Videos In the William R. Ferris Collection Special Collection
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King and His Guitar, Lucille (2000)
In the seventh segment B.B. King discusses his guitar Lucille and how she got her name.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: Lucille; guitar; 1949;Twist, Arkansas; kerosene; winter; garbage pail; dance; fight; fire; birthday; Gibson;
Duration: 05:10
Downloads: 609
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King with William Ferris (2000)
This video recording was made on January 2, 2000 at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.as part of the "American Voices" presentations at the "Millennium on the Mall" celebrations. Transcript...

Genre: Educational
Keywords: Future of the Blues; B.B. King; Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities; William Ferris; author; folklorist; film maker; academic administrator; Encyclopedia of Southern Culture; Director of Center for Southern Culture; plays guitar;
Duration: 02:00
Downloads: 454
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King's Early Experiences in Memphis (2000)
In the fifth segment B.B. King discusses leaving Mississippi and starting his radio career in Memphis, Tennessee.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: Highway 61; Memphis, Tennessee; Beale Street; WDIA;tractor driver; picking cotton; hitchhiked; produce truck; cousin; Booker White; music business; fuel tanks; job; Sonny Boy Williamson; broadcast; Helena, Arkansas; King Biscuit Time; lunch; dinner; West Memphis, Tennessee;"Blues at Midnight"; four walling; Miss Annie; 16th Street Grill; gambling; Las Vegas; jukebox; $12.50 a night; Mr. Pepper; Mr. Ferguson; country and western music; Professor Nat D. Williams; Pepticon; Hadacol; tonics; jingle;
Duration: 12:03
Downloads: 381
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King's Early Musical Education (2000)
In the third segment William Ferris and B.B. King discuss his musical education until age 14.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: Itta Bene, Mississippi; Indianola, Mississippi; divorce; Greenwood, Mississippi; Tupelo, Mississippi; Elvis Presley; religious mother; church; Pastor Archie Fair; guitar playing in church; Church of God in Christ Sanctified; blues; gospel; Reverend Utah Smith; electric guitar; Blind Lemmon Jefferson; Lonnie Johnson; Blind Blake; Reverend Gates; Robert Johnson; great aunt; victrola phonograph; 78 records;
Duration: 04:04
Downloads: 556
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King's First Hit Recording (2000)
In the sixth segment B.B. King discusses recording his first records in Memphis.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: recording; Nashville, Tennessee; Bullet; Ike Turner; movie portrayal; Tina Turner; Los Angeles; "Three O'Clock Blues"; first hit record;
Duration: 02:20
Downloads: 366
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King's Guitar Technique (2000)
In the eighth segment B.B. King discusses his guitar technique, especially the origin of his use of tremolo.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: tremolo; blue note; bottle neck; Bukka White; steel guitar; hawaiian guitar; practice; nervous system; pizzacato; guitar like human voice; note as measuring sugar or flour; trill; Pavoroti; classical;
Duration: 05:32
Downloads: 536
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King's Teenage Musical Experience (2000)
In the fourth segment B.B. King discusses his musical experiences growing up around Indianola, Mississippi from age 14 until he left for Memphis, Tennessee in 1943 at age 18.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: Indianola, Mississippi; fourteen; quartet; St. John's Gospel Singers; decision to become blues singer;television; ten cent vendors; soundies; 16mm film; Count Basie; Louis Armstrong; Duke Ellington; jazz; Benny Goodman; 74; 1943; 18 years old; Uncle Sam; Tbone Walker; Lonnie Johnson; Blind Lemmon Jefferson;jazz electric guitar; Charlie Christian; Django Rhinehart; Hot Club; France; 1949; 1955; radio;Lucille
Duration: 05:25
Downloads: 360
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King, "The Thrill Is Gone" (2000)
In the tenth segment B.B. King sings "The Thrill Is Gone" to his own guitar accompaniment. William Ferris plays backup acoustic rhythm guitar.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: "The Thrill is Gone"; key of A;
Duration: 04:43
Downloads: 493
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King, a Living Library (2000)
In the ninth segment William Ferris praises B.B. King as a "living library."

Genre: Educational
Keywords: Pepticon; tonic; melodic line; progressions; keeping the beat;
Duration: 04:48
Downloads: 414
 
America's Millenium on the Mall - Blues: Past and Future - B.B. King, Q & A (2000)
In the eleventh segment B.B. King answers questions from the audience.

Genre: Educational
Keywords: John Hope Franklin; birthday; Yale University; Church of God in Christ; faith; "devil's music";aunt; mother; British musicians; Eric Clapton; Rolling Stones; The Who; Beatles; historical icon; Gatemouth Moore; Roy Brown; Stevie Ray Vaughan; favorite guitar players; George Benson; Lonnie Johnson; Louis Jordan; Bobby Hackett; Johnny Hodges; link; Mahalia Jackson; Louis Armstrong; advice; future of blues; mainstream of music; radio; Sonny Bono; copyright;
Duration: 16:27
Downloads: 438
 
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