Listening Assignment No. 9

Thus you're ninth listening assignment.  This week we'll be looking at Blues legend B.B. King.  

Rolling Stone magazine ranked B.B. King at No. 6 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time and he was ranked No. 17 in Gibson's Top 50 Guitarists of All Time. It has been said: B.B. King "introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed." King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname 'The King of Blues', and one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King). He is also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career appearing at 250-300 concerts per year until his seventies. At the age of 87 King appears at 100 shows a year.

This week we'll be listening to "The Trill is Gone" by B.B. King.

Click Here To Listen To The Thrill Is Gone

Listen to the song and answer the following questions. You can answer these questions by posting in the comments section of the post, by e-mailing me at aguilmette@wsd1.org or by writing them down and giving me your responses in class.

1. Name the artist and the song name.
2. List the instruments you hear.
3. Is it a solo, duet, small group or large group?
4. What does this song remind you of? (Sights, sounds, smells, etc.)
5a) Do you like this song?
5b) Please give a musical reason why or why not?

Listening Assignment No. 8

This is your eighth Listening Assignment and second one for this term.  This week we are looking at the great John Lee Hooker.  John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001) was a highly influential American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally a unique brand of country blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark. Though similar to the early Delta blues, his music was metrically free. John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his blues guitar playing and singing. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen'" (1948), "I'm in the Mood" (1951) and "Boom Boom" (1962), the first two reaching R&B #1 in the Billboard charts.  This week we'll be listening to Boogie Chillen.

Click Here to Listen To Boogie Chillen

Listen to the song and answer the following questions. You can answer these questions by posting in the comments section of the post, by e-mailing me at aguilmette@wsd1.org or by writing them down and giving me your responses in class.

1. Name the artist and the song name.
2. List the instruments you hear.
3. Is it a solo, duet, small group or large group?
4. What does this song remind you of? (Sights, sounds, smells, etc.)
5a) Do you like this song?
5b) Please give a musical reason why or why not?