Riding With The King

Performer: Eric Clapton
Artist: Jimmie Vaughan; Joe Sample; Steve Gadd; Nathan East
Engineer: Alan Douglas
Producer: Eric Clapton; Simon Climie; David May
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Eric Clapton, B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Doyle Bramhall II (guitar, background vocals); Andy Fairweather-Low, Jimmie Vaughan (guitar); Joe Sample (piano, Wurlitzer piano); Tim Carmon (organ); Nathan East (bass); Steve Gadd (drums); Paul Waller (programming); Susannah Melvoin, Wendy Melvoin (background vocals). RIDING WITH THE KING won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Personnel: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Doyle Bramhall II, Jimmie Vaughan, Andy Fairweather Low (guitar); Joe Sample (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer organ); Steve Gadd (drums); Paul Waller (drum programming); Susannah Melvoin, Wendy Melvoin (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Mick Guzauski. Authors: Craig Anderson ; David Dieckmann; Spencer Chrislu. Photographers: Robert Sebree; Don Paulsen. The potential for a collaboration between B.B. King and Eric Clapton is enormous, of course, and the real questions concern how it is organized and executed. This first recorded pairing between the 74-year-old King and the 55-year-old Clapton was put together in the most obvious way: Clapton arranged the session using many of his regular musicians, picked the songs, and co-produced with his partner Simon Climie. That ought to mean that King would be a virtual guest star rather than earning a co-billing, but because of Clapton's respect for his elder, it nearly works the other way around. The set list includes lots of King specialties -- "Ten Long Years," "Three O'Clock Blues," "Days of Old," "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer" -- as well as standards like "Hold on I'm Coming" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," with some specially written and appropriate recent material thrown in, so King has reason to be comfortable without being complacent. The real danger is that Clapton will defer too much; though he can be inspired by a competing guitarist such as Duane Allman, he has sometimes tended to lean too heavily on accompanists such as Albert Lee and Mark Knopfler when working with them in concert. That danger is partially realized; as its title indicates, Riding With the King is more about King than it is about Clapton. But the two players turn out to have sufficiently complementary, if distinct, styles so that Clapton's supportive role fills out and surrounds King's stinging single-string playing. (It's also worth noting that there are usually another two or three guitarists on each track.) The result is an effective, if never really stunning, work. ~ William Ruhlmann Although Eric Clapton and B.B. King's long friendship originated during a chance meeting and subsequent jam session at New York City's Cafe Au Go Go in 1967, the idea for a collaborative album only crystallized during the sessions for King's 1997 album DEUCES WILD. The resulting record, 2000's RIDING WITH THE KING, is a stellar event, thanks to a wealth of rich material and a solid supporting cast including Jimmie Vaughan, Joe Sample, and Steve Gadd. B.B. King's extensive catalog provides a wellspring of inspiration, including signature songs such as the smoldering "Three O' Clock Blues," alongside lesser-known numbers like the ribald shuffle "Days Of Old" and the LIVE AT THE REGAL chestnut "Help The Poor." Elsewhere, King and Clapton look to guitarist Big Bill Broonzy (an acoustic "Key to the Highway") and Chicago pianist Maceo Merriweather (the slow-rolling "Worried Life Blues") for inspiration. Even the non-blues numbers are delivered with a rich subtlety befitting these guitar icons' consummate musicianship. John Hiatt's title track becomes a mid-tempo exchange between old friends, while the pair's honeyed vocals on the standard "Come Rain or Come Shine" are worthy of Ray Charles's 1959 version.

Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.113) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000". Rolling Stone (7/20/00, p.136) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A commercially astute meeting of like minds, hearts and voices. There are times...when Clapton's sandy aging tenor is virtually a mirror image of King's gritty bellow..." Entertainment Weekly (6/16/00, p.90) - "...On this triumphant collaboration, the 2 cross-generational masters take on...the blues in its many guises....'father' and 'son' find plenty of common ground." - Rating: A Q (8/00, p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[A] roof-raising R&B party, delivering a mix of classic and contemporary tunes....there's plenty on offer here for anyone with a passing interest in the [blues]..." CMJ (7/10/00, p.24) - "...[Their] chemistry is uncanny as they tear through every avenue of the blues....a union of prodigal father and son as magnanimous as any in rock'n'roll." JazzTimes (10/00, p.72) - "...A brilliant blues-drenched CD..." Mojo (Publisher) (7/00, p.106) - "...A program stuffed with serious blues in which the principals reawaken even such sleeping dogs as 'Key To The Highway' and 'Worried Life Blues' - both done exceptionally....This is a slow-burning fire with hours of warmth in it."

Over the course of four decades, Eric Clapton has carried the British blues legacy into the mainstream of pop music. From his mid-1960s days with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, through his years as guitar god with Cream and Blind Faith, and eventually to his more laid-back solo albums, Clapton has remained one of rock's most successful musicians. Given his guitar-superstar status, Clapton has played alongside the biggest musical acts of the 20th century, from soloing on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," to performing at the Band's LAST WALTZ, to recording an album with B.B. King. Overcoming numerous setbacks and tragedies, old Slowhand has settled nicely into a long and prolific career.

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