Past Masters

B.B. King is the first to tell you he’s livin’ the blues no more. The singer-songwriter-guitarist has sold millions of records and toured all over the world. He’s won numerous Grammy and W.C. Handy Awards. Heck, he even owns a chain of nightclubs proudly bearing his name in stylish neon lights.

The King of the Blues--who plays with his band Friday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre and Saturday at the Coach House--has paid his dues, and at 74, he could just swing back in an easy chair and relax. But the only swingin’ he’s doing at the moment is to honor one of his big sources of inspiration.

King’s new release, “Let the Good Times Roll--The Music of Louis Jordan” (MCA)--pays tribute to the late singer-saxophonist-big band leader whose popular mix of jazz ‘n’ jive laid the foundation for what became rhythm and blues--and arguably even rap.

The charismatic Jordan, who recorded for Decca and MCA mostly in the late-’30s and ‘40s while scoring big hits with “G.I. Jive,” “What’s the Use of Gettin’ Sober” and “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t (My Baby),” among others, used clever wordplay--his and lyrics written by others--with a swinging, dance-inducing sound that was irresistible if somewhat hard-to-define.

“I’m a blues player, but Jordan’s thing, man . . . you couldn’t really say it was ‘blues’ or ‘jazz’ like we hear those words used every day,” King said recently by phone from a Honolulu hotel room.

“It was more like a mixture of the two. His music had this great beat, and his songs put words together in a way that was truly unique. I think he was a great leader in the music of that day.

“Not only that, I still hear it today. But a lot of these kids that are playing swing and jump blues, I don’t think they know that this style was made popular by Jordan,” he said. “He’s also one of the first rappers, in my opinion. But he didn’t use the four-letter words. He wrote clever lyrics that made you think and laugh.”

One of the reasons King chose to rearrange and record 18 songs associated with Jordan was to give the musician more exposure, particularly among King’s newest generation of fans.

“I’ve been lucky to have a young following for quite some time now, and I felt that a lot of them would appreciate Louis Jordan if they knew more about him,” King said. “I really wanted them to know the guy. I’m hoping once they hear my versions of his stuff, they will dig it and search out some of his original recordings.”

Although King had previously recorded several of Jordan’s songs, including “Caldonia” and “Let the Good Times Roll,” one of his biggest challenges was putting his stamp on the other tunes, those straying farthest from King’s musical style and personality.

“Jordan’s delivery--his timing and mannerisms--all seemed so effortless and natural,” King said. “I’m comfortable doing ‘Let the Good Times Roll’--it’s been my theme song for many years. But for me to do something different and funny like ‘Choo Choo Ch’Boogie’ or ‘Jack, You’re Dead,’ now that was very hard. What I was trying to do was not be Louis Jordan, but make you think of him while still being B.B. King.”

The timing of “Let the Good Times Roll,” which was released last month, seems a bit off in that it comes after the peak of the recent swing revival. Did King entertain thoughts of recording it any earlier to capitalize on the craze?

“I’d been wanting to do this record for a long, long time,” he said. ‘We waited a while to get the OK from the record company, and it took quite some time after that for [producer] Stewart [Levine] and I to select the material and work-up the arrangements we wanted.”

“I suppose if ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ had come out a year or two ago, it might have gotten more attention maybe than it will get now. But this stuff isn’t part of some passing fad. Like Aretha [Franklin] says, ‘It’s the real thing.’ When it’s the real deal, it’s just like breathing. It doesn’t change.”

King--along with Jordan--was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. But the Mississippi native who once played on street corners for change refuses to rest on his considerable laurels. He’s already recorded another album, tentatively titled “Makin’ Love Is Good for You,” and there are reports that a collaborative album with Eric Clapton--who played with King on one cut (‘Rock Me Baby’) for 1997’s ‘Deuces Wild” LP--isn’t far off.

Any truth to the talk?

“Let me put it this way: I heard about it too, and I hope that it’s right,” King said with a chuckle. “He’s one of my dearest friends and I think he’s the best. . . . We both have some studio time blocked out for January, so I guess that tells you somethin’ right there.”

Unlike many musicians, King has the luxury of playing simply because he wants to. With no plans to slow down, he insists the thrill is not yet gone.

“For years, I’ve had this disease,” he said. “It’s kind of contagious and it’s called ‘need more.’ I’m happy to say I could retire today and live very well off of my savings and investments. But I still love to sing and play my guitar. . . . I get a kick out of it.”

* B.B. King plays Friday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. (714) 957-0600. Also Saturday at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. (949) 496-8930. Both nights, 7 and 10 p.m. $50-$52.