B.B. King – How Blue Can You Get (Live at Farm Aid 1985)

“How Blue Can You Get” Single by B.B. King
B-side: “Please Accept My Love”
Released in 1964

B.B. King first recorded the song as “Downhearted”, which was included on his 1963 Blues in My Heart album.[1] The song is performed at “a steady, stately pace, its groove punctuated by B.B.’s stinging runs and wailing, sustained notes”, according to King biographer David McGee.[3] King later re-recorded the song as “How Blue Can You Get” and ABC-Paramount Records released it as a single in 1964.

B.B. King performs “How Blue Can You Get” live at the Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985. Farm Aid was started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985 to keep family farmers on the land and has worked since then to make sure everyone has access to good food from family farmers. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001.

Farm Aid’s performances are donated by the artists in order to raise funds and raise awareness for family farmers. They’ve raised their voices to help — what can you do?

Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host an annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. For more than 35 years, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $78 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.