B.B. King Puts On Royal Show

For lack of a better comparison, you could call it Blues-A-Palooza.

In the tradition of the traveling music festival, B.B. King arrives at The Gorge Saturday, playing ringmaster to a lineup of some of the country’s greatest blues artists.

The B.B. King Blues Festival stops in 43 cities and features a rotating cast of musicians. When it pulls up to the Columbia River overlook at The Gorge - its second stop - the lineup will run as follows: Storyville, Neville Brothers, Dr. John and B.B. King.

In many ways, King lives up to his last name. For he is among the reigning royalty of modern blues, a musician whose love for the music has kept him performing even at 72. And it’s not just an occasional show by the old master. With his trademark Gibson guitar - nicknamed Lucille - in hand, King still averages 275 concerts a year.

It is this dedication and his distinctive playing style in which he bends the guitar notes into a near-human voice that has made King not only an icon, but an example. King has influenced many a musician - Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger among them.

Clapton and Jagger also list Blues Festival performer Dr. John among their influences. Also known as “The Night Tripper,” this spirited pianist/ guitarist has performed his mix of blues, funk, Creole and swamp rock since the 1960s.

John, who was born in New Orleans and began playing piano at the age of 6, worked with likes of Sonny & Cher, Frank Zappa and Phil Spector during the 1960s. He joins King not only on the Blues Festival but also on King’s latest album “Deuces Wild.”

The Neville brothers - Aaron, Art, Cyril and Charles - also hail from Dr. John’s home of New Orleans. And like John, they too have spent multiple decades brewing up their own special blend of musical styles. R&B, reggae, jazz and Zydeco all turn up in the mix with Art, Aaron and Cyril sharing lead vocals and Charles on saxophone, flute and percussion.

And although the four-man band Storyville isn’t from New Orleans, their name is. Storyville is a section of New Orleans known for its tendency to foster both vice and musical inspiration.

The band Storyville (which hails from Austin, Texas) finds its inspiration in a mix of blues and rock and then tosses in bits of soul and funk. The players have spent time working with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mellencamp and Joe Ely.

B.B. King Blues Festival The B.B. King Blues Festival with B.B. King, Dr. John, the Neville Brothers and Storyville begins Saturday at 6 p.m. at The Gorge. Tickets are $53, $42.50 and $32, available through Ticketmaster only.