KING - KING'S POPULAR ALCOHOL TONIC

KING'S POPULAR ALCOHOL TONIC

B.B. KING's endorsement of a tonic made it a roaring success - but the real reason for its popularity was its alcoholic content.
The blues legend was hired to perform the jingle for "blood-building tonic" Peptikon in 1948 - and thought his song caused the drink to fly off the shelves.
But he later discovered people were buying the pick-me-up because it was laced with alcohol.
He tells Relix magazine, "(I had to sing) 'Peptikon, sure is good! You can get it anywhere in your neighbourhood!'
"It was supposed to be good for anything that ails you. I'm 83 now, and people my age then - especially church people - boy, they bought it like there'd never be anymore... I picked up a bottle of it, and it was 12 per cent alcohol, so now I know why a lot of those old people bought it."