A fourth monthly installment of advance digital tracks from the star-studded forthcoming B.B. King tribute album that acclaimed blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa has helped oversee has just been released. The 32-track album, titled B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, will be released in its entirety on February 6, 2026. The project was organized as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of King’s birth.
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The Vol. IV installment of advance tracks from the tribute features five songs. Among them is a version of U2’s memorable 1988 collaboration with King, “When Love Comes to Town,” that features Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, his frequent collaborator Myles Kennedy, and powerhouse blues singer Shemekia Copeland.
Speaking recently with American Songwriter, Bonamassa described the new collaboration as one of a number of “happy accidents” that happened while he and co-producer Josh Smith were putting together the B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 album.
“When we did ‘[When] Love Comes to Town’ … we were trying [to figure out] how do you do a song like that,” Bonamassa recalled “’Cause that was a collaboration between B.B. and a rock band. And I said, ‘Why don’t we ask Slash and Myles Kennedy to be the rock guys, and we ask Shemekia Copeland to be B.B.?’ And everybody loved the idea.”
He added, “[I]t was one of those things where … we just kept saying to ourselves, like, ‘I love when a plan comes together,’ ’cause … everything worked. You know, it didn’t fight. Nothing fought us.”
The original version of “When Love Comes to Town” appeared on U2’s chart-topping 1988 album Rattle and Hum. The song was co-written by the Irish band’s four members.
Josh Smith on the “When Love Comes to Town” Cover
Smith also discussed the track in a statement issued in conjunction with its release.
“We knew early on we wanted to include this U2 song in an effort to span the breadth of B.B.’s entire career,” Smith noted. He also praised Copeland’s vocal performance, declaring, “She absolutely crushed it.” He added that the track “turned into such a standout.”
Slash on His Love of B.B. King
In a separate recent interview with American Songwriter, Slash revealed that B.B. King helped ignite his love of the blues. He also shared that it was his grandmother who introduced him to King’s music.
The rock legend explained that when he first started playing guitar, he was in junior high school and living with his grandmother at the time.
“I was really on the verge of f—ing up completely,” Slash recalled. “But I picked up the guitar and it gave me a sort of purpose.”
He noted, “My grandmother, who actually is a classical pianist in her own right … heard me playing all this stuff, and she took me aside one day and she goes, ‘You know, that’s all well and good, you know, but … you got to hear where the stuff really comes from.’ And she turned me on to B.B. King. And that just opened up this whole sort of new idea of what guitar was. And so, I started getting into B.B. King especially, and I’m still a huge B.B. King fan.”
About the Other Newly Released Tracks from B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100
The other four newly released advance tracks from B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 are “Don’t Answer the Door,” featuring Marcus King; “Ain’t Nobody Home,” with Jade MacRae and Robben Ford;
“Paying the Cost to Be the Boss,” featuring Christone “Kingfish” Ingram; and “You Upset Me Baby,” featuring Chris Cain.
A total of 21 songs from the upcoming album have been made available digitally. Fans can expect at least one more installment of advance tunes to be released before the complete B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 arrives on February 6.
More About the B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 Album
B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 features versions of many of King’s most famous songs performed by artists from various genres. The contributors include blues veterans, rock legends, acclaimed soul artists, and up-and-coming blues musicians and singers.
Here’s just a partial list of musicians appearing on the album besides the ones already mentioned: Eric Clapton, Chaka Khan, Paul Rodgers, Michael McDonald, Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, Dion, George Benson, Warren Haynes, Train, Jimmie Vaughan, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Larkin Poe, Keb’ Mo’, Gary Clark Jr., Ivan Neville, Kim Wilson, and Aloe Blacc.
The album’s title is a nod to King’s Grammy-winning 1993 album, Blues Summit. B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 can be pre-ordered now. It will be available as a two-CD set, a three-LP vinyl package, and via digital formats.
King died in May 2015 at the age of 89. During his long career, he scored dozens of R&B hits, and won 15 Grammy Awards. He also influenced countless artists in various genres. B.B.’s actual 100th birthday was this past September 16.
B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 Two-CD Track List:
Disc 1
- “Paying the Cost to Be the Boss” – featuring Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- “Don’t Answer the Door” – featuring Marcus King
- “To Know You Is to Love You” – featuring Michael McDonald, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks
- “Let the Good Times Roll” – featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Noah Hunt
- “Sweet Little Angel” – featuring Buddy Guy
- “When It All Comes Down (I’ll Still Be Around)” – featuring Larry McCray
- “When Love Comes to Town” – featuring Slash, Shemekia Copeland & Myles Kennedy
- “The Thrill Is Gone” – featuring Chaka Khan & Eric Clapton
- “Watch Yourself” – featuring Jimmie Vaughan
- “Why I Sing the Blues” – featuring Bobby Rush
- “Sweet Sixteen” – featuring Jimmy Hall & Larry Carlton
- “Don’t You Want a Man Like Me” – featuring Larkin Poe
- “I’ll Survive” – featuring Keb’ Mo’
- “Heartbreaker” – featuring Trombone Shorty & Eric Gales
- “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere” – featuring George Benson
- “Chains and Things” – featuring Gary Clark Jr.
Disc 2:
- “How Blue Can You Get” – featuring Warren Haynes
- “You Upset Me Baby” – featuring Chris Cain
- “Ghetto Woman” – featuring Ivan Neville
- “Night Life” – featuring Paul Rodgers
- “Ain’t Nobody Home” – featuring Jade MacRae & Robben Ford
- “Bad Case of Love” – featuring Joanne Shaw Taylor
- “Never Make a Move Too Soon” – featuring Dion
- “Three O’Clock Blues” – featuring Marc Broussard
- “Think It Over” – featuring Train & Chris Buck
- “It’s My Own Fault” – featuring Kim Wilson
- “Every Day I Have the Blues” – featuring D.K. “Harrell
- “Please Accept My Love” – featuring John Nemeth
- “So Excited” – featuring Aloe Blacc
- “When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer” – featuring Dannielle De Andrea
- “Playin’ with My Friends”
- “Better Not Look Down” – featuring Kirk Fletcher
(Courtesy of KTBA Records)
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