The Thrill Is Gone

B.B. King had been performing this obscure 1951 Roy Hawkins tune for years before bringing it into the studio in 1969. Producer Bill Szymczyk made a highly controversial decision for a blues record: he overdubbed a sweeping, melancholic section of classical strings over King's tight rhythm track. The gamble paid off brilliantly. The lush orchestration perfectly framed King's soaring vocals and the stinging, weeping single-note solos ringing out of his guitar, "Lucille." It became King's biggest crossover pop hit, earning him a Grammy and moving the blues out of the chitlin' circuit and onto the stadium stage.