"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 Hawkins and became a minor hit for the musician. 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 of 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.
The thrill is gone Paul Butterfield-zang/harp
Paul Butterfield (17 december 1942 – 4 mei 1987) was een Amerikaans bluesmuzikant en een van de meest innovatieve mondharmonica spelers van de Chicago Blues stijl. Paul Butterfield is geïnspireerd door Muddy Waters. Andere muzikanten die zijn stijl hebben beïnvloed waren Little Walter en James Cotton. Hij is oprichter van de Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Ricky Sebastian - drums
Ricky Sebastian is one of the premier musicians and music instructors in the world today. Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, he started taking drum lessons at the age of eight and excelled at an amazing rate due to the tutelage of two great band directors: Carl DeLeo and Carl Schexnayder. Ricky spent years as the section leader for the drum line in every school he attended into college. He also started piano studies at the age of 14. He attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana on a full scholarship and later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a partial scholarship. Ricky returned to New Orleans in 1976 and started working professionally with all the great musicians in every musical genre that the city had to offer. In the next six years, he gained experience playing different styles of music such as Jazz, Afro-Cuban, Traditional New Orleans music, Carnival music, Brazilian, Reggea, Calypso, Funk, Rock, R&B, Cajun, and Zydeco. After exhausting his musical possibilities in New Orleans, Ricky decided to move to New York City in 1983 as most of his musical idols lived there. Over the following 18 years, Ricky built a career as an in demand recording and touring artist with a who’s who in Jazz, Latin, Brazilian, Funk, New Orleans and Louisiana music, Fusion, and the list goes on. He moved back to New Orleans in 1998 and was the head percussion instructor at the University of New Orleans under the direction of Ellis Marsalis.
Frank Gravis - bass guitar
Frank Gravis hails from San Antonio, Texas, and has been living in New York City since 1977. As a bassist, he's played and recorded with David Sanborn, Herbie Mann, Rupert Holmes (including the hit "Escape: The Pina Colada Song"), Donna Summer, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Ray Baretto, Suzanne Vega, Zhane, Brazilian guitarist Toninho Horta, Dr. John, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Peter Duchin, Angelo Badalamenti and others. Frank is a busy session bassist and also works as a singer and voiceover artist.
Danny Draher - guitar
Danny Draher, New York Blues & Jazz Society's Best Band Winner 2004 - is a guitarist, singer, musical director, consultant and producer. Born in Indianapolis, he heard the fascinating sounds of Wes Montgomery, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Elvis. He started playing piano and bass at a young age, then switched to the guitar and soon moved to Chicago. By age fourteen, Danny was performing at parties with local bands and began his professional life as a guitarist with Otis Rush and Buddy Guy at the Checkerboard Lounge. He recorded his first album with the Bob Reidy Band on Flying Fish Records at the legendary Chess Studios. He left Chicago and toured nationally with many popular,'top 40', rock, rhythm and blues bands.
