- Ensemble cast at the White House included Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy
Even the President of the United States can't say no to the king of the blues.
Barack
Obama found himself belting out a few bars of Sweet Home Chicago, the
blues anthem of his hometown, after being cajoled by the legendary B.B.
King - part of an ensemble of musical stars who came together at the
White House last night to celebrate Black History Month.
The intimate gig in the East Room had almost wound down, when guitarist
Buddy Guy reminded the president that he had burst into a cover of Al
Green's Let's Stay Together at a recent rally. The musician quipped to
Obama: 'You gotta keep it up.'
Oh, go on then: Obama didn't miss the
opportunity to sing a few bars of blues classic Sweet Home Chicago with
legends B.B King and Mick Jagger at the White House last night
Listen up: B.B. King was part of the ensemble
cast at the White House during a blues performance to celebrate Black
History Month
Ever the charmer: President Obama sings few notes with legend BB King
With wife Michelle clapping her
approval and cheers from the crowd, Obama shook his head in refusal -
but then readily accepted a microphone offered by Mick Jagger before he
launched into song.
'Come
on, baby don't you want to go,' the
president sang twice, handing the microphone to B.B. King momentarily -
then taking it back to tack on 'Sweet Home Chicago' before making a
suave exit.
The President's
impromptu burst into song came as leading Republican presidential
hopeful Rick Santorum dubbed Obama a 'rock star' who was acting like
royalty running the country.
Earlier
this week, Santorum told the Maricopa County Lincoln Day lunch in
Phoenix, Arizona: 'Back in 2008, the American public at a time of crisis
went for a rock star that they believed could solve their problems,
someone that they believed in to make a difference in their lives.
Smooth: First Lady Michelle looks delighted as the President improvised on a couple of bars with the ensemble blues cast
Blues brothers: (l-r) Mick Jagger, B.B. King and Buddy Guy came together on stage to celebrate Black History Month
Intimate gig: The performance took place in the East Room of the White House and will be broadcast on PBS next week
'This
election, Americans are going to go back to what we've done in the
past. We're looking for leaders, not who we believe in, we're looking
for a leader who believes in you.'
At
the star-studded White House event, Obama opened the celebration by
telling the crowd there were 'downsides' to running the country -
before adding that 'things even out a little bit' when music legends
like King and Jagger, along with Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy and Grammy-winner Keb Mo, stopped by to jam.
The
President continued: 'This music speaks to something universal. No one
goes through life without both joy and pain, triumph and sorrow. The
blues gets all of that, sometimes with just one lyric or one note.'
B.B.
King, 86, arrived in a wheelchair but stood to kick off the night with a
raucous version of Let The Good Times Roll. He followed with The Thrill
Is Gone.
Rock and roll: Jeff Beck (left) and Keb Mo (right) were on stage at the White House to entertain the Obamas and their guests
Obama, who was joined at the concert
by wife Michelle and her mother Marian Robinson, swayed in his seat and
sang along to a playlist including St James Infirmary and Let Me Love
You.
Beck slowed things
down with an instrumental Brush With the Blues, as anticipation built
for the arrival of Mick Jagger, who did not disappoint.
The Rolling Stones frontman sang I Can't Turn You Loose and then teamed up with Beck on Commit a Crime.
Jagger got the Obamas out of their seats, swaying and clapping to the
music, and picked up the pace with Miss You performed with Shemekia
Copeland and Susan Tedeschi.
Sharing a tune: B.B. King (left) and the President improvised on the last song of the night Sweet Home Chicago
Obama at times closed his eyes and nodded his head along to the music.
Before
the closing number of Sweet Home Chicago, Obama said: 'For Michelle and
me, there's no blues like the song our artists have chosen to close
with - the blues from our hometown.'
The
lineup for Tuesday's concert spanned multiple generations, from legends
like King and Guy to young faces such as 26-year-old Troy 'Trombone
Shorty' Andrews and Gary Clark Jr, whose style blends hip hop,
contemporary soul and indie rock.
American classics: Shemekia Copeland (left) and
Susan Tedeschi (right) sing during a celebration of blues music where
they were joined by the President himself for the finale
Also performing were Warren
Haynes and Derek Trucks, with actress Taraji P. Henson as the program
host and Booker T Jones as music director and band leader.
The
blues concert was part of the 'In Performance at the White House'
series that airs on PBS. It begins on Monday in celebration of Black
History Month.
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