“Everyday I Have the Blues” is one of the most ubiquitous of all blues songs, a required number in the repertoires of the countless bar and lounge bands of many genres. Its late entry into the Blues Hall of Fame reflects the fact that no strong consensus emerged as to which of the hundreds of recorded versions was most deserving. But it often is associated with B.B. King, and so the first of his own many versions gets the honors. Issued as a single on the RPM label, it was recorded on March 2, 1954, in Los Angeles with a session crew including arranger/tenor saxophonist Maxwell Davis and pianist Willard McDaniel. It made the Billboard R&B charts in January 1955, just weeks before Joe Williams and the Count Basie band hit with it again. Earlier recordings included a No. 1 1952 rendition by Williams, a 1950 hit by Lowell Fulson, and a 1948 version by Memphis Slim entitled “Nobody Loves Me.” Its origins have been traced back to a 1935 record by Aaron “Pine Top” Sparks.
