My Conversation with B.B. King
I had a chance to talk to B.B. King in his tour bus after one of his shows. He asked me if I thought he would make it. I laughed and told him that I thought I should be the one asking that question. He said, "Sure you will make it: you are young and have lots of time, but I'm old and just starting to like the way I'm playing now. I don't have a lot of time left to make it." For B.B .KIng "making it" did not mean selling records and making a lot of money; for B.B. KIng "making it" meant being able to play in a way that was as compelling as he could imagine. BB King was a lifelong learner. Maybe being just a little discontent with one's playing is a good thing. I wonder if he ever felt as though he made it.