, at the same time that I learned from Tito Puente and B.B King,” he shared.
“So for me, it’s all inclusive – and I say this pretty much on stage every night, one way or the other. We bring unity, harmony, and an invitation for people to embrace your totality. We all as one. We are all one.” B.B King led the path for him and others to bring a sense of unity to music, which is likely why he is such an icon to Santana. “B.B. King,” he reflected, “was and will always be the White Whale, the Moby Dick”.
