Now that James Brown has passed on to the Big Payback in the Sky, B.B. King may well take over title of hardest-working man in showbiz. He’s slowed down a tad from the 300-plus gigs-per-year pace now that he’s pushing 90. But if you also take into account his never-ending string of eponymous music clubs scattered across American tourist zones, role as diabetes spokesman, and a full-bodied, tuxedo-clad figure so familiar that even his guitar is a household name, King’s easy to take for granted.

B.B. King plays the Civic Theatre on Thursday, January 16, 2014. (Photo: Elsa Hahne)

But “Blues Boy” is not only the most successful and ubiquitous bluesman of all time—he’s also one of the most accomplished in mastering the genre’s many styles. From his first lessons in rural Mississippi—at the hands of country/blues master (and his mother’s cousin) Bukka White—he’s taken to horn-punctuated Memphis soul, ’70s groove, and gritty Chicago blues with a root firmly planted in African-American gospel traditions. Yet, his genius is mostly about his touch. King’s formidable package of soaring vibrato and bent-string soul, first unleashed on the 1965 release Live at the Regal, hasn’t aged or been quite emulated since, no matter how Clapton and his lot might try. Just listen to the hollering crowd from that aforementioned scorching Chicago set, juiced up as if they could sense the scope of legend growing before them.

Pontchartrain Park’s own Wendell Pierce will star as the bluesman in a forthcoming bio-pic film. But, for now, it’s still about seeing B.B. King on stage—where the thrill definitely ain’t gone.