“Every lick he plays sounds perfect, like it’s etched in stone. But I’m sure that he simply improvised everything”: How to play B.B. King’s greatest song (with some help from Joe Bonamassa)

When putting the tracks together for B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 – my band’s two-disc, 32-track tribute to B.B. King in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday, on September 16, 2025 – we knew that the most essential track would be The Thrill Is Gone.

B.B. originally recorded this song back in 1969 for the Completely Well album, and it immediately became his signature tune and the most successful record of his career.

The Thrill Is Gone is so iconic, in fact, that no one wanted to cover it! I felt that I had two choices: one would have been to approach a young, budding blues artist with no fear about tackling the beast!

Luckily enough, we were able to get Chaka Khan for vocals and Eric Clapton for guitar. They are the crown jewels, two of music’s greatest icons, paying tribute to an icon.

When I listen to B.B.’s original version of The Thrill Is Gone, one of the most striking things is that every lick he plays sounds perfect, like it’s etched in stone. But I’m sure that he simply improvised everything you hear on the track right off the top of his head.

Joe Bonamassa: Here's what makes B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” so stunning - YouTube

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The eternal question is always, “How do I get into the tune?” For B.B., the answer is as simple as the riff shown Figure 1, which is along the lines of what’s heard on the record.

The phrase is based on B minor pentatonic (B, D, E, F#, A), with the 2nd, or 9th, C#, added here and there, as well as the major 7th, A#, when playing over the F#7 chord in bar 9. And the stabs on the high B note in bar 6 are elemental to B.B.’s signature style.

This figure is indicative of B.B.’s purely melodic and effortless approach, which is almost like jazz. His lines are so strong that they’re melodies unto themselves. Along with his distinctive touch, tone and phrasing, his solo lines are as integral to the tune as the chords and lyrics.

This is borne out by the fact that any time The Thrill Is Gone is covered, the guitar player will “quote” B.B. with a phrase like Figure 2. What you hear are long, sustained notes with heavy vibrato, followed by elegant melodic phrases.

When you listen to the great masters of this craft – B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Albert King – you realize that these phrases just flow naturally. There’s no thought involved. I very much doubt B.B. sat there and worked out a phrase like Figure 3.

On the recording, B.B. used a very clean tone, like a Fender Twin that’s barely turned up. Figure 4 is meant to be played in a subtle and delicate way. There’s no sustain coming from the amp, but there’s so much feel.

You can hear the tactility of his fingers, and you should aim for that feeling and mindset when playing a phrase like Figure 5. Notice the use of pull-offs, slides and quarter- and half-step bends, all of which make the lines that much more vocal-like.

The Thrill Is Gone is not just a beautiful piece of music, it’s a track that features some of B.B’s most iconic playing on that particular take. He never played the song the same way twice, but every version illustrates his brilliance as a true blues master.

• B.B. King's Blues Summit 100 is out now via KTBA Records.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.