Better Not Look Down

My dad had introduced me to, uh, Mr. King's music as a child We were sitting on the couch watching Sanford and Son And there was an episode where Mr. King made a cameo, uh, which happens to be Something that I've kept with me, uh, this whole journey of mine I even got a chance to meet him, uh, when I was in seventh grade He's always been an inspiration and influence on what I do, and And I'm very happy to be a part of this project for sure. Thank you And my name is Bobby Rush Salute to my friend B.B. King The late B.B. King, that is A man that I looked up to all my life, an old man myself Salute to B.B. King Ha-ha, my father of the blues I'm remembering you, B, you know that I can't do it like you, but I can try Ain't nothing wrong with that I first met B.B. King on May 24th, 1990 Little did I know, meeting my idol on that day would change my life His generosity with his stage, his music, and his advice Is something I will never forget God bless B.B. King Look out, now Here I come You better not look down If you wanna keep on fighting Put the hammer down Keep it full speed ahead Boy, you better not look back Or you might just wind up crying You can keep on moving If you don't look down I first became aware of B.B. King's music when I was really young I had not yet started playing guitar, but I had started singing But I heard B.B. King, and I heard that voice before I became infatuated with guitar His voice just really hit me hard And then I guess the first time I saw him, I was about, 18 or 19 I went to a little club called PB Scott's in Blowing Rock, North Carolina And we got to meet him, and he gave me a guitar pick And it said "B.B. King" on it, and I carried it in my pocket for years B.B. King's been a part of my soundtrack of my entire life As far back as I can remember The first B.B. King album that I had to get my hands on was Alive at the Regal Theater So, the first time I met B.B., I was 15 years old We had the opening slot, so it was us and then, Bo Diddley, and then B.B. was the headliner And so, the last show was my sixteenth birthday I mean, they said, "Mr. King would like to come, would like for you to come talk to him?" And so I walked in, and he was changing clothes He had, like, no shirt on, he was, like, dropping his pants And I was like, "Oh, I'm sorry, they told me you wanted me to come in here" He was like, "No, come on in, son, have a seat You're one of the guys now, you're one of the men" The first time I got a chance to meet B.B. I was actually going out on tour with him, and he was just incredibly kind He was very gracious with, with his time, and giving me really good advice And I remember me one day asking him to marry me And he just smiled, and he blushed, and he never gave me an answer And then later on, he told everybody that he asked me to marry him And I said he was too old, too ugly, and didn't have enough money None of that was true, I'm still laughing about that You better not look down If you wanna keep on fighting Put the hammer down Keep it full speed ahead Boy, you better not look back Or you might just wind up crying You can keep on moving If you don't look down Well, let me see I met B.B. King in probably 1972 or three While out on the road with Papa John Creach Did a show with B.B. King and the Average White Band That's when I met him, but I've been listening to B.B. King my whole life Hey there, man, this is Eric Gales Recalling the moment that I was turned on to B.B. King for the first time I never will forget, man, my brother playing stuff around the house It probably was "The Thrill Is Gone" or something to that magnitude And I just remember my jaw hitting the floor and saying, "Wow, who is that? That tone and that vibrato, man" And the sound of his voice was just so full of soul and, and, and heart And I never will forget it, man He is definitely one that still is a part of who I am today And, uh, I'm so glad that I was turned on to B.B. King Interestingly enough, the first B.B. King song I ever heard was "Three O'Clock Blues" And I was stunned by the vocal It was both foreign and familiar So I considered it a great honor to be asked to sing this song Man, this is Larry McCray, and I remember the first time I heard B.B. King and really connected Was when I was a little bitty boy I fell in love with the song, "Why I Sing the Blues" and "Nobody Loved Me But My Mother" I must have been about five or six years old, and it left such an impression on me That I never lost the heart and the soul and the spirit of B.B. King I've carried it with me my whole life You better not look down If you wanna keep on fighting Put the hammer down Keep it full speed ahead Better not look back Or you might just wind up crying You can keep on moving If you don't look down I saw B.B. King only one time, but it was so impactful And it stuck with me and has for my entire life I saw him at the Peace Center in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina And I remember we were in the last row of the mezzanine And I could lean my head against the back wall, but there was not a bad seat in the house And this was towards the end of B.B.'s career and towards the end of his life And he played and performed for us with the energy of a young man And I was so appreciative of that show and so appreciative of that man in every regard, and I'm so thankful I went to go see B.B. King and Albert King at the Parmesan Winery And uh, it was fantastic. B.B. King was, was incredible Both of them were great, and uh, my pilot that took me to the gig He was a photographer, so he knew B.B. and stuff So he went back there and mentioned that I was coming, and he made a big deal out of it So B.B. introduced me during the middle of the set I think he said, "There's a, there's a young man here, and I, I'm thinking it's Carlos Santana or something," and it was me The first time I heard B.B. King Childhood friend of mine, Alan Wentz, he was putting together a band And he knew a lot about the blues He was a little older than me and he played me the album "To Know You Is To Love You" And it really knocked me out, like being hit by a falling tree Now I say, you better not look down If you want to keep on fighting Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead Boy, you better not look back Or you might just wind up crying You can keep on moving if you don't look down Hey, better not look down If you want to keep on fighting Put the hammer down (don't you dare look back) Keep it full speed ahead (don't look back) You better not look back (ooh, ooh, ooh) Or you might just wind up crying You can keep on moving if you don't look down (oh, yeah) Better not look down (don't look back) If you want to keep on fighting (don't look back) Put the hammer down (keep your eyes on the prize) Keep it full speed ahead (keep your eyes forward) You better not look back (oh) Or you might just wind up crying