Colin James remembers blues "originator" B.B. King

"One of the originators." That's how Canadian blues man Colin James describes B.B. King. The legendary guitarist and singer died on Thursday at the age of 89. "It feels like the end of an era," says James.  

The two men shared a Toronto stage in 1991. "It was a thrill for me to play that show, and just to shake his hand." James tells As It Happens host Carol Off, "There was "emotion in his fingertips. B.B. King always drew from a very positive, energetic source. Soulful and positive."

James' connection with King began long before they met. 

"When I was 10-years-old, I had a book with a little record in it. It had him talking and explaining how to play the set-up for a typical blues phrase of his. I would just sit and pour over it and pour over it."

That memory prompts James to recall, simply, "beautiful voice. He had a sound that everyone aspires to, to this day."

Hear B.B. King's voice in an interview he gave to then As it Happens host Mary Lou Finlay in 2000: