B. B. King

Riley B. King, perhaps better known as B. B. King or "The King of Blues" (born September 16, 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi), is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, widely considered one of the best and most respected blues musicians of all time. One of his best known trademarks is "Lucille", the name he has given to his guitars since the 1950s after he escaped a fire at a juke joint he was playing in. The fire was started by two men who were fighting over a woman named "Lucille", knocked over the bucket of burning kerosene used for heat. When King realized he had left his guitar in the burning building, he ran back inside to get it, naming it "Lucille" to remind himself not to do it again. In 1947, B.B King began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles based RPM Records. Many of King's early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records. He was also a disc jockey in Memphis, where he gained the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to B.B. In the 1950s, he became one of the most important names in R&B music, collecting an impressive list of hits under his belt that included songs like "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,""Bad Luck,""Sweet Little Angel," "On My Word of Honor," and "Please Accept My Love". In 1962, he signed to ABC-Paramount Records. In November 1964, King recorded the legendary Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois, but would find success outside of the blues market with the 1969 remake of the Roy Hawkins tune, "The Thrill Is Gone", which became a hit on both pop and R&B charts, which was rare for an R&B artist. It also gained the number 193 spot in the Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs Of All Time. He gained further rock visibility as an opening act on The Rolling Stones much-ballyhooed 1969 American Tour. His mainstream success continued throughout the 1970s. From 1951 to 1985, he appeared on Billboard's R&B charts an amazing 74 times. On March 29 2006, at the age of 80, he began his farewell tour when he played at the Sheffield's Hallam Arena in the UK. B.B. King has been a licensed pilot, and is also a vegetarian, non-drinker and non-smoker. In 2002, he signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the US. He is an honorary member of the board of directors. Find out more at: http://www.bbking.com/

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