B.B. King

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The reigning king of the blues, B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important blues guitarist of the last half century.
Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925, between Itta Bena and Indianola, Mississippi.
After serving briefly in the army, King moved in with his cousin Booker (Bukka) White, also a blues guitarist.
Soon King was signed to Bullet Records and in 1949 recorded four songs at the radio station. He also continued to perform in the area.
By the 1980s King was recognized as a blues legend. He won a 1984 Grammy for best traditional blues recording for Blues n' Jazz; he appeared on the album of the Irish rock band U2 and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1988 Grammy awards ceremony.
In the early 1990s King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

B.B. King has influenced the guitar playing of Eric Clapton, , Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert Collins, Albert King and Jimi Hendrix. He is one of America's living, national treasures. Official King's website is www.bbking.com

Artist News

B.B. King's dead! May 15, 2015 The legend is gone forever!
King died in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT at his Clark County home in Las Vegas. Since October 2014 he was treated at the hospital for complications of high blood pressure and diabetes.