B.B. King

B.B. King's career has spanned over a half a century. He is not only one of the greatest blues musicians of all time, but he is also one of the most famous blues guitarists in the world.

King was born in Itta Bena (just outside of Indianola Mississippi) in 1925. When he was 3, his parents separated, and he and his mother moved to a nearby town called Kilmichael. He was raised much of his early life by a white family who hired him as a farmhand.

Here was where he learned how to play the guitar. His first influences were T-Bone Walker, and Charlie Christian.

King spent a lot of time playing Gospel music, and in 1946, he moved to Memphis to try his hand at making a living playing the guitar. In 1949 he got his first break when Sonny Boy Williamson II gave him an unpaid slot on his Radio show on KWEM. Not long after that, he got his own radio show on

WDIA called, "Riley King, the Blues Boy from Beale Street". He soon became known as "Blues Boy", which was soon shortened to B.B.

In 1950 he recorded his first single-"3 O'Clock Blues" with the help of Ike Turner, who brought King to the attention of RPM Records. 3 O'Clock Blues sold over 1 million copies, and topped the R&B charts for almost 4 months.

Over the next 10 years, King made over 200 recordings with the RPM Label, including "Woke up this Morning", and "You Upset me Baby".



In 1961, King signed on with mainstream label- ABC. He didn't produce great results in the studio, but he did establish himself as an exceptional live performer. (Have a listen to Live at the Regal) Up until the early 60's, the blues audience had been mainly Black America and young Urban Whites, until he found himself

King's manager, Sidney Seidenberg, saw a new young audience, and began to steer him into this crossover market of rock music with a blues influence.

King remains one of the greatest concert performers of all time, and is still a great influence on new generations of musicians.

Guitars

King used a Fender Telecaster for most of his RPM recordings, but his most famous guitar is "Lucille"-a Gibson ES335. In 1981 Gibson produced a B.B. King Signature 335 in his honor.

Classic Recordings

King of the Blues- This anthology is made up of recordings of his music from 1948-1989.

Live at the Regal- One of the greatest live albums ever made.

Completely Well- recorded in 1969.