(October 6, 2025) It is a couple of legends paying tribute to another legend. The great B.B. King would have turned 100 this year, and a celebration of the blues great is being led by guitarist Joe Bonamassa, who will be releasing an album of 32 all-star collaborations in monthly installments through February 2026. B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 features over two dozen music icons ranging from Buddy Guy to Slash to Michael McDonald, with some of the greatest guitarists in the world participating.
Brand new this week from the collection is a collaboration with George Benson, who both plays the guitar and sings. And this isn’t the smooth jazzy vocal of “This Masquerade” or “Turn Your Love Around” – here Benson gets down and dirty with gruff, bluesy performance that is as surprising as it is effective. “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere” was a Doc Pomus/Dr. John composition that became the title track of King’s hit 1981 album, and the new version is a faithful cover that both shines in its own right and reminds us of how great the original was.
B.B. King fans will continue to enjoy the monthly sneak peeks from the upcoming tribute album, but for right now we’re going to settle back with this one, a great end-of-summer jam that does all of the participants proud.
By Chris Rizik
