Thanks for posting, BklynBlue. So appropriate here seeing how big an influence King's playing was on Peter Green.
In reading some of the articles and posts by various people on the web today, it's sad how little most of the writers know about the blues. Of the articles I've read so far, many mention (mostly white) guitarists influenced by King, though I've yet to read any that mention Green among them - though several articles mention guitarists whose playing showed far less if any direct influence from B.B. King's style. As you mention, King (and Eric Clapton) are about the only musicians associated with the blues that most people know, and I'm sure few of those who know the name are familiar with King's music - perhaps they've heard "The Thrill Is Gone" but that's probably it.
It's also sad for me to think that this could well mark the end of an era for blues. Since the 1960s, other than a brief revival of interest in the 1980s with people like Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a couple of others (perhaps Albert Collins and George Thorogood), it seems like the blues may be a musical form that is continuing to slide from relevance. Its impact on rock and jazz is undeniable, but I wonder how many people understand or care about that impact and where it came from?
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