By the time B.B. King recorded “The Thrill Is Gone” in 1969, the blues had already traveled far beyond its point of origin. The song crossed over to pop radio, reached audiences who did not think of themselves as blues listeners, and introduced King to an entirely new generation. It also became the single that crystallized his influence across genre lines, proving that the blues was never confined to one lane.
The pinnacle album B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, now fully released, was curated by Joe Bonamassa and took almost a full year to record. The 32-track project with 40 plus guest artists functions more than just a tribute album and provides a lesson in musical mastery. It traces how King’s voice, phrasing, and emotional clarity filtered outward into rock, soul, jazz, gospel, R&B, and beyond, shaping artists who may sound nothing alike on the surface but share a common foundation.
From the very beginning, Bonamassa and co-producer Josh Smith approached the blues as something fluid, not a genre meant to be boxed in. Instead, they leaned into the reality King himself embodied: a musician whose work spoke fluently across musical borders. “People think of B.B. as a guitar player first,” Bonamassa has said, “but the truth is he was one of the great singers, period. That’s why his influence runs so deep.”
That reach becomes unmistakable as the album unfolds. Michael McDonald, Susan Tedeschi, and Derek Trucks approach “To Know You Is To Love You” with gospel warmth and Southern soul. George Benson brings jazz elegance to “There Must Be A Better World Somewhere.” Bobby Rush delivers “Why I Sing The Blues” with the authority of lived experience, while Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Noah Hunt reframe “Let The Good Times Roll” through a modern blues-rock lens.
Elsewhere, artists stretch the perimeter even further. Gary Clark Jr. filters King’s influence through contemporary rock urgency. Aloe Blacc brings R&B phrasing and modern vocal weight. Trombone Shorty and Eric Gales inject New Orleans funk and psychedelic firepower. Larkin Poe roughs up the edges with slide guitar swagger. Each interpretation sounds personal rather than reverent, which is precisely the point.
Josh Smith has said the goal was never imitation. “B.B. didn’t want copies,” he noted earlier in the series. “He wanted honesty.” That ethos guided how artists were paired with material. Songs were chosen based on emotional connection rather than genre alignment, allowing the blues to surface in unexpected ways.
The clearest example arrives with the album’s most anticipated track: “The Thrill Is Gone,” performed by Chaka Khan with Eric Clapton on guitar. The pairing reflects the full spectrum of King’s influence. Khan, one of the most important vocalists of the past fifty years, approaches the song with restraint and depth rather than showmanship. Clapton, a lifelong disciple and close friend of King’s, plays with economy and reverence.
“What an honor to have one of the most important singers of all time sing B.B.’s biggest song,” Smith said. “Joe and I will forever cherish the time we spent in the studio with Chaka while she laid this down. It was inspiring. That song demands a legend. So we doubled down and brought in Eric. Of course he had to be part of this tribute.”
Bonamassa echoed the sense that this moment required total commitment. “We told everyone from the start that the priority was comfort and trust,” he said. “But dealing with 33 songs and over 50 artists, the fact that there was almost no resistance at all told us we were doing something right. For Chaka and Eric, we used real strings, real horns. The budget was whatever it needed to be because you only get one chance to do this correctly.”
The result feels less like a finale than a summation. King’s most recognizable song becomes a meeting point for soul, blues, rock, and orchestral elegance, all coexisting without strain.
That sense of convergence defines the album as a whole. Veterans like Buddy Guy and Bobby Rush sit alongside younger artists such as Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and D.K. Harrell. British blues voices share space with American roots traditionalists. Jazz phrasing, gospel harmony, rock distortion, and pop melody all trace back to the same source.
In that way, Blues Summit 100 mirrors King’s own career. He toured relentlessly, collaborated broadly, and welcomed artists from every corner of the musical world. He understood that the blues was not a museum piece but a living language, capable of adapting without losing its meaning.
The project also reflects a broader shift in how legacy is being handled today. Rather than waiting for institutions to define the narrative, artists are building their own frameworks. Through KTBA Records and the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, Bonamassa has positioned this release as both preservation and invitation. It honors the past while making space for reinterpretation.
Now available in full across digital platforms, as well as on double CD and triple vinyl, B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 arrives as a complete statement. King once said, “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” This album suggests the same is true of influence. A century after his birth, B.B. King’s music continues to show up in places he might not have predicted, carried forward by artists who sound nothing like him and exactly like him at the same time.
The thrill, it turns out, was never gone. It just kept moving.
