This week we lost a legend in Blues music. My story isn’t one of deep knowledge of his music, or of going to great lengths to see him play live.
Mine started in the New York City Virgin Records store in 2000. I was at the store with my Dad, who had taken me on an incredible trip for me at the time — Macworld Expo, New York1. While there, a new collaboration between B.B. King and Eric Clapton had been released days earlier and was featured on the in-store monitors. My Dad and I both liked it, sought out the CD, and bought it. I still listen to it regularly2 and it’s just as good now as it was then.
More modern music services like Spotify have encouraged me to expand my horizons quite a bit since then. I’ve come to really enjoy all kinds of Blues for it’s willingness to acknowledge the hard times in life, while somehow being some of the more therapeutic and uplifting music I listen to.
The uniqueness of the story in New York didn’t end there. I attended one of the last Macworld expos held in New York, saw the newly released PowerMac G4 Cube, and visited the rooftop of one of the World Trade Towers for the last time.
For me, B.B. King’s music will always remain at the top of my favorites but more importantly, it will remind me of a memorable trip with my Dad to places and times that I can only now visit in my memory.