B.B. King rendition
B.B. King recorded his version of "The Thrill Is Gone" in June 1969 for his album
Completely Well, released the same year. King's version is a slow
12-bar blues notated in the key of
B minor in time. The song's polished production and use of
strings marked a departure from both the original song and King's previous material. When
BluesWay Records released "The Thrill Is Gone" as a single in December 1969, it became one of the most successful of King's career and one of his
signature songs. It reached number three in the
Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart and number 15 in the broader
Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also helped launch the career of producer
Bill Szymczyk, as it was his first hit record success as a producer. B.B. King's recording earned him a
Grammy Award for
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1970 and a
Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998. King's version of the song was also placed at number 183 on
Rolling Stone magazine's
list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Live versions of the song were included on King's albums
Live in Cook County Jail (1971),
Bobby Bland and B.B. King Together Again...Live (1976), and
Live at San Quentin (1991). ==Aretha Franklin version==