Riley B. King aka B. B. King (born September 16, 1925) is an American blues
guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is widely considered one of the best (and
most respected) blues musicians in the world. One of his trademarks is
"Lucille", a custom guitar he began using in the 1950s. There have been many
incarnations of Lucille (King has had a number of guitars over his career, but
calls them all Lucille) but they are usually Gibson ES-355s custom made to
King's required specifications.
In 1949, 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 the legendary Sun Records.
In the 1950s, King 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," "Ten Long Years," "Bad Luck," "Sweet Little
Angel," "On My Word of Honor," and "Please Accept My Love". In 1962, King signed
to ABC-Paramount Records.
In November of 1964, King recorded the legendary Live at the Regal album at the
Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois.
King first found 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. He gained further rock visibility as
an opening act on The Rolling Stones' much-ballyhooed 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." From 1951 to 1985, King appeared
on Billboard's R&B charts an amazing 74 times.
The 1980s, 1990s and 2000s saw King recording less and less, but maintaining a
highly visible and active career appearing on numerous television shows, major
motion pictures and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988 he reached a new
generation of fans via the single "When Love Comes To Town", together with the
Irish band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album. In 2000, King teamed up with
guitarist Eric Clapton to record Riding With the King.
In 2003, he shared the stage with the rock band Phish in New Jersey, performing
three of his classics and jamming with the band for over 30 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 the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected.
Over the years more than 100 BB King concerts have been broadcast, at least
partly, on radio and TV in many countries.
At 81, King has lived a very full and active life. He has been a licensed pilot,
a known gambler and is also a vegetarian, non-drinker and non-smoker. King has
lived with diabetes for over ten years and has been a visible spokesman in the
fight against diabetes, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management
products.
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B.B. King
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