B.B. King Changes Broken Guitar String Mid-Song at Farm Aid, 1985 and Doesn’t Miss a Beat

Last week, after we learned of the passing of B.B. King, Josh Jones highlighted some electric live performances of the blues legend — performances that put his virtuosity on full display. Yesterday, an Open Culture reader sent us a pretty amazing clip that shows what a musician King was at heart. The scene is Farm Aid, 1985, attended by a crowd of 80,000 people. The song is “How Blue Can You Get.” And the key moment comes at the 3:10 mark, when King busts a guitar string, then manages to replace it before the song finishes minutes later. All the while, he keeps the song going, never missing a beat and singing the blues. Enjoy.

If you would like to sign up for Open Culture’s free email newsletter, please find it here.

If you would like to support the mission of Open Culture, consider making a donation to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your contributions will help us continue providing the best free cultural and educational materials to learners everywhere. You can contribute through PayPal, Patreon, Venmo (@openculture) and Crypto. Thanks!

via Guitar Player

Related Content:

The Thrill is Gone: See B.B. King Play in Two Electric Live Performances

B.B. King Explains in an Animated Video Whether You Need to Endure Hardship to Play the Blues

Chuck Berry Takes Keith Richards to School, Shows Him How to Rock (1987)


by | Permalink | Comments (3) |

Support Open Culture

We’re hoping to rely on our loyal readers rather than erratic ads. To support Open Culture’s educational mission, please consider making a donation. We accept PayPal, Venmo (@openculture), Patreon and Crypto! Please find all options here. We thank you!


Comments (3)
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Quantcast
Open Culture was founded by Dan Colman.