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B. B. King
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{{Use American English|date=October 2023}}{{short description|American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter (1925–2015)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}







factoids
| birth_place = near Itta Bena, Mississippi, U.S.2015149|16}}| death_place = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.Electric bluesHTTPS://WWW.GUITARPLAYER.COM/PLAYERS/BB-KING-DEFINED-THE-ELECTRIC-BLUES-ON-HIS-OWN-TERMS-1925-2015>TITLE=B.B. KING DEFINED THE ELECTRIC BLUES ON HIS OWN TERMSDATE=MAY 15, 2015GUITAR WORLD>ACCESS-DATE=NOVEMBER 17, 2019, rhythm and bluesHTTPS://WWW.LATIMES.COM/ENTERTAINMENT/MUSIC/LA-ET-MS-BB-KING-APPRECIATION-20150516-COLUMN.HTML>TITLE=APPRECIATION: B.B. KING BUILT A BRIDGE TO THE BLUES FOR THE WORLDNEWSPAPER=LOS ANGELES TIMESACCESS-DATE=NOVEMBER 17, 2019, }}rock and rollblues rockULRICH TITLE= BLUES MUSIC IN THE SIXTIES: A STORY IN BLACK AND WHITE URL-ACCESS= LIMITED PAGES= 24 AND 26 RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS >ISBN= 978-0-8135-4750-3, }}soul music>soulHTTPS://WWW.NPR.ORG/SECTIONS/THERECORD/2015/05/15/406969376/B-B-KING-AND-THE-MAJESTY-OF-THE-BLUES>TITLE=B.B. KING AND THE MAJESTY OF THE BLUESDATE=MAY 16, 2015ACCESS-DATE=NOVEMBER 17, 2019, gospel music>gospelHTTP://MSBLUESTRAIL.ORG/BLUES-TRAIL-MARKERS/GOSPEL-AND-THE-BLUES>TITLE=GOSPEL AND THE BLUES, msbluestrail.org, Singersongwriter|record producer}}}}Musiciansongwriter|record producer}}Guitar|vocals}}| years_active = 1942–2014 {edih}| associated_acts = bbking.com}}}}Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.{{nbsp}}B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players.Komara, Edward M. Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge, 2006, p. 385. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related).WEB,weblink Three Kings of Blues, Trovato, Steve, Hal Leonard, March 12, 2013, WEB,weblink 3 Kings of the Blues, Leonard, Michael, Gibson (guitar company), Gibson, March 12, 2013, WEB,weblink Happy Birthday to 'The Velvet Bulldozer' Albert King, April 25, 2011, WCBS FM, CBS, March 12, 2013, King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.NEWS,weblink Los Angeles Times, Blues Guitarist B.B. King Dies at 89, May 14, 2015, May 15, 2015, King was born on a cotton plantation of Berclair, near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and taught himself to play guitar and began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, he toured the world extensively.

Early life

Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925,ENCYCLOPEDIA, Herzhaft, Gérard, B.B. King, Encyclopedia of the Blues, 1997, University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Ark., 1610751396, 108–110, 2nd,weblink Translated by Brigitte Debord, on a cotton plantation of Berclair named Bear Creek in Leflore County,WEB,weblink B.B. King Birthplace, HMdb.org, October 10, 2022, near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi,WEB, Dahl, Bill,weblink B.B. King, AllMusic, May 31, 2015, the son of sharecroppers Albert and Nora Ella King. When King was four years old, his mother left his father for another man, so he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr, in Kilmichael, Mississippi, then in Lexington. As a teen, he moved to Indianola, which he referred to as his hometown and he later worked at a cotton gin.Sebastian Danchin, Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B.B. King, University Press of Mississippi, 1998, p. 1, {{ISBN|1-57806-017-6}}. King served in the U.S. Army during World War II but was released after being ruled as "essential to the war economy" based on his experience as a tractor driver.WEB, B.B. King - Lower Mississippi Delta Region (U.S. National Park Service),weblink 2023-10-14, National Park Service, en, WEB, Carroll, Ward, 2020-02-05, BB King was booted out of the Army for being a tractor driver,weblink 2023-10-14, We Are The Mighty, en, B.B. King Fast Facts CNN. Retrieved February 22, 2023.While young, King sang in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. King was attracted to the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ because of its music. The local minister performed with a Sears Roebuck Silvertone guitar during services and taught King his first three chords.NEWS,weblink How the church gave B.B. King the blues, Silliman, Daniel, May 15, 2015, The Washington Post, July 2, 2015, King's first guitar was bought for him by Flake Cartledge, his employer in Kilmichael, for 15 dollars. Cartledge withheld money from King's salary for the next two months until the debt was repaid.WEB, B.B. King Biography and Interview, achievement.org, American Academy of Achievement,weblink In November 1941, King Biscuit Time first aired, broadcasting on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. It was a radio show featuring the Mississippi Delta blues. King listened to it while on break at a plantation. A self-taught guitarist, he then wanted to become a radio musician.NEWS,weblink B.B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Dies at 89, The New York Times, May 15, 2015, May 15, 2015, Weiner, Tim, In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. John's Gospel Singers of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches and on WGRM in Greenwood.WEB, National Visionary Leadership Project, B.B. King: National Visionary,weblink June 3, 2011, NEWS, Associated Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Historical marker placed on Mississippi Blues Trail,weblink January 25, 2007, June 3, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110604045947weblink">weblink June 4, 2011, live, (File:Poster of B.B. King and Bill Harvey (saxophonist) and Orchestra, featuring photos of B.B. King holding his guitar and Evelyn Young playing saxaphone. - 8049g557h files 92a57ed3-1d17-4a52-bda9-53dd48145101.jpg|thumb|upright|Poster of B.{{nbsp}}B. King and Bill Harvey and Orchestra with a photo of King holding his guitar and Evelyn Young playing saxophone)In 1946, King followed Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months. King returned shortly afterward to Mississippi, where he better prepared himself for the next visit. Two years later, he returned to West Memphis, Arkansas in 1948. He performed on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program on KWEM in West Memphis, where he began to develop an audience. King's appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten-minute spot on the Memphis radio station WDIA.WEB,weblink KWEM Radio, B.B. King – KWEM 1948, May 15, 2015, The radio spot became so popular that it was expanded and became the Sepia Swing Club.Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. Edited by Jessie Carney Smith. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California. 2011. {{ISBN|978-0-313-35796-1}}, pp. 805–806.He worked at WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, where he was given the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to "Blues Boy", and finally to "B.{{nbsp}}B."Note: "B.{{nbsp}}B." is normally written with periods.History of Rock & Roll. By Thomas E. Larson. Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa. 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-7872-9969-9}}, p. 25. It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. King said, "Once I'd heard him for the first time, I knew I'd have to have [an electric guitar] myself. 'Had' to have one, short of stealing!"Dance, Helen Oakley; and B.B. King. Stormy Monday, p. 164.

Career

1949–2005

(File:B.B._King_Hamburg_1971.jpg|thumb|upright|King on stage in Hamburg 1971)File:BBKingNY.jpg|thumb|upright|King playing his favorite guitar, Lucille, in the 1980s]]In the late 1940s and early 1950s, King was a part of the blues scene on Beale Street. "Beale Street was where it all started for me," King said. He performed with Bobby Bland, Johnny Ace, and Earl Forest in a group known as the Beale Streeters.NEWS,weblink King of the Hill : Up at CityWalk, blues and Delta cuisine spice up B.B. King's new Memphis-style club, Wharton, David, September 16, 1994, Los Angeles Times, According to King and Joe Bihari, Ike Turner introduced King to the Bihari brothers while he was a talent scout at Modern Records.BOOK, Soul of the Man: Bobby "Blue" Bland,weblink limited, Farley, Charles, University Press of Mississippi., 2011, 978-1604739190, 31, BOOK, The B.B. King Reader: 6 Decades of Commentary, Kostelanetz, Richard, Hal Leonard, 2005, 0-634-09927-2, Kostelanetz, Richard, 2nd, Milwaukee, WI, 4, 7, Reiswig, Jesse,weblink In 1949, King began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles-based RPM Records, a subsidiary of Modern. Many of King's early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which did not chart well. "My very first recordings [in 1949] were[sic] for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company," King recalled. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis."WEB,weblink Blues Access Interview, September 12, 2014, King assembled his band, the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands (trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone),MAGAZINE,weblink George Coleman: This Gentleman can PLAY, All About Jazz, February 17, 2010, Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano), George Joyner (bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry (drums). Onzie Horne was a trained musician enlisted as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his admission, King could not play chords well and always relied on improvisation.U2 Rattle and Hum DVD, 1988.King's recording contract was followed by tours across the United States, with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke joints of the southern United States. During one show in Twist, Arkansas, a brawl broke out between two men and caused a fire. He evacuated with the rest of the crowd but returned to retrieve his guitar. He said he later discovered that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. He named the guitar Lucille as a reminder not to fight over women or run into any more burning buildings.WEB,weblink B.B. King: Lucille Speaks, Kerekes, Jim, O'Neill, Dennis, January 3, 1997, November 16, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111116041531weblink">weblink dead, File:Twist AR BB king Marker 1.jpg|thumb|upright|The story of a guitar named Lucille ]]Following his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues charted number one, "3 O'Clock Blues" (February 1952),WEB,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140710183752weblink">weblink President and Fellows of Harvard College, B.B's Life {{!, The Life of Riley|first=Charles|last=Sawyer|archive-date=July 10, 2014}} King became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s, amassing an impressive list of hits{{Pop Chronicles|4|4}} including "You Know I Love You", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me", "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer", "Whole Lotta Love", "You Upset Me Baby", "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around", "Ten Long Years", "Bad Luck", "Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor", and "Please Accept My Love". This led to a significant increase in his weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500,Kostelanetz 1997, p. 146.BOOK, Lime, Harry, May 27, 2019, B.B. King : King of the Blues!,weblink Lulu.com, 5, 9780244487645, with appearances at major venues such as the Howard Theater in Washington and the Apollo in New York, as well as touring the "Chitlin' Circuit". 1956 became a record-breaking year, with 342 concerts booked and three recording sessions.WEB,weblink BBKing.com, May 15, 2015, B.B. King Biography,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080828034010weblink">weblink August 28, 2008, dead, That same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he was a producer for artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury. In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records (which itself was later absorbed into Geffen Records). In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater. King later said that Regal Live "is considered by some the best recording I've ever had ... that particular day in Chicago everything came together."NEWS, Greg, Kot, Chicago Tribune, King of the Blues, 1, 5, May 16, 2015, From the late 1960s, new manager Sid Seidenberg pushed King into a different type of venue as blues-rock performers like Eric Clapton (once a member of the Yardbirds, as well as Cream) and Paul Butterfield were popularizing an appreciation of blues music among white audiences.NEWS, McArdle, Terence,weblink B.B. King, Mississippi-born master of the blues, dies at 89, The Washington Post, May 15, 2015, May 30, 2015, King gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on the Rolling Stones' 1969 American Tour.NEWS,weblink Daily News, New York, B.B. King Dead at 89: Blues guitarist whose sound defined music for generations passes away in sleep, Larry, McShane, May 15, 2015, May 15, 2015, He won a 1970 Grammy Award for his version of the song "The Thrill Is Gone",Rees, Dafydd & Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock Movers & Shakers, ABC-CLIO, p. 287. {{ISBN|0-87436-661-5}}. which was a hit on both the Pop and R&B charts. It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.NEWS,weblink Sun Records, Rolling Stone Magazine Lists 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, July 15, 2010, May 15, 2015, King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.WEB,weblink Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, B.B. King Biography, May 15, 2015, NEWS,weblink ABC News, Blues Icon B.B. King Dead at Age 89, Rothman, Michael, May 15, 2015, May 15, 2015, In 2004, he was awarded the international Polar Music Prize, given to artists "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music."WEB,weblink B.B. King: Laureate of the Polar Music Prize 2004, Polar Music Prize, May 15, 2015, From the 1980s to his death in 2015, he maintained a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and sometimes performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the single "When Love Comes to Town", a collaborative effort between King and the Irish band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album. In December 1997, he performed in the Vatican's fifth annual Christmas concert and presented his trademark guitar "Lucille" to Pope John Paul II.NEWS,weblink ITN Source, B.B. King Gives His Prized Electric Guitar 'Lucille' to Pope John Paul II During a Private Audience, December 18, 1997, May 15, 2015, NEWS,weblink BB. King's 'Lucille' to the Pope After Vatican Concert, MTV News, December 19, 1997, March 6, 2018, en, In 1998, King appeared in The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley. In 2000, he and Clapton teamed up again to record Riding With the King, which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.NEWS,weblink KUSI News, 'King of the Blues' blues legend B.B. King dead at age 89, Ken, Ritter, May 15, 2015, May 15, 2015, Discussing where he took the Blues, from "dirt floor, smoke in the air" joints to grand concert halls, King said the Blues belonged everywhere beautiful music belonged. He successfully worked both sides of the commercial divide, with sophisticated recordings and "raw, raucous" live performances.

2006–2014

In 2006, King went on a "farewell" world tour, although he remained active afterward.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090519193112weblink">weblink dead, May 19, 2009, BB King Interview: The Last of the Great Bluesmen, Mick, Brown, May 18, 2009, May 15, 2015, London, The Daily Telegraph, The tour was partly supported by Northern Irish guitarist, Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded. It started in the United Kingdom and continued with performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival and in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall, he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Leela James, Andre Beeka, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke.NEWS,weblink B.B. King Farewells Montreux, July 5, 2006, May 15, 2015, The Sydney Morning Herald, File:BB King onstage (Toronto, 2007).jpg|thumb|upright|King at Roy Thomson HallRoy Thomson HallIn June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King,WEB,weblink B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, Bbkingmuseum.org, February 17, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100206121028weblink">weblink February 6, 2010, dead, mdy-all, in Indianola, Mississippi.John F. Ross "B.B. Gets His Own Museum," American Heritage, Winter 2009. The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened on September 13, 2008.NEWS,weblink Paste Magazine, B.B. King Museum to open this Saturday, Ashley, Melzer, September 11, 2008, May 15, 2015, In late October 2006, King recorded a concert album and video entitled B.B. King: Live at his B.B. King Blues Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The video of the four-night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performed it nightly around the world. Released in 2008, they documented his first live performances in over a decade.NEWS,weblink IGN, B.B. King Live In Your Own Home, January 15, 2008, May 15, 2015, In 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar FestivalWEB,weblink Where's Eric!, 28 July 2007 – Crossroads Guitar Festival, May 15, 2015, and contributed the songs "Goin' Home", to (Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino) (with Ivan Neville's DumpstaPhunk)NEWS,weblink The New York Times, Stars Join Forces to Salute (and Support) a Rock Legend, September 22, 2007, May 15, 2015, Nate, Chinen, and "One Shoe Blues" to Sandra Boynton's children's album Blue Moo, accompanied by a pair of sock puppets in a music video for the song.WEB,weblink Kaleidoscope Pictures, B.B. King – One Shoe Blues, March 3, 2015, May 15, 2015, In the summer of 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, where he was given a key to the city.NEWS,weblink USA Today, B.B. King Given Key to the City at Bonnaroo, June 14, 2008, May 15, 2015, Jake, Coyle, Also in 2008, he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.WEB,weblink Hollywood Bowl, May 15, 2015, Opening Night at the Bowl, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150518101609weblink">weblink May 18, 2015, File:Barack Obama singing in the East Room.jpg|left|thumb|upright=.8|President Obama and King singing "Sweet Home ChicagoSweet Home ChicagoKing performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco on May 27, 2010.WEB,weblink Official Site, B.B. King, December 30, 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120102000142weblink">weblink January 2, 2012, In June 2010, King performed at the Crossroads Guitar Festival with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, and Eric Clapton.NEWS,weblink Premier Guitar, Reporting From Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010, June 27, 2010, Rebecca, Dirks, May 15, 2015, He also contributed to Cyndi Lauper's album Memphis Blues, which was released on June 22, 2010.NEWS,weblink Hey Reverb, The Reverb Interview: Cyndi Lauper, Ricardo, Baca, September 23, 2010, May 15, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150518084559weblink">weblink May 18, 2015, dead, In 2011, King played at the Glastonbury Music Festival,NEWS,weblink The Guardian, B.B. King at Glastonbury 2011 – review, Dafydd, Goff, June 24, 2011, May 15, 2015, and in the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he recorded a concert video.WEB,weblink AllMusic, Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2011, Steve, Leggett, May 15, 2015, Rolling Stone ranked King at No. 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.MAGAZINE, 100 Greatest Guitarists, Rolling Stone, November 23, 2011, May 15, 2015,weblink On February 21, 2012, King was among the performers of "In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues," during which President Barack Obama sang part of "Sweet Home Chicago".WEB, President Obama Sings 'Sweet Home Chicago', Compton, Matt, February 22, 2012, May 15, 2015, NARA, National Archives, White House,weblink King recorded for the debut album of rapper and producer Big K.R.I.T., who also hails from Mississippi.WEB, Kelley, Frannie, First Listen: Big K.R.I.T., 'Live From The Underground', NPR.org,weblink NPR, May 27, 2012, May 28, 2012, On July 5, 2012, King performed a concert at the Byblos International Festival in Lebanon.NEWS,weblink Demotix, Byblos Festival featured B.B. King among others in 2012, August 1, 2012, May 15, 2015, Elia, Mssawir, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150703133629weblink">weblink July 3, 2015, On May 26, 2013, King appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Festival.WEB,weblink B.B. King lived up to his legend at New Orleans Jazz Fest, NOLA.com, Chris, Waddington, April 29, 2013, April 11, 2014, On October 3, 2014, after completing his live performance at the House of Blues in Chicago, a doctor diagnosed King with dehydration and exhaustion, and the eight remaining shows of his ongoing tour had to be canceled. King did not reschedule the shows, and the House of Blues show would be the last before his death in 2015.WEB,weblink B.B. King Cancels Remaining 8 shows, October 4, 2014, bbking.com, May 15, 2015, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150507064711weblink">weblink May 7, 2015, WEB,weblink Tour Update, October 8, 2014, bbking.com, May 15, 2015, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150430052505weblink">weblink April 30, 2015,

Equipment

{{for|more information about King's guitar|Lucille (guitar)}}}}King used equipment characteristic of the different periods he played in. He played guitars made by various manufacturers early in his career. He played a Fender Esquire on most of his recordings with RPM Records.Burrows, Terry, The Complete Book of the Guitar, p. 111. Carlton Books Limited, 1998, {{ISBN|1-85868-529-X}}. Later, he was best known for playing variants of the Gibson ES-355.In the September edition 1995 of Vintage Guitar magazine, early photos show him playing a Gibson ES-5 through a Fender tweed amp. In reference to the photo, King stated,"Yes; the old Fender amplifiers were the best that were ever made, in my opinion. They had a good sound and they were durable; guys would throw them in the truck and they'd hold up. They had tubes, and they'd get real hot, but they just had a sound that is hard to put into words. The Fender Twin was great, but I have an old Lab Series amp that isn't being made anymore. I fell in love with it, because its sound is right between the old Fender amps that we used to have and the Fender Twin. It's what I'm using tonight."WEB,weblink Willie G., Moseley, Remembering B.B. King, Vintage Guitar, September 1995, File:B.B. King in 2009.jpg|upright|thumb|King at the 2009 North Sea Jazz FestivalNorth Sea Jazz FestivalHe later moved on from the larger Gibson hollow-bodied instruments, which were prone to feedback when played at high volumes, to various semi-hollow models, beginning first with the ES-335 and then a deluxe version called the ES-355, which employed a stereo option. In 1980, Gibson Guitar Corporation launched the B.B. King Lucille model, an ES-355 with stereo options, a varitone selector, and fine tuners (neither of which were actually used by King) and, at King's direct request, no f-holes to further reduce feedback. In 2005, Gibson made a special run of 80 Gibson Lucilles, referred to as the "80th Birthday Lucille", the first prototype of which was given as a birthday gift to King, and which he used thereafter.WEB,weblink One Customer's Pawnshop Treasure, Guitarcenterblog.com, December 3, 2009, May 16, 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100618045219weblink">weblink June 18, 2010, King used a Lab Series L5 2×12" combo amplifier and used this amplifier for a long time. It was made by Norlin Industries for Gibson in the 1970s and 1980s. Other popular L5 users are Allan Holdsworth and Ty Tabor of King's X. The L5 has an onboard compressor, parametric equalization, and four inputs. King also used a Fender Twin Reverb.WEB, Category: Who Plays What,weblink B.B. King's Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment, Uberproaudio.com, November 10, 2012, He used his signature model strings "Gibson SEG-BBS B.B. King Signature Electric Guitar Strings" with gauges: 10–13–17p–32w–45w–54w and D'Andrea 351 MD SHL CX (medium 0.71mm, tortoiseshell, celluloid) picks.

Blues clubs

File:BBKINGSignBealeStreet.JPG|thumb|upright|Sign outside B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street, Memphis ]]In 1991, Beale Street developer John Elkington recruited King to Memphis to open the original B.B. King's Blues Club, and in 1994, a second club was launched at Universal Citywalk in Los Angeles. A third club in New York City's Times Square opened in June 2000 but closed on April 29, 2018. Management is currently in the process of finding a new location in New York City.WEB,weblink B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, March 28, 2019, Two more clubs opened, at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut in January 2002,WEB,weblink The Official Website, Bbking.com, September 16, 1925, February 17, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080828034010weblink">weblink August 28, 2008, dead, and in Nashville in 2003.WEB,weblink Bb King: King's Clubs: 'good Memories, Good Times', Allbusiness.com, February 17, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100107042210weblink">weblink January 7, 2010, live, Another club opened in Orlando in 2007.NEWS,weblink Orlando Sentinel, The Man Himself Opens New B.B. King's Blues Club, November 30, 2007, May 15, 2015, Jim, Abbott, A club in West Palm Beach opened in the fall of 2009WEB,weblink West Palm Beach, Bbkingclubs.com, February 17, 2010, and an additional one, based in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, opened in the winter of 2009.WEB,weblink Job Fair at B.B. King's Blues Club, Lasvegassun.com, September 3, 2009, February 17, 2010, Another opened in the New Orleans French Quarter in 2016.WEB,weblink B.B. and me: Remembering King of Blues though the years, Grunfeld, David, March 10, 2016, nola.com, April 8, 2019,

Television and other appearances

King made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows including: The Cosby Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sesame Street,NEWS, June 8, 2007,weblink Sesame Street Beat Newsletter Archive, Sesame Workshop,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070930180403weblink">weblink September 30, 2007, Married... with Children, Sanford and Son and Touched by an Angel.From the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s, King appeared in multiple advertisements for McDonald's.WEB,weblink BB King Mcdonald's Commercial 1987, YouTube, WEB,weblink McDonalds Australia commercial 1995 featuring Nathan Cavaleri & BB King, YouTube, In the early 2000s he also appeared in a campaign for Burger King.WEB,weblink B.B. King | Burger King Eggwich Commercial, YouTube, In 2000, the children's show Between the Lions featured a singing character named "B.B. the King of Beasts", modeled on the real King.NEWS,weblink Enquirer, PBS Encourages Kids to Read Between the Lions, April 2, 2000, May 15, 2015, John, Kiesewetter, B.B. King: The Life of Riley, a feature documentary about King narrated by Morgan Freeman and directed by Jon Brewer, was released on October 15, 2012.WEB,weblink Official Site, Bbking.com, October 16, 2012, King's performance at the 1969 Harlem Cultural FestivalWEB,weblink This Green and Pleasant Land, Greene, Bryan, Poverty and Race Research Action Council, June 2017, appears in the 2021 music documentary Summer of Soul.

Personal life

(File:Publicity photo of B.B. King. - j9602118s files 7f3e5875-55ee-4389-8eb0-53e6b59f1df3 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Early publicity photo of King)King was married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, November 1946 to 1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. The failure of both marriages has been attributed to the heavy demands made by King's 250 performances a year.WEB,weblink B.B. King (Blues Musician), OnThisDay.com, March 28, 2019, It is reported that he fathered 15 children with several women.WEB,weblink BB King: American Blues Musician, b. 1925, Quincy, Troupe, Jazzandbluesmasters.com, June 4, 1958, February 17, 2010, ...was born on a cotton plantation, in Itta Bene [sic], Mississippi, just outside the delta town of Indianola., After his death, three more have come forward, claiming King as their father as well.Johnson, S. Battle Over B.B. King's Fortune. The Hollywood Reporter, June 3, 2016 (No. 17), pp. 61–63. Though neither of his marriages produced children, and biographer Charles Sawyer wrote that doctors found his sperm count too low to conceive children,Sawyer, C. The Arrival of B.B. King: The Authorized Biography. Doubleday (1984), p. 221. {{ISBN|0385159293}} King never disputed paternity of any of the 15 who claimed it, and by all accounts was generous in bankrolling college tuitions and establishing trust funds. In May 2016, the 11 surviving children initiated legal proceedings against King's appointed trustee over his estimated $30 million to $40 million estate. Several of them also went public with the allegation that King's business manager, LaVerne Toney, and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson, had fatally poisoned him. Autopsy results showed no evidence of poisoning. A defamation suit filed by Johnson against the accusing family members (including his own sister, Karen Williams) is pending. Other children have filed lawsuits targeting King's music estate, which remains in dispute.King was an FAA-certified private pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at what was then Chicago Hammond Airport in Lansing, Illinois.WEB,weblink Interview with B.B. King, March 14, 2010, West, Rebecca, April 20, 2000, Blues on Stage, "You and Me with B.B. King." SIRIUS Channel 74. May 12, 2009. He frequently flew to gigs, but in 1995 his insurance company and manager asked him to fly only with another certified pilot. As a result, he stopped flying around the age of 70. NEWS,weblink On the road again, B.B. King preps new album, Mitchell, Gail, June 29, 2007, Reuters, King's favorite singer was Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography, he spoke about how he was a "Sinatra nut" and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album In the Wee Small Hours. During the 1960s, Sinatra had arranged for King to play at the main clubs in Las Vegas. He credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in "white-dominated" venues.BOOK, King, B.B., Ritz, David, David Ritz, Blues All Around Me, 2011, It Books, 266, 978-0062061034,

Philanthropy and notable campaigns

In September 1970, King recorded Live in Cook County Jail, during a time in which issues of racism and class in the prison system were prominent in politics. King also co-founded the Foundation for the Advancement of Inmate Rehabilitation and Recreation, tying in his support for prisoners and interest in prison reform.Back, Les. 2015. "How Blue Can You Get? B.B. King, Planetary Humanism and the Blues Behind Bars." Theory, Culture & Society 32 (7): 274. In addition to prison reform, King also wanted to use prison performances as a way to preserve music and songs in a similar way that Alan Lomax did.JOURNAL, Adelt, U., Black, White, and Blue: Racial Politics in B.B. King's Music from the 1960s, Journal of Popular Culture, 2, In 2002, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underprivileged public schools throughout the United States. He sat on the organization's honorary board of directors.WEB,weblink Little Kids Rock, Honorary Board of Directors, May 15, 2015, Diagnosed with diabetes in 1990,NEWS, King of the Blues BB King has Now Been At the Top of the Blues Game for More than 50 years, Doughty, R., 2002, Diabetes Forecast, King was a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease.NEWS,weblink MJSBIGBLOG, Crystal Bowersox and BB King In New Diabetes Campaign, MJ, Santilli, March 15, 2011, May 15, 2015, He appeared in several television commercials for OneTouch Ultra, a blood glucose monitoring device, beginning in the early 2000s. American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age six, would co-star with King in later commercials.NEWS,weblink How B.B. King Avoids the Diabetes Blues, November 1, 2005, Diabetes Health, en-US, October 20, 2016,weblink August 9, 2016, dead, NEWS,weblink Crystal Bowersox: Striving to Live Without Limitations, January 17, 2013, Diabetes Health, en-US, October 20, 2016,

Death and funeral

The last eight shows of King's 2014 tour were canceled because of health problems caused by complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.NEWS, B.B. King "in home hospice care", Ralph, Ellis, CNN, May 2, 2015, May 15, 2015,weblink On May 14, 2015, at the age of 89, he died in his sleep from vascular dementia caused by a series of small strokes as a consequence of his type 2 diabetes.MAGAZINE,weblink Time, B.B. King Died From Mini Strokes, Coroner Says, Mandy, Oaklander, May 16, 2015, May 26, 2015, Two of his daughters alleged that King was deliberately poisoned by two associates trying to induce diabetic shock;NEWS, Payne, Ed, Kyung, Lah, Dave, Alsup, B.B. King was poisoned, two of his daughters claim,weblink CNN, May 27, 2015, May 26, 2015, an autopsy showed no evidence of such.MAGAZINE,weblink B.B. King Coroner's Report: No Evidence of Poisoning, Rolling Stone, Daniel, Kreps, July 14, 2015, July 15, 2015, WEB,weblink Coroner: No Evidence B.B. King Was Poisoned Before Death, July 13, 2015, July 14, 2015, HuffPost, King's body was flown to Memphis on May 27, 2015. A funeral procession went down Beale Street, with a brass band marching in front of the hearse while playing "When the Saints Go Marching In". Thousands lined the streets to pay their last respects. His body was then driven down Route 61 to his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi.MAGAZINE, Charlotte, Alter,weblink B.B. King Buried in Indianola, Mississippi, Time, May 30, 2015, May 30, 2015, He was laid in repose at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, in Indianola, for people to view his open casket.WEB,weblink Music And Tears At BB King Memphis Procession, Sky News, May 30, 2015, WEB,weblink Beale Street says goodbye to B.B. King, Memphis, Tennessee, WMC Action News 5, May 15, 2015, May 30, 2015, The funeral took place at the Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Indianola, on May 30.WEB, Associated Press in Indianola, Mississippi,weblink BB King's funeral draws hundreds as Obama says country 'has lost a legend' | US news, The Guardian, January 1, 1970, May 31, 2015, NEWS,weblink Hundreds gather to farewell BB King, The Age, May 31, 2015, May 31, 2015, Melbourne, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20150715053911weblink">weblink dead, July 15, 2015, Community news from The Centre Daily Times in State College, PA, centredaily.com, May 31, 2015, He was buried at the B.B. King Museum.

Discography

Studio albums

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Accolades

Awards and nominations

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy was awarded, for music released in the previous year.{| class="wikitable"! colspan=4| Grammy Awards! Year! Category! Work! Result|1970| Best Male R&B Vocal Performance| "The Thrill Is Gone"|{{Won}}|1981| Best R&B Instrumental Performance| "When I'm Wrong"|{{nom}}|1982| Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording| "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere"|{{won}}|1983Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals>Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals| "Street Life"|{{nom}}|1984 Best Traditional Blues Recording| Blues 'n Jazz|{{won}}|1986| My Guitar Sings the Blues|{{won}}|1991Live at San Quentin (B.B. King album)>Live at San Quentin|{{won}}|1991Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals>Best Country Collaboration with Vocals| "Waiting on the Light to Change"|{{nom}}|1992 Best Traditional Blues AlbumLive at the Apollo (B. B. King album)>Live at the Apollo|{{won}}|1994| Blues Summit|{{won}}|1995Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals>Best Country Collaboration with Vocals| "Patches"|{{nom}}|1997| Best Rock Instrumental Performance| "SRV Shuffle"|{{won}}|1999Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album>Best Contemporary Blues AlbumDeuces Wild (B. B. King album)>Deuces Wild|{{nom}}|200042nd Annual Grammy Awards#Blues>Best Traditional Blues Album| Blues on the Bayou|{{won}}|200143rd Annual Grammy Awards#Blues>Best Traditional Blues AlbumRiding with the King (B.B. King and Eric Clapton album)>Riding with the King|{{won}}|2001| Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals| "Is You Is or Is You Ain't (My Baby)"|{{won}}|200345th Annual Grammy Awards#Blues>Best Traditional Blues Album| A Christmas Celebration of Hope|{{won}}|2003| Best Pop Instrumental Performance| "Auld Lang Syne"|{{won}}|2005Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance>Best Traditional R&B Performance| "Sinner's Prayer" (with Ray Charles)|{{nom}}|200648th Annual Grammy Awards#Blues>Best Traditional Blues Album| (B. B. King & Friends: 80)|{{won}}|200951st Annual Grammy Awards#Blues>Best Traditional Blues Album| One Kind Favor|{{won}}Other awards{| class="wikitable"! Year! Association! Category! Work! Result|1995| Country Music Association| Album of the Year| Rhythm, Country and Blues ("Patches" with George Jones)|{{nom}}|2002| NAACP Image AwardsNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special>Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special| Sesame Street|{{nom}}File:B.B. King Presidential Medal of Freedom.jpg|thumb|upright|King receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. BushGeorge W. Bush

Additional honors

File:BB King pick.jpg|thumb|upright|Commemorative guitar pick honoring "B.B. King Day" in Portland, Maine]]
  • The Kennedy Center Honors – given to recognize "the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nation's most prestigious artists" (1995)WEB,weblink Kennedy Center Records, Kennedy-center.org, September 16, 1925, February 17, 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090805183322weblink">weblink August 5, 2009,
  • Grammy Hall of Fame Award for "The Thrill is Gone" – given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance" (1998)WEB,weblink Grammy Database, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, February 8, 2009, February 17, 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100213175336weblink">weblink February 13, 2010, dead,
  • The Library of Congress awarded him the Living Legend Medal for his lifetime of contributions to America's diverse cultural heritage (2000)WEB,weblink Living Legends: Americans Honored for Creative Contributions, May 2000, Library of Congress Information Bulletin, October 19, 2020,
  • The Royal Swedish Academy of Music awarded him the Polar Music Prize for his "significant contributions to the blues" (2004)
  • The Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (2004)WEB, Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement, achievement.org, American Academy of Achievement,weblink
  • The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President George W. Bush on December 15 (2006)WEB,weblink List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, Senate.gov, February 17, 2010,weblink February 22, 2010, live,
  • An honorary doctorate in music by Brown University (2007)WEB,weblink Brown University to Confer Nine Honorary Degrees May 27, Brown.edu, April 25, 2007, February 17, 2010,
  • The keys to the city of Portland, Maine (2008)"King of Portland" {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090920180132weblink |date=September 20, 2009 }} – Portland Press Herald, May 19, 2008
  • A Mississippi Blues Trail marker was added for King to commemorate his birthplace (2008)WEB,weblink B.B. King Birthplace, Mississippi Blues Commission, msbluestrail.org, February 2, 2010,
  • Time named King No. 3 on its list of the 10 best electric guitarists (2009)MAGAZINE, Tyrangiel, Josh,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090815221408weblink">weblink dead, August 15, 2009, The 10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players, Time (magazine), Time, August 14, 2009, January 6, 2011,
  • King was awarded the MMP Music Award and inducted into the MMP Hall of Fame by the Mississippi Music Project (2018)WEB,weblink MMP Music Award & Hall of Fame, 2020, Mississippi Music Project, October 3, 2021,
  • A Google Doodle celebrated what would have been King's 94th birthday (2019)NEWS,weblink Google celebrates birthday of the 'King of the Blues' with an animated video Doodle, Douglas, Wood, CNN, September 16, 2019, September 16, 2019,
  • A King Homecoming Festival is held in Indianola, Mississippi during the first week in June every yearWEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20130415020024weblink">weblink dead, April 15, 2013, 'The Blues Heritage' Indianola, Mississippi Chamber of Commerce, Indianolams.org, February 17, 2010,
  • Rolling Stone named King the 8th greatest guitarist of all time in 2023.MAGAZINE, 2023-10-13, The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,weblink 2023-10-14, Rolling Stone, en-US,

See also

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References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • BOOK, De Visé, Daniel, 2021, King of the Blues: the Rise and Reign of B.B. King, First, New York, Atlantic Monthly Press, 9780802158055, 1261767849,
  • BOOK, Sawyer, Charles, 2022, B.B. King: From Indianola to Icon, First, Atglen, PA, Schiffer Books, 9780764363856,

External links

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