B.B. King And Harps

[sawyer@xxxxxxx]

I was very surprised at the query about B.B.'s harp player.  I have
him play together with noted harp players who might join him on stage,
or vice versa, but in all the time since 1968 when I first saw him,
I've never known him to have a harp player in his band.  Once I was
privileged to see him sit in at Boston's famed Jazz Workshop (now
long gone) when he came down to see James Cotton after a concert at
Harvard Stadium.  Also present and playing was Paul Butterfield who
had opened for B.B. earlier.  Hearing the three of them together was,
well, ... [no words here].  Also worth noting is the appearance of
Butterfield in "B.B. King And Friends", in whose memory the show was
dedicated, due to his death shortly after filming.  It was first aired
on HBO, then last year on The Family Channel.  [It includes a chilling
image of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King and Paul Butterfield
together.]  Finally, it might be of interest to harp-l readers to know 
that B.B. played the harp when he was young.  I know only because he
mentioned it to me in passing.  I never heard him play a note.

	--Charlie*

* Author of "The Arrival of B.B. King", Doubleday (hbk), Da Capo (pbk).