B.B. King & Friends — A Blues Session, Los Angeles, 1987

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Why this recording

The Ebony Showcase Theatre in Los Angeles, 15 April 1987: the description gives a precise date and place for this line-up, under copyright to K. E. Enterprises and Ken Ehrlich. Each song is matched with its guests, which turns it into a map of the evening: The Thrill Is Gone brings together Eric Clapton and Phil Collins at 11:18, and The Sky Is Crying pairs Stevie Ray Vaughan with Albert King at 28:15. Etta James returns on four songs, from I'd Rather Go Blind to Ain't Nobody's Business. The standard-definition video carries a dedication to the memory of Paul Butterfield.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelFaulFerkel
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionSD
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

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Published on August 29, 2026 by Simon Janvier

Capture of the all-star jam « B.B. King & Friends: A Blues Session », recorded in Los Angeles in April 1987 and broadcast on Cinemax. The king of the blues gathers an exceptional line-up for a multi-song filmed live concert straddling blues, rock, soul and gospel. Around B.B. King and his guitar Lucille appear Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Phil Collins, Dr. John, Etta James, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and harmonica player Paul Butterfield — filmed here just weeks before his death. The programme runs through classics such as « The Thrill Is Gone », « I’d Rather Go Blind », « In the Midnight Hour » and the closing gospel « Take My Hand, Precious Lord ». This historic document captures a generation of legends gathered on one stage, in the spirit of the great blues jam sessions. An essential full concert for lovers of electric blues and unlikely encounters.

Setlist

  1. Why I Sing the Blues
  2. Please Send Me Someone to Love
  3. The Thrill Is Gone
  4. I'd Rather Go Blind
  5. When Something Is Wrong with My Baby
  6. The Sky Is Crying
  7. Something's Got a Hold on Me
  8. In the Midnight Hour
  9. Ain't Nobody's Business
  10. Let the Good Times Roll
  11. Take My Hand, Precious Lord

Personnel & credits

  • B.B. King — vocals, guitar (host)
  • Eric Clapton — guitar
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan — guitar
  • Albert King — guitar
  • Phil Collins — drums, vocals
  • Dr. John — piano, vocals
  • Etta James — vocals
  • Chaka Khan — vocals
  • Gladys Knight — vocals
  • Paul Butterfield — harmonica
  • Billy Ocean — vocals
Category

What to watch next

Neither B.B. King & Friends nor Los Angeles, États-Unis — « A Blues Session » (Cinemax) appears elsewhere in the catalogue: what follows rests on the ground itself, Blues from the 1980s.

Same ground: Blues, the 1980s

The whole Blues catalogue