The Thrill Is Gone

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"The Thrill is Gone" is a blues song written by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins in 1951 and popularized by B. B. King in 1970. The song was first recorded by Hawkins and became a minor hit for the musician. King recorded his version of the song in June 1969 for his album Completely Well, released the same year. The song's polished production and use of strings marked a departure from both the original song and King's previous material. When released as a single in December of 1969, the song became the biggest hit of King's career (#3 R&B / #15 Pop) and his signature song. B. B. King's recording earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998. Memorable live versions of the song were included on King's albums Live in Cook County Jail (1971) and Live at San Quentin (1991). King's version of the song was placed at number 183 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs ever.

The song has been covered by numerous artists since B. B. King's hit version, including Luther Allison (1979), Dishwalla (1995), Aretha Franklin (1970), Little Milton (1973), Willie Nelson (2000), Stan Webb (1973), Buckethead (2004), Steven Brown (Half Out, 1991), the Eric Steckel Band (Havana, 2006), and Leslie West (Got Blooze, 2005).

It was sampled in the song Magic Stick by Lil' Kim and 50 Cent in 2003 on the album La Bella Mafia.

Audio sample

Chart performance

Roy Hawkins version

Year	Chart	Position
1951	Billboard Black Singles	#6

B. B. King version

Year	Chart	Position
1970	Billboard Black Singles	#3
1970	Billboard Pop Singles	#15

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Last updated on Sunday March 02, 2008 at 15:35:31 PST (GMT -0800)
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