U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed a host of guitar legends to his presidential home for a PBS special “Performance at the White House: Red, White And Blues”.
President Obama joked “Sometimes there are downsides to being president: You can’t just go for a walk… but then there are other nights when B.B. King and Mick Jagger come over to your house for a concert!” before turning the East Wing of The White House into a intimate blues club for the evening.
A night full of blues and laughs was capped with Barack Obama joining the house blues band of guitar legends for a surprise performance, singing the blues anthem of Obama’s home town, “Sweet Home Chicago.”
President Barack Obama sings “Sweet Home Chicago”
Some of the songs performed on the night were; Sweet Home Chicago, Let the Good Times Roll, The Thrill is Gone, St. James Infirmary, Let Me Love You, Brush With the Blues and I Can’t Turn You Loose amongst many other great blues numbers.
Such an event was this that U.K. guitar great Jeff Beck posted to his Facebook page “What an honor for President Obama to come and watch rehearsals.” Performing alongside Jeff Beck was Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Al Green, Derek Trucks, Gary Clark, Buddy Guy and Warren Hayes.
This all-star blues concert is part of the “In Performance at the White House” series that airs on US channel PBS. This episode is to recognise Black History Month and will be broadcast on PBS stations and later aired on the American Forces Network.
The BBC have a short clip from the show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17123162
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