Bar Room Blues is an exclusive series of video guitar lessons by Steve “Red” Lasner covering classic blues songs from historically great guitarists like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, and many others. A new lesson will be released each week, so be sure to subscribe and check back often! Also, if you want more guitar lessons like these, be sure to check out Red’s Guitar Sherpa class.
“The Thrill Is Gone” is a blues song written by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins in 1951 and popularized by B.B. King in 1970. The song was first recorded by Roy Hawkins, its co-author, and became a minor hit for the musician. B.B. King recorded his version of the song in June 1969 for his album Completely Well, released the same year. The song’s polished production and use of strings marked a departure from both the original song and King’s previous material. When released as a single in December 1969, the song became the biggest hit of King’s career (#3 R&B / #15 Pop) and his signature song. B. B. King’s recording earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998. King’s version of the song was also placed at number 183 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest songs ever. Memorable live versions of the song were included on King’s albums Live in Cook County Jail (1971), Bobby Bland and B.B. King Together Again…Live (1976), and Live at San Quentin (1991).
Read on for the full guitar lesson including video, tab, and jam tracks…
Guitar Lesson
Check out the tab and jam track below, and give this bar room blues song a try yourself!
Tab
Jam Track
Bar Room Blues is an exclusive series of video guitar lessons by Steve “Red” Lasner covering classic blues songs from historically great guitarists like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, and many others. A new lesson will be released each week, so be sure to subscribe and check back often! Also, if you want more guitar lessons like these, be sure to check out Red’s Guitar Sherpa class.