BB King's vocal phrasing is the key to his blues guitar phrasing. Mike Welch understood this early, and it changed everything about how he approached BB's style.
BB King changed Robben Ford's life in a single night. Ford was around 16 years old when he caught BB King live at the Fillmore Auditorium, opening for the Electric Flag.
Slow blues is the ultimate honesty test for a guitarist. There is nowhere to hide. Every note choice is exposed, and every moment of silence either speaks or falls flat.