The day William Shatner reached out to his musical hero’s daughter
Credit: Far Out / Alamy
For folks of a sure classic, getting a seal of approval from Captain Kirk himself is simply concerning the highest honor an individual can obtain. Luckily, then, William Shatner you may have all the time worn his coronary heart on his sleeve when it comes to his musical tastes, espousing his adoration of everybody from Jarvis Cocker to John Coltrane.
Although Shatner remains to be greatest identified for the legendary sci-fi antics of the USS Enterprise again within the Sixties, the actor additionally boasts an intensive – and infrequently weird – music profession. Beginning in the direction of the tail-end of the Sixties, with The Transformed Manthat discography has encircled every thing from spoken-word interpretations of basic literature to cover versions of contemporary pop songs. Neither style nor technology appear to be limiting elements inside Shatner’s musical output.
Even nonetheless, the actor turned musician actually has his favorites. He has all the time been fairly open, as an illustration, about his unwavering love of Queen and Freddie Mercury particularly, culminating in his cowl of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ again in 2011, on Seeking Major Tom. However, when Classic Rock requested him to cite the one artist that modified his life greater than every other, there was just one title that sprang to Shatner’s thoughts: BB King.
A blues legend for whom any introduction could be inadequate, the late BB King stays one of many biggest guitarists to ever grace the American airwaves, and a completely important determine throughout the realm of blues and R&B. As Shatner affirmed, “BB King has such a guttural, heartfelt, soulful voice.”
Adding, “And I loved his ability to be an entertainer for so long.”
That latter high quality is one which Shatner seemingly shares with his blues hero, with King’s profession spanning seven a long time, from the 1940s proper up to his passing in 2015, whereas Shatner has not often stood nonetheless since his first emergence as an actor within the Fifties.
Throughout his in depth and illustrious profession, King has been a continuing sonic accompaniment for Shatner. It was solely becoming, then, that the Star Trek star recorded a canopy of King’s defining anthem.
His model of ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ ended up on his 2020 document The Blueshowever not earlier than Shatner did his due diligence with regard to investigating King’s life. “When I was making The BluesI actually called his daughter to see if there was any information she could give me about him,” he recalled.
“I wanted to make a documentary on this search for the right blues songs to cover. His daughter said, ‘You’re a gift from God!’ It was very meaningful.” To Shatner, receiving a sign of approval from King’s daughter, in lieu of the man himself, was a momentous occasion, given his lifelong appreciation of the blues pioneer’s output.
Fittingly, then, he recruited another incredible guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, to help him in recording that 2020 cover of ‘The Thrill Is Gone’. While matching – never mind eclipsing – the original version is a virtual impossibility, Shatner’s recording was a faithful tribute to his hero, evoking the lasting appeal of the legendary guitarist and songwriter.
