Ask a roomful of blues fans to name their favourite live B.B. King album, or, indeed their favourite live blues album and most votes would swing towards Live At The Regal. While King’s 1964 recording is an undisputed classic, 1971’s Live In Cook County Jail is a close contender for the top spot, if only for its rousing rendition of “How Blue Can You Get”.
Recorded at Chicago’s Cook County Jail to an audience of lively inmates and prison staff, B.B. and his band are on top form as they open the set with the hyper-energetic shuffle of “Every Day I Have The Blues”. The record features one of King’s best recorded performances of the slow blues, “Worry, Worry” and a chilling version of “The Thrill Is Gone”. Essential listening!