Rolling Stone Australia — July 2017

SEPTEMBER 10, 1970

COOK COUNTY JAIL

¥B.B. KING WASplayingaregular

club gig on Chicago’s Rush Street

inthelateSixtieswhenhewas

invitedtodoashowatthelocal

Cook County Jail. “I knew the in-

mates would enjoy it,” said war-

den Clarence English. “And that

wouldbesomethingthey’dbebe-

holdentous....Ifyougiveextra

ice cream or let them stay up late

atnight,[they]don’tfightandde-

stroyeachother.”

King’s new manager, Sid Se-

idenberg – who was helping King

scoreacareerresurgencebybook-

ing him at venues like the Fill-

more West – saw an opportuni-

ty. He told King to take the gig,

and invited press and a recording

engineer for a future live album

(JohnnyCashhadreleasedthe

successfulAt Folsom Prisontwo

yearsearlier).Butwhatbeganasa

commercial move became some-

thing much deeper. “I couldn’t

help but feel the oppression,” King

said later. “My heart was heavy

with feeling for the guys behind

bars.”Withafullbigbandbehind

him,Kingbeltedburningtakeson

“Every Day I Have the Blues” and

“How Blue Can You Get?” with a

fury the loud assembly evident-

ly connected with. The inmates

booedwhenhetookthestage,but

by the end they were hypnotised.

The show was released on 1971’s

Live at Cook County Jail,adoc-

umentofanelectric-bluesmaster

at the top of his game.

“There were tears in people’s

eyes,”Englishrecalled.“Inmine,

too.” WILL HERMES

¥WHENPROMOTERBill Graham booked the Queen of Soul for his San Francisco venue for three

nights in March 1971, no one was certain the matchup would work, including Aretha Frank-

linherself.“Iwasn’tsurehowthehippiesreactedtome,”shesaid.AsFranklin’sdrummerBer-

nard Purdie recalls, “She’d been doing what you’d call Vegas-type shows. But this was a whole

different audience.” No one needed to worry. With saxman King Curtis leading a band that in-

cluded Billy Preston on organ, Franklin remade pop and rock classics in her own image – turn-

ingSimonandGarfunkel’s“BridgeOverTroubledWater”intocall-and-responsegospeland

reworking“EleanorRigby”asafunkystomp.Theweekendofshows(portionsofwhichwere

releasedafewmonthslaterasLive at Fillmore West) had an appropriately glorious finale: On

thelastnight,FranklinpulledRayCharlesoutofthecrowd.Thoughthey’djustmetthatday,

the two traded piano and vocal parts on an epic 19-minute version of “Spirit in the Dark”. “She

turnedthethingintochurch,”Charlessaidlater.“Imean,she’sonfire.” DAVID BROWNE

ARETHA FRANKLIN

MARCH5-7,1971 FILLMORE WEST

B.B.KING

July, 2017

FROM LEFT: © JIM MARSHALL PHOTOGRAPHY LLC.; GETTY IMAGES

Franklin and

Ray Charles

in 1971

B.B.

King,

1971