B.B. King – Singin’ The Blues

“Pure Pleasure Records has maintained the grainy tone of the original mono recordings. But King’s passionate singing and vibrato-laced guitar work is preserved. Singin’ The Blues is more than an album…it is an historical document!” 4.5/5 — Robbie Gerson, Audiophile Audition

Re-mastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London. Singin’ The Blues was released as Crown 5020 in spring 1957 and featured some of B.B. King’s best-loved songs up to that point. The LP included four No. 1 rhythm and blues hits: “3 O’Clock Blues” and “You Know I Love You” (1952), “Please Love Me” (1953) and “You Upset Me Baby” (1954); four other top ten hits; plus “Blind Love” from 1953 and covers of Tampa Red’s “Crying Won’t Help You” (1955) and Gatemouth Moore’s “Did You Ever Love A Woman” from 1956. To fill out the album, a superior alternate take of “Sweet Little Angel” was included. As John Broven observes in his notes: “In 1957 Singin’ The Blues gave the first real indication that B.B. King was destined to be a major star.” 180-gram LP, one standard sleeve.