- B. B. King
Infobox musical artist
Name = B. B. King
Img_capt =
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Riley B. King
Alias = B. B. King
Born = birth date and age|1925|9|16
Died =
Origin =Itta Bena, Mississippi , USA
Instrument =Vocals ,guitar ,piano
Genre =Memphis blues ,soul-blues ,rhythm and blues
Occupation =Musician ,singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1947 – present
Label = Geffen
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.bbking.com/ www.bbking.com]
Notable_instruments = LucilleB. B. King (born Riley B. King, September 16, 1925) is an American
blues guitarist andsinger-songwriter . Critical acclaim and widespread popularity have cemented his reputation as one of the most respected and successful blues musicians. "Rolling Stone " magazine named him the third-greatest guitarist of "the 100 greatest guitarists of all time". [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time : Rolling Stone ] ]Career
B. B. King arrived in Memphis for the first time in 1946 to work as a musician, but after a few months of hardship he left, going back to Mississippi. There he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit and returned to Memphis two years later. Initially he worked at the local R&B radio channel WDIA as a singer. In 1949, he began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles-based
RPM Records . Many of King's early recordings were produced bySam Phillips , who later foundedSun Records . King was also adisc jockey inMemphis, Tennessee , where he gained the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to "B. B." Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which got a bad review in Billboard magazine and did not chart well.In the 1950s, B. B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music, amassing an impressive list of hits 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." In 1962, B. B. King signed to
ABC-Paramount Records , which was later absorbed intoMCA Records , and then his current label,Geffen Records .In November 1964, King recorded the "
Live at the Regal " album at the Regal Theater inChicago, Illinois .King's first success outside the blues market was his 1969 remake of
Roy Hawkins ' tune "The Thrill Is Gone ." King's version became a hit on both pop and R&B charts, which was rare for an R&B artist. It also gained the number 183 spot in "Rolling Stone" magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time ". He gained further rock visibility as an opening act onThe Rolling Stones ' 1969 American Tour. King's mainstream success continued throughout the 1970s with songs like "To Know You Is to Love You" and "I Like to Live the Love."The 1980s, 1990s and 2000s saw King recording less and less. Yet throughout this time he maintained a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and 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 bandU2 (on their "Rattle and Hum " album). In 2000, King teamed up with guitaristEric Clapton to record "Riding With the King". In 1998 B. B. King appeared in "The Blues Brothers 2000", playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton,Dr. John ,Koko Taylor andBo Diddley .In 2003, King shared the stage with the rock band
Phish inNew Jersey , performing three of his classics and jamming with the band for over 45 minutes.In June 2006, King was present at a memorialization of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in
Greenwood, Mississippi , where an official marker of theMississippi Blues Trail was erected.B. B. King also made an appearance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival put on by Eric Clapton. On the
DVD , he plays "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss" and "Rock Me Baby" withRobert Cray ,Jimmie Vaughan andHubert Sumlin .In June 2006, a groundbreaking was held for a new [http://www.bbkingmuseum.org/ B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center] in
Indianola, Mississippi . The museum opened on September 13, 2008.B. B. King was also the final performer at the 25th annual
Chicago Blues Festival on June 8, 2008.In June 2008, B. B. King was inducted into the
Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongsideLiza Minnelli andSir James Galway .In July 2008, Sirius/XM Radio's Bluesville channel was re-named B. B. King's Bluesville.
Farewell tour
Aged 80 at the time, on 29 March 2006, King played at
Sheffield 's Hallam Arena. This was the first date of his UK and European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by ex-shredder/rocker turned bluesmanGary Moore , with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song "Since I Met You Baby". The British leg of the tour ended on 4 April with a final UK concert atWembley Arena .In July King went back to Europe, playing twice (2 & 3 July) in the 40th edition of the
Montreux Jazz Festival and also inZürich at the Blues at Sunset on 14 July. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall he jammed withJoe Sample ,Randy Crawford ,David Sanborn ,Gladys Knight , Lella James, Earl Thomas,Stanley Clarke , John McLaughlin,Barbara Hendricks andGeorge Duke . The European leg of the Farewell tour ended inLuxembourg on 19 September 2006 at theD'Coque Arena (support act:Todd Sharpville ). In November and December, King played six times inBrazil . During a press conference on November 29 inSão Paulo , a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: "One of my favorite actors is a man fromScotland namedSean Connery . Most of you know him asJames Bond , 007. He made a movie called "Never Say Never Again ."On 28 July 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's
Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for theCrossroads Centre foraddictive disorders , located inAntigua .In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester,
Tennessee , and on 1 August 2008, he performed at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset,Massachusetts .In June 2008, King played the final set of the
Monterey, California Blues Festival following Taj Mahal.Legacy
Over 52 years B. B. King played at least 15,000 performances. [ [http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~musie139/DeltaDiary.html "Delta Diary" by Charlie Sawyer] ]
He has made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows, including "
The Cosby Show ",cite news |accessdate=2007-02-06 |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0454475/ |title=B.B. King |author=IMDB ] "The Young and the Restless ", "General Hospital ",cite news |accessdate=2007-06-08 |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP3bUh4BOCk |title=BB King Performs At Luke's -February 3 ,1995 |author=YouTube ] "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ", "Sesame Street ",cite news |accessdate=2007-06-08 |url=http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/newsletter_article.php?contentId=108003&type=sesame |title=Sesame Street Beat Newsletter Archive |author=Sesame Workshop ] "Married With Children " and "Sanford and Son ".King is the subject of a biography, "B. B. King: There is Always One More Time", by the noted New York-based music writer David McGee.
In the Beatles' song "Dig It" from the Let It Be sessions, John Lennon states "Like the FBI...and the CIA...and the BBC...BB King...and Doris Day...Matt Busby...Dig it..."
King played with many musicians over the years. One was the
organist Les Whitt , the director of themunicipal zoo inAlexandria, Louisiana , from 1974 until his death in 2008. [http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/NEWS01/308200050]Personal life
The son of Alfred King and Nora Ella King, B. B. King has had two wives to date: Martha Lee Denton, 1946 to 1952, and Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. Both marriages ended because of the heavy demands made on the marriage by King's 250 performances a year. It is reported that he has fathered 15 children by different women. [ [http://www.jazzandbluesmasters.com/bbking.htm BB King ] ]
King is a licensed pilot, a known
gambler , avegetarian , non-drinker, and non-smoker. [http://www.guitarworld.com/allaccess/interviews/bb-king.html] He has lived with Type II Diabetes for over twenty years and is a visible spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management products.On January 26, 2007, while on tour, King was hospitalized in
Galveston, Texas , because of a low-grade (100.4°F / 38°C) fever after a recent bout ofinfluenza . He was released onJanuary 27 , after an overnight stay.cite news |accessdate=2007-01-28 |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/celebrities/4504849.html
title=B.B. King released from Texas hospital
author=Associated Press
work=Houston Chronicle
date=January 27, 2007] He resumed his touring on January 30 inTexas and gave another thirty performances in the U.S.His favorite singer is
Frank Sinatra . In his autobiography King speaks about how he was, and is, a "Sinatra nut" and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album "In the Wee Small Hours ". King has credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who weren't given the chance to play in "white dominated" venues. Sinatra got B. B. King into the main showrooms in Vegas during the 1960s. [Blue All Around Me, 1999, BB King and Daniel Ritz. BB King also practiced late night with Don W. of truck 411.]Each year, during the first week in June, a B. B. King homecoming festival is held in
Indianola, Mississippi . [ [http://www.indianolams.org/blues.html "The Blues Heritage" Indianola, Mississippi Chamber of Commerce] ]Famed Delta Blues artist
Bukka White was King's first cousin.Boxer
Sonny Liston was King's uncle. ["The Devil and Sonny Liston" by Nick Tosches, 2000, ISBN 0316897752]By his own admission, he cannot play chords very well ["U2 Rattle and Hum" DVD, 1988] and always relies on
improvisation .Lucille
In the mid-1950s, while B. B. was performing at a dance in Twist, Arkansas, a few fans became unruly. Two men got into a fight and knocked over a kerosene stove, setting fire to the hall. B. B. raced outdoors to safety with everyone else, then realized that he left his beloved $30 acoustic guitar inside, so he rushed back inside the burning building to retrieve it, narrowly escaping death. When he later found out that the fight had been over a woman named Lucille, he decided to give the name to his guitar to remind him never to do a crazy thing like fight over a woman. Ever since, each one of B. B.'s trademark Gibson guitars has been called Lucille.
Discography
Videography
# "
The Electric B. B. King - His Best " (1960)
# "Great Moments with B. B. King " (1981)
# "" (1988)
# "Got My Mojo Working " (1989)
# "King of the Blues " (Box Set, 1992)
# "Why I Sing the Blues " (1992)
# "Blues Brothers 2000 "; (1998)
# ""; (2003)
# "Ultimate Collection" (2005)
# "" (2008)Honors and awards
*On May 27, 2007, King was awarded an honorary doctorate in music by
Brown University . [ [http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2006-07/06-142.html Brown University to Confer Nine Honorary Degrees May 27] ] Thirty years earlier, in May 1977, he was awarded an honorary doctorate byYale University .
*On December 15, 2006, PresidentGeorge W. Bush awarded King thePresidential Medal of Freedom . [ [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom_Recipients.htm List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients on US Senate website] ]
*In 2004, he was awarded an honorary Ph.D from theUniversity of Mississippi and theRoyal Swedish Academy of Music awarded him thePolar Music Prize , for his "significant contributions to the blues". [ [http://www.polarmusicprize.se/2/ Polar Music Prize Winners] ]
*King was awarded theNational Medal of Arts in 1990. [ [http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html List of National Medal of Arts Recipients on NEA website] ]
*He was officially inducted 1987 into theRock & Roll Hall of Fame , becoming one of the first artists to be honored by the museum. [ [http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/bb-king "B. B. King" Rock & Roll Hall of Fame] ]*Grammy Awards - King was given a
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. [ [http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Lifetime_Awards/ Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners] ] As of 2006, he has won 14 Grammy Awards, of which nine have been the Grammy award for Best Traditional Blues Album: in 2006 (for ""), 2003 (for "A Christmas Celebration of Hope"), 2001 (for "Riding with the King"), 2000 (for "Blues on the Bayou"), 1994 (for "Blues Summit"), 1992 (for "Live at the Apollo"), 1991 (for "Live at San Quentin "), 1986 (for "My Guitar Sings the Blues") and 1984 (for "Blues 'N' Jazz"). In 1982, he won the Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording (for "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere "). The Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk was last given in 1986; the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album was first given in 1983. In 1997, he won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (with other artists, for "SRV Shuffle"). In 1971, he won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "The Thrill is Gone "). A Grammy Hall of Fame Award was given to "The Thrill is Gone" in 1998, an award given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance." [ [http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY%5FAwards/Winners/ Grammy Database] ]
*King was awarded theKennedy Center Honors in 1995. This is given to recognize "the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our Nation's most prestigious artists." [ [http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3696&source_type=A Kennedy Center Records] ]
*In 1991, B. B. King was awarded theNational Heritage Fellowship from the NEA. [ [http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/NHFIntro.php?year=1991 1991 NEA National Heritage Fellowships: Introduction ] ]
*On May 14, 2008, King was presented with the keys to the City ofUtica, New York .
*On May 18, 2008, themayor ofPortland, Maine , Edward Suslovic, declared the day "B. B. King Day" in the city. Prior to King's performance at theMerrill Auditorium , Suslovic presented King with the keys to the city. [ [http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=188662&ac=PHnws "King of Portland" - "Portland Press Herald ", May 19, 2008] ]ee also
*
Chicago Blues Festival
*Honorific titles in popular music
*List of nicknames of blues musicians References
External links
* [http://www.bbking.com/ Official B. B. King-website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4UP2A419cQ Video: The Thrill Is Gone (Live in Toronto)]
* [http://www.gibsoncustom.com/flash/products/signature/lucille/lucille.html The official signature B. B. King guitar, by Gibson]
* [http://www.worldblues.com/ World Blues-One of the oldest B. B. King websites on the net]
* [http://www.bluesboyking.com/ B. B. King UK Fan Site]
* [http://www.aworan.net/qdig/performers.php?Qwd=./images/performers/B.B%20King&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=M Live in Wembley 2006]
*imdb name|id=0454475|name=B. B. King
*MusicBrainz artist|id=dcb03ce3-67a5-4eb3-b2d1-2a12d93a38f3|name=B. B. King
* [http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php4?YearId=25 1980 Blues Foundation Hall of Fame induction]
*Live Photos [http://www.volubilis.net/concerts/bb_king_2006/concert_bb_king_18092006_01.php 1] [http://www.type3media.com/livephotos/bbking11172007.html 2]
* [http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~musie139/DeltaDiary.html B. B. King biographer Charlie Sawyer writes about returning to the Delta and a "charette" on the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi.]
* [http://www.velvetpanda.com/user/details/18 B. B. King on Velvetpanda]
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