# Happy birthday, B.B. King! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981 "2013-09-16T16:19:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/1 "2013-09-16T16:19:30Z")
He was born Sept. 16, 1925, making him a year younger than Lauren Bacall. [“Key to the Highway”](http://bit.ly/1972mjg) ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/2 "2013-09-16T16:23:41Z")
He’s so cool. My son got to meet him when he (my son) was about 14. Not sure I have pictures to post but I’ll look. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/3 "2013-09-16T16:35:19Z")
I’ve only seen him live once. Hell of a showman. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/4 "2013-09-16T16:42:27Z")
I’ve seen him a couple of times, years ago, and he was great both times. Unfortunately, from what I’ve read here (and confirmed by my brother at recent gig w/Frampton), BB has taken to playing very little and spends most of the time talking at his shows. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/5 "2013-09-16T16:54:20Z")
He’s 89. I’m willing to cut him some slack. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/6 "2013-09-16T16:58:08Z")
If you’re unable to play the guitar and just do a sing along of You Are My Sunshine, then retire. It’s completely unethical to pretend like you’re an act and then charge so much money. Might as well have been a corpse. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/7 "2013-09-16T17:06:35Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > If you’re unable to play the guitar and just do a sing along of You Are My Sunshine, then retire. It’s completely unethical to pretend like you’re an act and then charge so much money. Might as well have been a corpse. I’ve seen him play many times over the years. The man is a living legend and I’d buy a ticket just to hear him reminisce. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/8 "2013-09-16T17:16:01Z")
Fine, then market it as bb king super fun story time. Don’t call it a concert when it’s a meat sack slumped over in a chair while his band half heartedly plays the thrill is gone for two minutes. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/9 "2013-09-16T17:20:42Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Fine, then market it as bb king super fun story time. Don’t call it a concert when it’s a meat sack slumped over in a chair while his band half heartedly plays the thrill is gone for two minutes. When I’ve seen BB play recently, everyone I knew who purchased a ticket was well aware of his physical limitations. Sure, some idiots in the audience might have been unaware, but fuck those asswipes. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/10 "2013-09-16T17:21:43Z")
Both of you, dial it way back – we’re in Cafe Society, not the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/11 "2013-09-16T17:32:17Z")
We saw him a few years back, and he was still playing. The set was short, but worth seeing. Same thing happened with Oscar Peterson. The man could hardly walk, and his set was very short, but it was totally worth it to see him play before he died. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/12 "2013-09-16T17:34:06Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Both of you, dial it way back – we’re in Cafe Society, not the Pit. Both? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/13 "2013-09-16T17:38:10Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Both? Yes, the other one being you. You’re allowed to express contrary opinions in a birthday celebration, but referring to the person in question as meat sack who might as well have been a corpse is getting damned close to threadshitting. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/14 "2013-09-16T17:40:04Z")
Close? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/15 "2013-09-16T17:42:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Close? You knock it off too. I really would like this argument to just end. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/16 "2013-09-16T17:45:33Z")
Sorry mom. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/17 "2013-09-16T17:48:18Z")
Sorry **T** , just felt like a friend needed defending. [Guess it’s a stormy Monday.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVGu0visDbE) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/18 "2013-09-16T18:34:13Z")
Happy birthday, King. I suppose at his age, he’s glad he woke up this morning. \* - Joke - the stereotypical blues song starts out, “Woke up this morning…” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/19 "2013-09-16T18:43:25Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Happy birthday, King. I suppose at his age, he’s glad he woke up this morning. \* > > - Joke - the stereotypical blues song starts out, “Woke up this morning…” Probably most famously in Chains and Things by… BB King. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981/20 "2013-09-16T20:58:21Z")
Damn, I saw him back in the 80s and he already seemed old! Of course, my perspective has changed a bit since then. :). Happy birthday BB. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-b-b-king/668981.md?page=2)