B.B. King: The Montreux Years Out Nov 20 via BMG

LONDON WEDNESDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER - On what would have been his 101st birthday, B.B. King joins the prestigious Montreux Years series with 'B.B. King: The Montreux Years', a collection of never-before-heard live recordings from the King of the Blues. Released via BMG on 20 November, it draws from nine of King's 23 appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival over four decades, showcasing recordings from selected performances spanning 1982 to 2000. The CD and digital formats feature all nine appearances, while the vinyl edition includes recordings from eight festival shows.

Available on 2LP vinyl with printed inner sleeves, 2CD digisleeve with booklet, and HD digital formats, 'B.B. King: Every recording has been meticulously restored and newly mastered from the original tapes by Tony Cousins at Metropolis Studios. Making their official release debut, all but one of the recordings in this collection are previously unreleased.

The first single "Early in the Mornin' ", is out today. Recorded at King's 2000 Montreux concert, it’s a tribute to one of his great musical idols Louis Jordan and is accompanied by an official clip featuring an excerpt from B.B.’s 2000 performance.

LISTEN & WATCH ‘EARLY IN THE MORNIN’ HERE

PREORDER & PRESAVE THE ALBUM HERE

Created in close collaboration with the B.B. King Estate and the Montreux Jazz Festival team, under licence from Montreux Sounds, the collection features striking new artwork, rare and previously unseen photography, and specially commissioned liner notes by award-winning writer, journalist and B.B. King biographer Daniel de Visé, assisted by long-term B.B. King Bassist Michael Doster.

Born Riley B. King in Itta Bena, Mississippi on September 16, 1925, B.B. King became the most celebrated blues musician in the world, and the man who helped bring the blues from the juke joints to the global stage. With his guitar Lucille and unmistakable voice, he defined the modern blues and profoundly influenced Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. For more than half a century he played upwards of 200 shows a year, and along the way collected fifteen GRAMMY Awards, a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and inductions into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame.

Over the decades, B.B. King made the Montreux Jazz Festival his own, returning at the personal invitation of festival founder and friend Claude Nobs, and the recordings on 'B.B. King: The Montreux Years' capture him in full command. The album captures a compelling glimpse of his festival run, from the Casino Montreux years of the 1980s to the Auditorium Stravinski in the 1990s and 2000, with tracks including "Guess Who" from his 1982 appearance, "Rock Me Baby" from 1984, a swaggering "Caldonia" from 1987 and a 1990 performance of "The Thrill Is Gone". Later years at the Auditorium Stravinski bring "All Over Again", "Blues Boys Tune" and a slow-burning "Stormy Monday" from 1995, alongside "Early in the Mornin'" from his 2000 Montreux appearance. The 2CD and HD digital editions add four further recordings, including a closing "Let The Good Times Roll" from 1991.

Launched in 2021, ‘The Montreux Years’ embodies the legacy of the Festival’s founder, who refused to compromise on quality. Until his passing in January 2013, he assembled the Claude Nobs Collection of the Montreux Jazz Festival — more than 4,000 live concert recordings between 1967 and 2012, owned by Montreux Sounds. Inscribed in 2013 on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, the Collection is curated by the Claude Nobs Foundation, founded and chaired by Thierry Amsallem, in partnership with EPFL's Cultural Heritage and Innovation Centre.

'B.B. King: The Montreux Years' follows collections from Nina Simone and Etta James, which launched the series, and subsequent releases from Marianne Faithfull, Muddy Waters, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Monty Alexander, Paco de Lucía, Michel Petrucciani, Dr. John, McCoy Tyner, the Modern Jazz Quartet and, most recently, Roberta Flack. Mastering for the series is by Tony Cousins at London's Metropolis Studios. 'Nina Simone: The Montreux Years' reached Number 1 twice on the UK Official Jazz & Blues Chart in 2021 and was acclaimed by the likes of the New York Times.

Tracklisting:

2LP

Side A

1. All Over Again (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 1993)*
2. Ain't Nobody Home (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)
3. Blues Boys Tune (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 1995)

Side B

1. Blues In A (Live at Casino Montreux 1989)
2. The Thrill Is Gone (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)
3. When It All Comes Down (I'll Still Be Around) (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)

Side C

1. Early In The Mornin' (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 2000)
2. Caldonia (Live at Casino Montreux 1987)
3. Guess Who (Live at Casino Montreux 1982)

Side D

1. Rock Me Baby (Live at Casino Montreux 1984)
2. Stormy Monday (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 1995)

2CD

CD One

1. All Over Again (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 1993)*
2. Ain't Nobody Home (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)
3. Blues Boys Tune (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 1995)
4. Blues In A (Live at Casino Montreux 1989)
5. The Thrill Is Gone (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)
6. When It All Comes Down (I'll Still Be Around) (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)
7. You Know I Love You (Live at Casino Montreux 1989)**

CD Two

1. Early In The Mornin' (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 2000)
2. Caldonia (Live at Casino Montreux 1987)
3. Guess Who (Live at Casino Montreux 1982)
4. Rock Me Baby (Live at Casino Montreux 1984)
5. Stormy Monday (Live at Auditorium Stravinski 1995)
6. Into The Night (Live at Casino Montreux 1991)**
7. Go On (Live at Casino Montreux 1990)**
8. Let The Good Times Roll (Live at Casino Montreux 1991)**

HD Digital: tracklisting as per 2CD

* Previously released ** 2CD and HD digital only