This was written and originally recorded by the blues musician Roy Hawkins in 1951. Rick Darnell co-wrote on this. Roy was a blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. After working in clubs, he broke through with his 1950 song “Why Do Things Happen to Me” inspired by an auto accident which paralyzed his right arm.

Little is known of the early part of his life. By the mid-1940s he was performing as a singer and pianist in the Oakland, California area, where he was discovered by musician and record producer Bob Geddins, who was impressed by Hawkins’ “soulful, doom-laden style”. Hawkins seems to have made his first recordings when about 45 years old with his band, the Four Jacks, which included saxophonist William Staples, guitarist Ulysses James, bassist Floyd Montgomery, and drummer Madison Little.

After several less successful singles, including “Gloom and Misery All Around”,  Hawkins left Modern Records in 1953. He recorded for a series of labels over the next few years including Flair, RPM, Rhythm, and Music City, for whom he recorded as Mr. Undertaker. His last recordings were made for Kent Records in 1961. His later years were spent working in a furniture store. Hawkins died in Compton, California in 1974.

In the 1950s, King was a Memphis radio DJ who played the Roy Hawkins original on the air. King recorded the song several times but didn’t like any of the results. Producer Bill Szymczyk (most famous for producing the Eagles) called King at 4:00 a.m. and suggested the addition of strings (King later said that he’d agree to just about anything at that time of the night). The addition polished up the recording that gave King his first million-selling record.

This was B.B. King’s biggest hit. He didn’t have much success on the charts, but became a blues legend who influenced a generation of musicians. A music video director who worked with King once said “…he’s reticent to be anything other than B.B. King.”

King passed away in 2015 at age 89.

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 .

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