(orchestral music) (crowds shouting) - You want more?

All right, all right.

I can't hear nothing from over here.

(Cheering and shouting) - All right, okay, all right.

How about?...

(Cheering and shouting) - All right.

How about?...

(Cheering and shouting) - All right, okay then, all right.

Okay, if you want some more, will give you some more, then.

(upbeat blues song begins) ♪♪ ♪♪ - Narrator: A hot summer day at Parchman prison in the Mississippi Delta, 3000 inmates gathered to hear the blues as sung by the King of the Blues, BB King.

The blues run deep at Parchman prison and there's no better place to sing them.

This is the Mississippi Delta where the blues were born.

Born of too-short nights in the honky-tonks and juke joints.

Born of endless days in the hot flat cotton fields.

Born of black men and women singing, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always remembering the bad times and hard life and lost love.

The Delta is Parchman and the blues, and the Delta is BB King.

Born here.

Grew up here.

Singing the blues.

King: ♪ Nobody loves me but my mother.

♪ ♪ And she could be jiving too.

♪ ♪ Mmmmm... ♪ Nobody loves me but my mother.

♪ ♪ And she could be jiving too.

♪ ♪ Now you see why I act funny, baby.

♪ ♪ When you do the things you do.

♪ - King: Let's face it, Blues was started during hard times, of course.

But everything you cry about don't mean that when you stop crying you feel the same way.

So same thing with the Blues.

You sing the Blues maybe when you are blue, but it don't make you bluer.

It's kind of like a relief valve.

It's letting some of the steam off.

Of course this was a root of music that was started by black peoples.

Black people used to say the word, "Don't sing them reals in here!"

And the "reals" means truth.

It's telling a story, a true, true story.

Now, all stories wasn't blue stories.

I can remember many stories singing about my lady that wasn't blue at all.

Maybe blue if I couldn't see her.

But just the image of her in my mind wasn't blue.

It was happiness, and there are many blues songs that tell happy stories just as well because there is always two sides of the coin, even if they both look alike, there are two sides.

And of course the blues is the same way: there are two sides to all stories.

Some just tell one side of it.

And I try my best to tell both sides of the story.

So a lot of times people say, "You are not singing... That's not the Urban Blues, that's not the Mississippi Blues, that's not Delta Blues."

Everybody puts a label on it.

I finally come out saying, "It's BB King Blues, because I try to tell both sides of it.

To answer your question, Blues is like a tonic.

It's good for whatever ails you.

- Narrator: And now BB puts it all together again here, playing the blues where the blues were born, in a place where the blues need to be sung.

- King: When I see the audience, that's my motivation.

I don't know, I want so much to make people happy.

(Upbeat blues music) ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ (Song ends) (applause) (slower blues song begins) (cheers and clapping) ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ Hey everybody, let's have some fun.

♪ ♪ You only live once.

♪ And when you're dead, you're done.

♪ ♪ So let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Let the good times roll.

♪ I don't care if you are young or old.

♪ ♪ Get together, let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Don't sit there mumblin', talkin' trash.

♪ ♪ If you wanna have a ball.

♪ ♪ You gotta spend some cash.

♪ ♪ So let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Let the good times roll.

♪ I don't care if you're young or old.

♪ ♪ Get together, let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Hey Mr. Landlord, lock up all the doors.

♪ ♪ When the police comes around.

♪ ♪ Just tell them that the joint is closed.

♪ ♪ And let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Let the good times roll.

♪ I don't care if you're young or old.

♪ ♪ Get together and let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Hey everybody, tell everybody.

♪ ♪ That B.B.

King's in town.

♪ ♪ I got a dollar and a quarter.

♪ ♪ Just rarin' to clown.

♪ But don't let nobody play me cheap.

♪ ♪ I got fifty cents more that I'm gonna keep.

♪ ♪ So let the good times roll.

♪ ♪ Let the good times roll.

♪ I don't care if you're young or old.

♪ ♪ Get together and let the good times roll.

♪ Let me hear you say it!

♪ Let the good times roll.

♪ Let the good times roll.

I can't hear you.

♪ Let the good times roll, (let the good times roll) ♪ ♪ Let the good times roll, (let the good times roll) ♪ ♪ I don't care if you're young or old.

♪ ♪ Get together and let the good times roll.

♪ How about one more?

♪ Let the good times roll, (let the good times roll) ♪ ♪ Let the good times roll, (let the good times roll) ♪ ♪ Let the good times roll, (let the good times roll) ♪ ♪ Let the good times roll, (let the good times roll) ♪ ♪ I don't care if you're young or old.

♪ ♪ Get together and let the good times roll.

♪ (song ends) [applause and cheers] - Thank you, thank you so much.

(Slow blues song begins) - King: Thank you so much.

You know that they say the times are getting hard.

- Audience: Yeah!

- King: Excuse me.

I don't know, I must have caught a cold last night.

I didn't intend to.

(Laughing) But they say times is getting hard.

And I started trying to figure it out, and it's been hard with me all of my life.

- Audience: Yeah, that's right!

- King: I don't see where it's doing any different.

- Audience: Let it out!

- King: So I started to think about to can we sing to to try to get some help?

Who do you sing to to try to get some help?

Well I came up with a song that went like this: ♪ Hey Mr. President.

♪ All of you congressmen, too.

♪ ♪ You got me all frustrated.

♪ ♪ And I don't know what to do.

♪ ♪ Trying to make a dollar.

♪ ♪ I can't even save a cent.

♪ ♪ It takes all of my money.

♪ ♪ Just to eat and pay my rent.

♪ ♪ That's why I got the blues.

♪ ♪ I've got those inflation blues.

♪ ♪ Now, I'm not one of those high brows.

♪ ♪ I'm average Joe to you.

♪ ♪ I came up eating cornbread.

♪ ♪ Candied yams and chicken stew.

♪ (cheers) ♪ Now you take that paper dollar.

♪ ♪ It's only that in name.

♪ ♪ The way that paper buck has shrunk.

♪ ♪ It's a lowdown dirty shame.

♪ ♪ That's why I got the blues, people.

♪ ♪ I've got those inflation blues.

♪ ♪ Mr. President, please cut the price of sugar.

♪ ♪ So I can make my coffee sweet.

♪ ♪ You know I'd like to smear a little butter on my bread.

♪ ♪ And I just got to have my meat.

♪ ♪ When you start rationing.

♪ ♪ You really played the game.

♪ ♪ And things are going up and up and up and up.

♪ ♪ And my check remains the same.

♪ ♪ That's why I got the blues.

♪ ♪ I've got those inflation blues.

♪ (Song ends) [applause and cheers] - King: I can't hear you, Parchman.

[louder applause and cheers] - King: I can't hear you, Parchman.

[louder applause and cheers] - King: All right, all right.

(Upbeat song begins) - King: Thank you!

How about a big hand for the warden.

Give him a big hand.

He just brought me some water up here.

Give him a big one, there.

Thank you.

[applause] - King: You know, I want to tell you something.

My lady was talking to me last night.

And she said, "B, you're talking about "the times being hard and all that.

So I tell you what I'm going to do."

She said, "You know the monkey I gave you when we first got together?"

She said, "I tell you what.

I think I'm going to sell him."

That's what she said.

And I don't think that's right.

Times is not that hard!

Don't give me something, and then want to sell him!

So I said no, you can't sell my monkey.

And she seemed to get mad with me.

So fellas, I want to ask you, what do you think?

Should I let her sell him?

- Guys: Naw!

- King: Don't let her sell him?

- Guys: No!

- King: Okay.

What do you say over on this side?

Shall I let her sell him?

- Guys: No!

- King: All right.

Ladies, don't sell the monkey!

♪ Me and my baby keeps falling out.

♪ ♪ Let me tell you what it's all about.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

♪ She wanna know.

♪ Why we don't get along.

♪ She don't realize.

♪ She's doing me wrong.

♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

♪ It used to be hers.

♪ But she gave it to me.

♪ Why she wanna sell him.

♪ ♪ I just can't see.

♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

♪ Sell my monkey.

♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

♪ She wanna know why we don't get along.

♪ ♪ She don't realize she's doing me wrong.

♪ ♪ She wanna (sell my monkey) ♪ ♪ She wanna (sell my monkey) ♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

♪ I have to stay home both day and night.

♪ ♪ I can't trust the girl out of my sight.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

What do you say?

♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

I think we ought to do it one more time.

She wanna-- I didn't hear you.

She wanna-- That ain't right.

She wanna-- Say it again.

She wanna-- I tell you, that'll never do.

Go ahead and let my man work out a little bit on there.

I can't see you.

Go ahead and work out.

Lemme see it.

Let it work out a little bit over there.

I believe it can work out a little bit.

Captain, I don't think you can keep up with him.

You think maybe Jack could keep up with him?

That boy right over there.

Shake your boogie.

Let me see it.

Go ahead and shake your boogie.

They are trying to sell his monkey, too.

One more time!

That's all right!

Give him a big hand over there!

Oh, give him a big hand!

♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ (Sell my monkey) ♪ She wanna sell my monkey.

♪ ♪ But that'll never do.

(song ends) [applause and cheers] - King: Thank you!

How about another one for that young man that was shaking his boogie out there.

Give him a big one.

[applause] - King: All right!

Are you having a little fun?

- Yeah!

- King: You have to let me hear you, because I started thinking you are not enjoying yourselves.

Now, are you having a little fun?

- Yeah!

(strumming on guitar) We'd like to play this one for all of the ladies.

We are going to dedicate this, ladies, to you from all of the guys.

We also would like to play this one for all of the fellas and dedicate it to them from all of the ladies.

(slow blues song begins) We'd like to do this in two parts.

We're going to start it off with an old one we recorded a long time ago.

It's called "Darling, You Know I Love You."

[cheers] Then we are going to feature our Maestro, Mr. Calvin Owens, a bit on this one.

And after that, we are going to modulate to another key and do a little special tune that I want to send out to all of you.

And that one is called "Please Send Me Someone to Love."

♪ Darling, darling you know I love you.

♪ ♪ I love you for myself.

♪ But you're gone, gone and left me for someone else.

♪ ♪ I think of you every morning.

♪ ♪ I dream of you every night.

♪ ♪ And would love, love to be with you always.

♪ ♪ When night began to fall.

♪ ♪ I cry, cry alone.

♪ And I wish, baby I could hold you in my arms tonight.

♪ ♪ Oh darling, darling you know I love you.

♪ ♪ I love you for myself.

♪ But you're gone and left me for someone else.

♪ (trumpet solo) - King: How about a hand for him, Mr. Calvin Owens.

Make him happy.

[applause] ♪ Heaven please send to all mankind.

♪ ♪ Understanding and peace of mind.

♪ ♪ If it's not asking too much.

♪ ♪ Please send me someone to love, someone to love.

♪ ♪ Show the world, show them how to get along.

♪ ♪ Peace will enter when hate is gone.

♪ ♪ If it's not asking too much.

♪ ♪ Please send me someone to love.

♪ ♪ Please send me someone to love.

♪ ♪ Nights I lay awake and ponder world's troubles.

♪ ♪ And my answer is always the same.

♪ ♪ Unless man put an end to this damnable sin.

♪ ♪ Hate will put the world in a flame, ♪ What a shame.

♪ Just because I'm, because I'm in misery.

♪ ♪ Oh I don't beg, I don't beg for no sympathy.

♪ ♪ But if it's not asking too much.

♪ ♪ Please send me someone to love, someone to love.

♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ (song ends) [applause] - King: Thank you very much.

How about one more for our maestro there, Mr. Calvin Owens on "You Know I Love You."

Mr. Calvin Owens.

[applause] - King: The whole band is sounding good.

How about one for everybody.

Make them happy, please.

[applause] - King: All right!

As Tyrone says, Yeah!

- Yeah!

- King: Yeah!

- Yeah!

- King: That's all right with me.

(Upbeat song begins) ♪ Got my mojo working, but it just don't work on you.

♪ ♪ Got my mojo working, but it just don't work on you.

♪ ♪ I wanna love you so bad, baby ♪ ♪ I don't know what to do.

♪ ♪ Going down to Mississippi, gonna get me a mojo hand.

♪ ♪ Going down to Mississippi, gonna get me a mojo hand.

♪ ♪ I'm gonna teach my baby how to love her man.

♪ ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working, but it just won't work on you.

♪ ♪ I got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ I got my mojo working, but it just don't work on you.

♪ One more time.

♪ I got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ (Got my mojo working) ♪ I got my mojo working, ♪ Got my mojo working.

♪ Got my-- ♪ (mojo working!)

♪ I got my what?

♪ (mojo working!)

♪ But it just don't work on you.

♪ (song ends) [applause] - King: Thank you so much!

Used to be that when the preacher come over to visit, all the kids wait until the adults finished dinner on Sundays, and then the kids would go eat.

So usually when the preacher, Rev.

Archie Fair, would come to visit my uncle, I would be there.

They would always lay the guitar on the bed.

So while they went to have dinner, I then would get on the bed and fool with the guitar.

So finally they caught me one day.

And instead of scolding me, like I thought they would have done, he showed me three chords on there, and that started me to want to play: three chords.

As a matter of fact, I still use them today: one, four, and five.

And while living at the same little house with the family, I found a gentleman that had a guitar and he wanted to get rid of it.

So I asked my boss if he would get it for me.

It costs $15, and that's how much I was making a month.

I made $15 a month working there.

He said yes.

So he got it for me, and I remember paying him $7.50, which was half of my month's salary, the first month and then paid him the other one.

That's how I got my first guitar, and that's how it started.

(upbeat funky song begins) [applause] (song ends) [applause] - Show these fellas that you enjoyed it.

[applause] (slow blues song begins) (cheers) ♪ All of your affection is gone, baby.

♪ ♪ And your love is growing cold.

♪ ♪ I said, all of your affection is gone, baby.

♪ ♪ And your love is growing cold.

♪ ♪ And I've got a new story to tell you this evening, baby.

♪ ♪ One that ain't never been told.

♪ ♪ I went to work the other day.

♪ ♪ But I thought that I'd double back.

♪ ♪ And that car I saw sitting in front of my door.

♪ ♪ Looked like a brand new Cadillac.

♪ ♪ Hey.

♪ And I ain't got none now, baby.

♪ ♪ I think you've been cheating on me.

♪ ♪ I believe to my soul baby.

♪ ♪ That you've given me some outside help.

♪ ♪ That I don't think I really need.

♪ ♪ The iceman came by this morning.

♪ ♪ And you know, he didn't leave no ice.

♪ ♪ Postman came by later, baby.

♪ ♪ And he didn't even ring twice.

♪ ♪ Yeah, I think you're cheating on me, baby.

♪ ♪ I think you're running out on me.

♪ ♪ I believe to my soul baby.

♪ ♪ That you've given me some outside help.

♪ ♪ That I don't think I really need.

♪ ♪ Now, I want you to tell the iceman.

♪ ♪ The next time he'd better leave some ice.

♪ ♪ And I want you to tell the postman.

♪ ♪ He'd better ring more than twice.

♪ ♪ And when I come home from work in the morning.

♪ ♪ Better still be some groceries on the shelf.

♪ ♪ And I want you to tell that slick insurance man.

♪ ♪ That he'd better write some insurance on his self.

♪ ♪ Yes, I think you're cheating on me.

♪ ♪ I think you're running out on me.

♪ ♪ I believe to my soul baby.

♪ ♪ You've given me some help, some help.

♪ ♪ Some help, I don't really need.

♪ (song ends) [cheers and applause] - King: Thank you!

Thank you so much!

Thank you!

(grooving song begins) Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Now on this tune, we're gonna ask you to move something.

(cheers) Oh I can understand.

I can hear somebody say, "Well, I ain't got that much to shake!"

Well I say to you, don't worry about it.

I'll loan you some.

Okay now, I want you to move something.

All right, that's better.

That's much better.

The song goes:.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ ♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ Well let me hear you say it.

Don't you feel like that about somebody?

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ Well say it like you mean it!

Let's tell them about!

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ One more time for me.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ Now one more for Lucille.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ I got it right here.

♪ I walk away most every day.

♪ ♪ I don't need a love that hurts me so.

♪ ♪ But every night, you get it right.

♪ ♪ Till I'm moaning soft and low.

♪ ♪ I try and try to say goodbye.

♪ ♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ ♪ 'Cause after you, what will I do?

♪ ♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ ♪ You let me down all over town.

♪ ♪ I guess for now I should be gone.

♪ ♪ But yet here I stand still in your hand.

♪ ♪ 'Cause you're the best I've ever known.

♪ ♪ I try and try to say goodbye.

♪ ♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ ♪ 'Cause after you, what will I do?

♪ ♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ Now let me hear you.

♪ (I just can't leave your love alone.)

♪ Say it like you mean it.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ You have to, you know, you know.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ That's more like it, that's more like it.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ ♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ Aw come on, sing it.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ All right then.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ Say it loud enough.

They'll hear you.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ One more, for me.

♪ I just can't leave your love alone.

♪ All right!

( playing much softer ) Reggae it a little bit.

Can you shake something?

That's all right.

I like that.

Let me see you do that again.

Do it again.

I believe you know how to shake it, too, don't you?

I'm trying to figure out which one of those dudes over there that took my monkey over there.

(laughter) There he is, over there.

You got him.

Raise your hand.

Which one of you guys over there got my monkey?

All right, okay.

Let's do it!

(song ends) [applause] - King: Thank you!

(slow blues song begins) ♪ Thrill is gone.

♪ Thrill is gone away.

♪ Thrill is go....ne, baby.

♪ Thrill is gone away.

♪ You done me wrong, baby.

♪ ♪ And you're gonna be sorry some day.

♪ ♪ Thrill is gone.

♪ Thrill is gone away from me.

♪ ♪ Thrill is go....ne, baby.

♪ Thrill is gone away from me.

♪ ♪ Although I'll still live on.

♪ ♪ But so lonely I will be.

♪ ♪ I'm free now baby.

♪ I'm free from your spell.

♪ ♪ Free, free, free now baby.

♪ ♪ I'm free from your spell.

♪ ♪ And now that it's all over.

♪ ♪ All I can do is wish you well.

♪ It's all right.

You can shake your boogie, can't you?

One more time, now.

One more!

♪ I'm free now baby.

♪ I'm free from your spell.

♪ ♪ Free, free, free now baby.

♪ ♪ I'm free from your spell.

♪ ♪ And now that it's all over.

♪ ♪ All I can do is wish you well.

♪ Thank you!!

- Mr. B.B.

King!!

Lay it on him!

[cheers and applause] That dynamic gentleman of the Blues!

He can't hear ya!

[cheers and applause] Mr.

B.B.!

[cheers and applause] (band continues playing) Mr. B.B.

King!!

[cheers and applause] Once again, that dynamic gentleman of the Blues, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. B.B.

King!

Lay it on him!

[cheers and applause] He can't hear ya!

[cheers and applause] He can't hear ya!

[cheers and applause] He can't hear ya!

[cheers and applause] Mr. B.B.

King!

[cheers and applause] (band continues playing) [ Closed Captions by MPB ] - King: And then I think about the many kids that grew up as I did.

That if my little popularity or whatever has any meaning, so they could have something to pattern themselves after.

We would have less young people in trouble.

Then I don't think my life has been so bad.