B.B. King - wikipedia B.B. King B.B. King King at the 2009 North Sea Jazz Festival Background information Birth name Riley B. King ( 1925 - 09 - 16 ) September 16, 1925 Itta Bena, Mississippi, U.S. May 14, 2015 ( 2015 - 05 - 14 ) ( aged 89 ) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Genres Blues rhythm and blues blues rock Occupation ( s ) Singer guitarist songwriter record producer Instruments Guitar Years active 1948 -- 2015 Labels RPM Crown Kent ABC BluesWay MCA Geffen Website bbking.com Riley B. King ( September 16, 1925 -- May 14, 2015 ), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname `` The King of the Blues '', and one of the `` Three Kings of the Blues Guitar '' along with Albert King and Freddie King. King was known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at more than 200 concerts per year on average into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he reportedly appeared at 342 shows. King was born on a cotton plantation in Berclair, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and began his performance career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis, Tennessee, and Chicago, and toured the world extensively. King died at the age of 89 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 14, 2015, from congestive heart failure and diabetic complications. External video Oral History, B.B. King reflects on his greatest musical influences. interview date August 3, 2005, NAMM ( National Association of Music Merchants ) Oral History Library Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 1949 -- 2005 2.2 2006 -- 2014 : farewell tour and later activities 3 Equipment 4 B.B. King 's Blues Club 5 Television and other appearances 5.1 Commercials 6 Personal life 6.1 Philanthropy and notable campaigns 6.2 Death and funeral 7 Discography 7.1 Studio albums 8 Accolades 8.1 Awards and nominations 8.2 Other honors 9 See also 10 References 11 External links Early Life Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation called Berclair, near the town of Itta Bena, Mississippi, the son of sharecroppers Albert and Nora Ella King. He considered the nearby city of Indianola, Mississippi to be his home. When Riley was four years old, his mother left his father for another man, so he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr, in Kilmichael, Mississippi. While young, King sang in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. King was attracted to the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ because of its music. The local minister led worship with a Sears Roebuck Silvertone guitar. The minister taught King his first three chords. It seems that at the age of 12 he purchased his first guitar for $15.00, although another source indicates he was given his first guitar by Bukka White, his mother 's first cousin ( King 's grandmother and White 's mother were sisters ). In November 1941 `` King Biscuit Time '' first aired, broadcasting on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. It was a radio show featuring the Mississippi Delta blues. King listened to it while on break at a plantation. A self - taught guitarist, he then wanted to become a radio musician. In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. John 's Quartet of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches and on WGRM in Greenwood, Mississippi. In 1946, King followed Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months. However, King returned to Mississippi shortly afterward, where he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit, and returned to West Memphis, Arkansas, two years later in 1948. He performed on Sonny Boy Williamson 's radio program on KWEM in West Memphis, where he began to develop an audience. King 's appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten - minute spot on the Memphis radio station WDIA. The radio spot became so popular that it was expanded and became the Sepia Swing Club. Initially he worked at WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, gaining the nickname `` Beale Street Blues Boy '', which was later shortened to `` Blues Boy '' and finally to B.B. It was there that he first met T - Bone Walker. King said, `` Once I 'd heard him for the first time, I knew I 'd have to have ( an electric guitar ) myself. ' Had ' to have one, short of stealing ! '' Career 1949 -- 2005 King playing his favorite guitar, Lucille, in the 1980s 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 Sun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet Records by issuing the single `` Miss Martha King '' ( 1949 ), which did not chart well. `` My very first recordings ( in 1949 ) were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company, '' King recalled. `` I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano ; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis. '' King assembled his own band ; the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands ( trumpet ), Lawrence Burdin ( alto saxophone ), George Coleman ( tenor saxophone ), Floyd Newman ( baritone saxophone ), Millard Lee ( piano ), George Joyner ( bass ) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry ( drums ). Onzie Horne was a trained musician elicited as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his own admission, King could not play chords well and always relied on improvisation. King 's recording contract was followed by tours across the United States, with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke joints of the southern United States. During one show in Twist, Arkansas, a brawl broke out between two men and caused a fire. He evacuated along with the rest of the crowd but went back to retrieve his guitar. He said he later found out that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. He named the guitar Lucille, as a reminder not to fight over women or run into any more burning buildings. Following his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart number one, `` 3 O'Clock Blues '' ( February 1952 ), B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s, 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 ''. This led to a significant increase in his weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500, with appearances at major venues such as the Howard Theater in Washington and the Apollo in New York, as well as touring the entire `` Chitlin ' circuit ''. 1956 became a record - breaking year, with 342 concerts booked and three recording sessions. That same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he produced artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury. In 1962, King signed to ABC - Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and which itself was later absorbed into Geffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater. King later said that Regal Live `` is considered by some the best recording I 've ever had... that particular day in Chicago everything came together... '' From the late 1960s, new manager Sid Seidenberg pushed King into a different type of venue as blues - rock performers like Eric Clapton, once a member of The Yardbirds as well as Cream, and Paul Butterfield were popularizing an appreciation of blues music among white audiences. King gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on the Rolling Stones ' 1969 American Tour. He won a 1970 Grammy Award for the song `` The Thrill Is Gone '' ; his version became a hit on both the pop and R&B charts. It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine 's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2004, he was awarded the international Polar Music Prize, given to artists `` in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music. '' From the 1980s to his death in 2015, 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 band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album. In December 1997, he performed in the Vatican 's fifth annual Christmas concert and presented his trademark guitar `` Lucille '' to Pope John Paul II. In 1998, he appeared in The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley. In 2000, he and Clapton teamed up again to record Riding With the King, which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. Discussing where he took the Blues, from `` dirt floor, smoke in the air '' joints to grand concert halls, King said the Blues belonged everywhere beautiful music belonged. He successfully worked both sides of the commercial divide, with sophisticated recordings and `` raw, raucous '' live performance. 2006 -- 2014 : farewell tour and later activities In 2006, King went on a `` farewell '' world tour, although he remained active afterward during the last years of his life. The tour was partly supported by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song `` Since I Met You Baby ''. It started in the United Kingdom, and continued with performances in the Montreux Jazz Festival and in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Leela James, Andre Beeka, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. King at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, in May 2007 In June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King, in Indianola, Mississippi. The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened on September 13, 2008. In late October 2006, King recorded a concert album and video entitled B.B. King : Live at his B.B. King Blues Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The four - night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performed it nightly around the world. Released in 2008, it was his first live performance recording in over a decade. In 2007, King played at Eric Clapton 's second Crossroads Guitar Festival and contributed the songs `` Goin ' Home '', to Goin ' Home : A Tribute to Fats Domino ( with Ivan Neville 's DumpstaPhunk ) and `` One Shoe Blues '' to Sandra Boynton 's children 's album Blue Moo, accompanied by a pair of sock puppets in a music video for the song. In the summer of 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, where he was given a key to the city. Also in 2008, he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. King performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco, on May 27, 2010. In June 2010, King performed at the Crossroads Guitar Festival with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, and Eric Clapton. He also contributed to Cyndi Lauper 's album Memphis Blues, which was released on June 22, 2010. President Obama and King singing `` Sweet Home Chicago '' on February 21, 2012 In 2011, King played at the Glastonbury Music Festival, and in the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he recorded a concert video. Rolling Stone ranked King at No. 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. On February 21, 2012, King was among the performers of `` In Performance at the White House : Red, White and Blues '', during which President Barack Obama sang part of `` Sweet Home Chicago ''. King recorded for the debut album of rapper and producer Big K.R.I.T., who also hails from Mississippi. On July 5, 2012, King performed a concert at the Byblos International Festival in Lebanon. On May 26, 2013, King appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. On October 3, 2014, after completing his live performance at the House of Blues in Chicago, a doctor diagnosed King with dehydration and exhaustion, and the eight remaining shows of his ongoing tour had to be cancelled. King did n't schedule any additional shows for the remainder of the year. When I sing, I play in my mind ; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille. `` '' Equipment For more information about King 's guitar, see Lucille ( guitar ). B.B. King used simple equipment. He played guitars made by various manufacturers early in his career : he played a Fender Esquire on most of his recordings with RPM Records ( USA ). However, he was best known for playing variants of the Gibson ES - 355. In 1980, Gibson Guitar Corporation launched the B.B. King Lucille model. In 2005, Gibson made a special run of 80 Gibson Lucilles, referred to as the `` 80th Birthday Lucille '', the first prototype of which was given as a birthday gift to King, and which he used thereafter. King used a Lab Series L5 2 × 12 '' combo amplifier and had been using this amplifier for a long time. It was made by Norlin Industries for Gibson in the 1970s and 1980s. Other popular L5 users are Allan Holdsworth and Ty Tabor of King 's X. The L5 has an onboard compressor, parametric equalization, and four inputs. King also used a Fender Twin Reverb. He used his signature model strings `` Gibson SEG - BBS B.B. King Signature Electric Guitar Strings '' with gauges : 10 -- 13 -- 17p -- 32w -- 45w -- 54w and D'Andrea 351 MD SHL CX ( Medium 0.71 mm, Tortoise Shell, Celluloid ) Picks. B.B. King 's Blues club Sign outside B.B. King 's Blues Club on Beale Street, Memphis In 1991, Beale Street developer John Elkington recruited B.B. King to Memphis to open the original B.B. King 's Blues Club, and in 1994, a second club was launched at Universal Citywalk in Los Angeles. A third club in New York City 's Times Square opened in June 2000. Two further clubs opened at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut in January 2002 and another in Nashville in 2003. Another club opened in Orlando in 2007. A club in West Palm Beach opened in the fall of 2009 and an additional one, based in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, opened in the winter of 2009. Television and other appearances King made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows, including The Cosby Show, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, The Fresh Prince of Bel - Air, Sesame Street, Married... with Children, Sanford and Son, and Touched by an Angel. In 2000, the children 's show Between The Lions featured a singing character named `` B.B. the King Of Beasts '', modeled on the real King. B.B. King : The Life of Riley, a feature documentary about King narrated by Morgan Freeman and directed by Jon Brewer was released on October 15, 2012. Commercials King, who was diabetic, appeared in several television commercials for OneTouch Ultra, a blood glucose monitoring device, in the 2000s and early 2010s. He appeared in 1995 in a McDonalds commercial with Australian guitarist Nathan Cavaleri, and then in a commercial for the Toyota Camry with his guitar Lucille. Personal Life King was married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, November 1946 to 1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. The failure of both marriages has been attributed to the heavy demands made by King 's 250 performances a year. It is reported that he fathered 15 children with several different women. After his death, three more have come forward, claiming King as their father as well. Though neither of his marriages produced children, and biographer Charles Sawyer wrote that doctors found his sperm count too low to conceive children, King never disputed paternity of any of the 15 who claimed it, and by all accounts was generous in bankrolling college tuitions and establishing trust funds. In May 2016, the 11 surviving children initiated legal proceedings against King 's appointed trustee over his estimated $30 million to $40 million estate. Several of them also went public with the allegation that King 's business manager, LaVerne Toney, and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson, had fatally poisoned him. Autopsy results showed no evidence of poisoning. A defamation suit filed by Johnson against the accusing family members ( including his own sister, Karen Williams ) is pending. Other children have filed lawsuits targeting King 's music estate, which remains in dispute. King was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1990. He lived with diabetes for over 20 years and was a high - profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in advertisements for diabetes - management products along with American Idol season nine contestant Crystal Bowersox. King was an FAA certified private pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at what was then Chicago Hammond Airport in Lansing, Illinois. He frequently flew to gigs but in 1995 his insurance company and manager asked him to fly only with another certified pilot. As a result, he stopped flying around the age of 70. King 's favorite singer was Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography he spoke about how he was a `` Sinatra nut '' and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra 's classic album In the Wee Small Hours. During the 1960s Sinatra had arranged for King to play at the main clubs in Las Vegas. He credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in `` white - dominated '' venues. Philanthropy and notable campaigns In September 1970, King recorded Live in Cook County Jail, during a time in which issues of race and class in the prison system were prominent in politics. King also co-founded the Foundation for the Advancement of Inmate Rehabilitation and Recreation, tying in his support for prisoners and interest in prison reform. In addition to prison reform, King also wanted to utilize prison performances as a way to preserve music and songs in a similar way that Alan Lomax did. In 2002, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underprivileged public schools throughout the United States. He sat on the organization 's Honorary Board of Directors. In the 2000s to early 2010s, King was involved in the spread of awareness of diabetes since his diagnosis in 1990. He was also involved in a diabetes awareness campaign with American Idol contestant, Crystal Bowersox, with One Touch Ultra, starring in commercials and spreading awareness about diabetes and promoting diabetes health management. Death and funeral After the cancellation of the remaining eight shows of his 2014 tour because of health problems caused by complications from high blood pressure and diabetes, King died in his sleep on May 14, 2015, at the age of 89. Death was as a result of series of small strokes caused by atherosclerotic vascular disease as a consequence of his type 2 diabetes. Two of his daughters alleged that King was deliberately poisoned by two associates trying to induce diabetic shock, though an autopsy showed no evidence of poisoning. On May 27, 2015, King 's body was flown to Memphis. A funeral procession went down Beale Street, with a brass band marching in front of the hearse, playing `` When the Saints Go Marching In ''. Thousands lined the streets to pay their last respects. His body was then driven down Route 61 to his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi. He was laid in repose at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, in Indianola, for people to view his open casket. The funeral took place at the Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Indianola, on May 30. He was buried at the B.B. King Museum. Discography Main article : B.B. King discography Studio albums Singin ' the Blues ( 1956 ) The Blues ( 1958 ) B.B. King Wails ( 1959 ) King of the Blues ( 1960 ) Sings Spirituals ( 1960 ) The Great B.B. King ( 1960 ) My Kind of Blues ( 1961 ) Blues For Me ( 1961 ) Blues in My Heart ( 1962 ) Easy Listening Blues ( 1962 ) B.B. King ( 1963 ) Mr. Blues ( 1963 ) Confessin ' the Blues ( 1966 ) Blues on Top of Blues ( 1968 ) Lucille ( 1968 ) Live & Well ( 1969 ) Completely Well ( 1969 ) Indianola Mississippi Seeds ( 1970 ) B.B. King in London ( 1971 ) L.A. Midnight ( 1972 ) Guess Who ( 1972 ) To Know You Is to Love You ( 1973 ) Friends ( 1974 ) Lucille Talks Back ( 1975 ) King Size ( 1977 ) Midnight Believer ( 1978 ) Take It Home ( 1979 ) There Must Be a Better World Somewhere ( 1981 ) Love Me Tender ( 1982 ) Blues ' N ' Jazz ( 1983 ) Six Silver Strings ( 1985 ) King of the Blues : 1989 ( 1988 ) There Is Always One More Time ( 1991 ) Blues Summit ( 1993 ) Lucille & Friends ( 1995 ) Deuces Wild ( 1997 ) Blues on the Bayou ( 1998 ) Let the Good Times Roll ( 1999 ) Makin ' Love Is Good for You ( 2000 ) Riding with the King ( 2000, with Eric Clapton ) A Christmas Celebration of Hope ( 2001 ) Reflections ( 2003 ) B.B. King & Friends : 80 ( 2005 ) One Kind Favor ( 2008 ) Accolades Awards and nominations Years reflect the year in which the Grammy was awarded, for music released in the previous year. Grammy Awards Year Category Work Result 1971 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance `` The Thrill Is Gone '' Won 1981 Best R&B Instrumental Performance `` When I 'm Wrong '' Nominated 1982 Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording `` There Must Be a Better World Somewhere '' Won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals `` Street Life '' Nominated 1984 Best Traditional Blues Recording Blues ' n Jazz Won 1986 My Guitar Sings the Blues Won 1991 Live at San Quentin Won 1991 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals `` Waiting on the Light to Change '' Nominated 1992 Best Traditional Blues Album Live at the Apollo Won 1994 Blues Summit Won 1995 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals `` Patches '' Nominated 1997 Best Rock Instrumental Performance `` SRV Shuffle '' Won 1999 Best Contemporary Blues Album Deuces Wild Nominated 2000 Best Traditional Blues Album Blues on the Bayou Won 2001 Best Traditional Blues Album Riding with the King Won 2001 Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals `` Is You or Is You Ai n't ( Baby ) '' Won 2003 Best Traditional Blues Album A Christmas Celebration of Hope Won 2003 Best Pop Instrumental Performance `` Auld Lang Syne '' Won 2005 Best Traditional R&B Performance `` Sinner 's Prayer '' ( with Ray Charles ) Nominated 2006 Best Traditional Blues Album B.B. King & Friends : 80 Won 2009 Best Traditional Blues Album One Kind Favor Won Other awards Year Association Category Work Result 1995 Country Music Association Album of the Year Rhythm, Country and Blues ( `` Patches '' with George Jones ) Nominated 2002 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Performance in a Youth / Children 's Series or Special Sesame Street Nominated B.B. King receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush, December 2006 Other honors 1977 : Honorary Doctor of Music by Yale University 1980 : Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame 1985 : Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music 1987 : Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1987 : Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 1990 : The National Medal of Arts 1991 : The National Heritage Fellowship from the NEA Commemorative guitar pick honoring `` B.B. King Day '' in Portland, Maine 1995 : The Kennedy Center Honors ; given to recognize `` the lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our nation 's most prestigious artists '' 1998 : Grammy Hall of Fame Award for `` The Thrill is Gone '' ; the award is given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have `` qualitative or historical significance '' 2004 : The Royal Swedish Academy of Music awarded him the Polar Music Prize for his `` significant contributions to the blues '' 2006 : The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President George W. Bush on December 15 2007 : An honorary doctorate in music by Brown University ( May 27 ) 2008 : The keys to the city of Portland, Maine ( May 14 ) 2009 : Time named King No. 3 on its list of the 10 best electric guitarists 2010 : Sabrosa Park ( in the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal ) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he played before 20,000 people on May 29 Each year during the first week in June, a King Homecoming Festival is held in Indianola, Mississippi A Mississippi Blues Trail marker was added for King, commemorating his birthplace See also Guitar portal Mississippi portal African - Americans portal B.B. King 's Bluesville Honorific nicknames in popular music List of nicknames of blues musicians African Americans in Mississippi References Jump up ^ Adelt, Ulrich ( 2010 ). Blues Music in the Sixties : A Story in Black and White. Rutgers University Press. pp. 24 and 26. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8135 - 4750 - 3. Jump up ^ Komara, Edward M. Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge, 2006, p. 385. Jump up ^ Trovato, Steve. `` Three Kings of Blues ''. Hal Leonard. Retrieved March 12, 2013. Jump up ^ Leonard, Michael. `` 3 Kings of the Blues ''. Gibson. Retrieved March 12, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Happy Birthday to `` The Velvet Bulldozer '' Albert King ``. WCBS FM. CBS. April 25, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` B.B. King Biography ''. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Blues Guitarist B.B. King Dies at 89 ''. Los Angeles Times. May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Herzhaft, Gérard ( 1997 ). `` B.B. King ''. Encyclopedia of the Blues. Translated by Brigitte Debord ( 2nd ed. ). Fayetteville, Ark. : University of Arkansas Press. pp. 108 -- 110. ISBN 1610751396. Jump up ^ Dahl, Bill. `` B.B. King ''. AllMusic.com. Retrieved May 31, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Troupe, Quincy ( June 4, 1958 ). `` BB King : American Blues Musician, b. 1925 ''. Jazzandbluesmasters.com. Retrieved February 17, 2010... was born on a cotton plantation, in Itta Bene ( sic ), Mississippi, just outside the delta town of Indianola. ^ Jump up to : Sebastian Danchin, Blues Boy : The Life and Music of B.B. King, University Press of Mississippi, 1998, p. 1 ( ISBN 1 - 57806 - 017 - 6 ) Jump up ^ Silliman, Daniel ( May 15, 2015 ). `` How the church gave B.B. King the blues ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 2, 2015. Jump up ^ Kostelanetz, Richard ; Reiswig, Jesse, eds. ( 2005 ). The B.B. King Reader : 6 Decades of Commentary ( 2nd ed. ). Milwaukee, WI : Hal Leonard. p. 4. ISBN 0 - 634 - 09927 - 2. ^ Jump up to : Weiner, Tim ( May 15, 2015 ). `` B.B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Dies at 89 ''. The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King : National Visionary ''. National Visionary Leadership Project. Retrieved June 3, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Historical marker placed on Mississippi Blues Trail ''. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 25, 2007. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King - KWEM 1948 ''. KWEM Radio. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. Edited by Jessie Carney Smith. ABC - CLIO, Santa Barbara, California. 2011. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 35796 - 1 : Page 805 - 6. Jump up ^ Holt, Lester ( May 15, 2015 ). `` B.B. King : Lester Holt Remembers the ' King of the Blues ' ''. NBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ B.B. is normally written with periods, but no space between the letters. Jump up ^ History of Rock & Roll. By Thomas E. Larson. Kendall / Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa. 2004. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7872 - 9969 - 9 : Page 25. ^ Jump up to : B.B. King interviewed on the Pop Chronicles ( 1969 ) Jump up ^ Dance, Helen Oakley ; and B.B. King. Stormy Monday, p. 164 Jump up ^ `` Blues Access Interview ''. Retrieved September 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` George Coleman : This Gentleman can PLAY ''. All About Jazz. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ U2 Rattle and Hum DVD, 1988. Jump up ^ `` Bluesobit : BB King ''. No Rock And Roll Fun. Retrieved 15 May 2015. Jump up ^ Kerekes, Jim ; O'Neill, Dennis ( January 3, 1997 ). `` B.B. King : Lucille Speaks ''. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King : Biography and Much More from ''. Answers.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Sawyer, Charles. `` The Life of Riley ''. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved October 5, 2014. Jump up ^ Kostelanetz 1997, p. 146. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King Biography ''. BBKing.com. Retrieved May 15, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Greg Kot ( May 16, 2015 ). `` King of the Blues ''. Chicago Tribune. p. 1 and 5. Jump up ^ McArdle, Terence ( May 15, 2015 ). `` B.B. King, Mississippi - born master of the blues, dies at 89 ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2015. Jump up ^ McShane, Larry ( May 15, 2015 ). `` B.B. King dead at 89 : Blues guitarist whose sound defined music for generations passes away in sleep ''. New York Daily News. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Rees, Dafydd & Crampton, Luke ( 1991 ). Rock Movers & Shakers, ABC - CLIO, p. 287. ISBN 0 - 87436 - 661 - 5 Jump up ^ `` Rolling Stone Magazine Lists 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ''. Sun Records. July 15, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Rothman, Michael ( May 15, 2015 ). `` Blues Icon B.B. King Dead at Age 89 ''. ABC News. Retrieved May 15, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` B.B. King : Laureate of the Polar Music Prize 2004 ''. Polar Music Prize. Retrieved 15 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. KING gives his prized electric guitar `` Lucille '' to Pope John Paul II during a private audience ``. ITN Source. Dec 18, 1997. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Ritter, Ken ( May 15, 2015 ). `` ' King of the Blues ' blues legend B.B. King dead at age 89 ''. KUSI News. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Brown, Mick ( May 18, 2009 ). `` BB King interview : the last of the great bluesmen ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 15, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` BB King farewells Montreux ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. July 5, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center ''. Bbkingmuseum.org. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ John F. Ross `` B.B. Gets His Own Museum, '' American Heritage, Winter 2009. Jump up ^ Melzer, Ashley ( September 11, 2008 ). `` B.B. King Museum to open this Saturday ''. Paste Magazine. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. KING LIVE IN YOUR OWN HOME ''. IGN. January 15, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` 28 JULY 2007 - CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL ''. Where 's Eric !. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Chinen, Nate ( September 22, 2007 ). `` Stars Join Forces to Salute ( and Support ) a Rock Legend ''. The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. KING -- ONE SHOE BLUES ''. Kaleidoscope Pictures. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Coyle, Jake ( June 14, 2008 ). `` B.B. King given key to the city at Bonnaroo ''. USA Today. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` OPENING NIGHT AT THE BOWL ''. Hollywood Bowl. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Official Site ''. B.B. King. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011. Jump up ^ Dirks, Rebecca ( June 27, 2010 ). `` Reporting From Eric Clapton 's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 ''. Premier Guitar. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Baca, Ricardo ( September 23, 2010 ). `` The Reverb Interview : Cyndi Lauper ''. Hey Reverb. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Goff, Dafydd ( June 24, 2011 ). `` BB King at Glastonbury 2011 -- review ''. The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2011 ''. allMusic. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` 100 Greatest Guitarists ''. Rolling Stone. November 23, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Compton, Matt ( February 22, 2012 ). `` President Obama Sings `` Sweet Home Chicago '' ``. The White House blog. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Kelley, Frannie. `` First Listen : Big K.R.I.T., ' Live From The Underground ' ''. NPR. Retrieved May 28, 2012. Jump up ^ Mssawir, Elia ( August 1, 2012 ). `` Byblos Festival featured BB King among others in 2012 ''. Demotix. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King lived up to his legend at New Orleans Jazz Fest ''. NOLA.com. nola.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King Cancels Remaining 8 shows ''. bbking.com. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Tour Update ''. bbking.com. October 8, 2014. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ McMahon, Brian ( November 19, 2014 ). `` A Little Bit of Lefty Love ''. WIUX. Retrieved May 14, 2015. Jump up ^ Burrows, Terry, The Complete Book of the Guitar, p. 111. Carlton Books Limited, 1998, ISBN 1 - 85868 - 529 - X Jump up ^ `` One Customer 's Pawnshop Treasure ''. Guitarcenterblog.com. December 3, 2009. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Category : Who Plays What. `` B.B. King 's Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment ''. Uberproaudio.com. Retrieved November 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Official Website ''. Bbking.com. September 16, 1925. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Bb King : King 's Clubs : ' good Memories, Good Times ' ''. Allbusiness.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ Abbott, Jim ( November 30, 2007 ). `` The man himself opens new B.B. King 's Blues Club ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` West Palm Beach ''. Bbkingclubs.com. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Job Fair at B.B. King 's Blues Club ''. Lasvegassun.com. September 3, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` BB King Performs At Luke 's -- February 3, 1995 ''. Retrieved June 8, 2007. Jump up ^ Sesame Workshop. `` Sesame Street Beat Newsletter Archive ''. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2007. Jump up ^ Kiesewetter, John ( April 2, 2000 ). `` PBS encourages kids to read Between the Lions ''. Enquirer. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Official Site ''. B.B. King. Retrieved October 16, 2012. Jump up ^ Finn, Natalie ( April 7, 2015 ). `` Blues Legend B.B. King Hospitalized in Las Vegas ''. E ! Online. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Boldness, Branding and B.B. King : Toyota Launches 2015 Camry Campaign ''. Jump up ^ B.B. King OnThisDay ^ Jump up to : Johnson, S. Battle Over B.B. King 's Fortune. The Hollywood Reporter, June 3, 2016 ( No. 17 ), pp. 61 - 3. Jump up ^ Sawyer, C. The Arrival of B.B. King : The Authorized Biography. Doubleday ( 1984 ), p. 221. ISBN 0385159293 ^ Jump up to : Doughty, R. ( 2002 ). `` King of the Blues BB King has Now Been At the Top of the Blues Game for More than 50 years '' -- via Diabetes Forecast. Jump up ^ Santilli, MJ ( March 15, 2011 ). `` Crystal Bowersox and BB King In New Diabetes Campaign ''. MJSBIGBLOG. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ West, Rebecca ( April 20, 2000 ). `` Interview with B.B. King ''. Blues on Stage. Retrieved March 14, 2010. Jump up ^ `` You and Me with B.B. King. '' SIRIUS Channel 74. May 12, 2009. Jump up ^ Mitchell, Gail ( June 29, 2007 ). `` On the road again, B.B. King preps new album ''. Reuters. Jump up ^ King, B.B. ; Ritz, David ( 2011 ). Blues All Around Me. It Books. p. 266. ISBN 978 - 0062061034. ^ Jump up to : Back, Les. 2015. `` How Blue can You Get ? B.B. King, Planetary Humanism and the Blues Behind Bars. '' Theory, Culture & Society 32 ( 7 ) : 274. Jump up ^ Adelt, U. `` Black, White, and Blue : Racial Politics in B.B. King 's Music from the 1960s ''. Journal of Popular Culture. 2. Jump up ^ `` Honorary Board of Directors ''. Little Kids Rock. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` How B.B. King Avoids the Diabetes Blues Diabetes Health ''. Diabetes Health. 2005 - 11 - 01. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Crystal Bowersox : Striving to Live Without Limitations Diabetes Health ''. Diabetes Health. 2013 - 01 - 17. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 20. ^ Jump up to : `` B.B. King Coroner 's Report : No Evidence of Poisoning ''. Rollingstone.com. Retrieved July 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Ralph Ellis ( May 2, 2015 ). `` B.B. King `` in home hospice care '' ``. CNN. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ Oaklander, Mandy ( May 16, 2015 ). `` B.B. King Died From Mini Strokes, Coroner Says ''. TIME. Retrieved May 26, 2015. Jump up ^ Payne, Ed ; Alsup, Dave. `` B.B. King was poisoned, his daughters claim ''. CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Coroner : No Evidence B.B. King Was Poisoned Before Death ''. The Huffington Post. July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015. Jump up ^ Charlotte Alter ( May 30, 2015 ). `` B.B. King Buried in Indianola, Mississippi ''. Time.com. Retrieved May 30, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Music And Tears At BB King Memphis Procession ''. News.sky.com. Retrieved May 30, 2015. ^ Jump up to : WMCActionNews5.com Staff ( May 15, 2015 ). `` Beale Street says goodbye to B.B. King -- WMC Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee ''. WMC Action News 5. Retrieved May 30, 2015. Jump up ^ Associated Press in Indianola, Mississippi ( January 1, 1970 ). `` BB King 's funeral draws hundreds as Obama says country ' has lost a legend ' US news ''. The Guardian. Retrieved May 31, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Hundreds gather to farewell BB King ''. Melbourne : Theage.com.au. Retrieved May 31, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Community news from The Centre Daily Times in State College, PA ''. centredaily.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015. Jump up ^ Allmusic review Jump up ^ `` Honorary Degrees Since 1702 : 1977 ''. Yale University. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` B.B. King ( Timeline ) ''. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 6, 2015. 1980 : B.B. King is inducted into the first class of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Jump up ^ http://www.wcvb.com/article/music-legends-king-nelson-and-lennox-receive-honorary-degrees/8181742 Jump up ^ `` B.B. King ''. Retrieved 12 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners ''. Grammy.com. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` List of National Medal of Arts Recipients ''. Nea.gov. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1991 ''. www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Kennedy Center Records ''. Kennedy-center.org. September 16, 1925. Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Grammy Database ''. Grammy.com. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients ''. Senate.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Brown University to Confer Nine Honorary Degrees May 27 ''. Brown.edu. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ `` King of Portland '' Archived 2009 - 09 - 20 at the Wayback Machine. -- Portland Press Herald, May 19, 2008 Jump up ^ Tyrangiel, Josh ( August 14, 2009 ). `` The 10 Greatest Electric - Guitar Players ''. Time. Retrieved January 6, 2011. Jump up ^ `` '' The Blues Heritage '' Indianola, Mississippi Chamber of Commerce ``. Indianolams.org. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2010. Jump up ^ Mississippi Blues Commission. `` B.B. King Birthplace ''. msbluestrail.org. Retrieved February 2, 2010. External links Find more aboutB. B. Kingat Wikipedia 's sister projects Media from Wikimedia Commons Data from Wikidata Official website B.B. King at Encyclopædia Britannica B.B. King at Curlie ( based on DMOZ ) B.B. King interview on Guitar.com B.B. King discography at Discogs B.B. King on IMDb B.B. King Studio albums 1956 : Singin ' the Blues 1960 : My Kind of Blues 1968 : Lucille 1969 : Completely Well 1970 : Indianola Mississippi Seeds 1971 : B.B. King in London 1972 : L.A. Midnight Guess Who 1973 : To Know You Is to Love You 1975 : Lucille Talks Back 1977 : King Size 1978 : Midnight Believer 1979 : Take It Home 1981 : There Must Be a Better World Somewhere 1983 : Blues ' N ' Jazz 1985 : Six Silver Strings 1991 : There Is Always One More Time 1993 : Blues Summit 1997 : Deuces Wild 1998 : Blues on the Bayou 1999 : Let the Good Times Roll 2000 : Riding with the King Makin ' Love Is Good for You 2003 : Reflections 2005 : B.B. King & Friends : 80 2008 : One Kind Favor Live albums 1965 : Live at the Regal 1969 : Live & Well 1971 : Live in Cook County Jail 1974 : Together for the First Time... Live 1976 : Bobby Bland and B.B. King Together Again... Live 1980 : Now Appearing at Ole Miss 1991 : Live at the Apollo Live at San Quentin 1999 : Live in Japan Notable compilations 1983 : Why I Sing the Blues 1992 : King of the Blues 1995 : Lucille & Friends 1999 : His Definitive Greatest Hits 2005 : The Ultimate Collection 2007 : The Best of the Early Years 2012 : Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. B.B. King Singles 1951 : `` 3 O'Clock Blues '' 1952 : `` Shake It Up and Go '' 1955 : `` Every Day I Have the Blues '' 1956 : `` Sweet Little Angel '' 1959 : `` Sugar Mama '' 1961 : `` Someday Baby '' 1962 : `` Goin ' Down Slow '' 1963 : `` Trouble in Mind '' 1964 : `` How Blue Can You Get '' `` Rock Me Baby '' `` Please Send Me Someone to Love '' 1965 : `` Blue Shadows '' 1966 : `` Eyesight to the Blind '' `` Just Like a Woman '' `` Five Long Years '' `` Ai n't Nobody 's Business '' 1970 : `` The Thrill Is Gone '' `` Worried Life '' 1976 : `` Let the Good Times Roll '' 1985 : `` Big Boss Man '' 1988 : `` When Love Comes to Town '' 1992 : `` Since I Met You Baby '' Other songs 1961 : `` Driving Wheel 1974 : `` Black Night '' 1977 : `` Do n't You Lie to Me '' 1985 : `` In the Midnight Hour '' 1995 : `` You Shook Me '' 1998 : `` Mean Ole ' World '' 1999 : `` Ai n't Nobody Here but Us Chickens '' `` Is You Is or Is You Ai n't My Baby '' `` Choo Choo Ch'Boogie '' `` Buzz Me '' `` Jack, You 're Dead '' `` Saturday Night Fish Fry '' `` Nobody Knows You When You 're Down and Out '' `` Early in the Mornin ' '' 2000 : `` Hold On, I 'm Comin ' '' `` Come Rain or Come Shine '' `` Since I Fell for You '' 2005 : `` Need Your Love So Bad '' `` Early in the Morning '' 2008 : `` See That My Grave Is Kept Clean '' `` Sitting on Top of the World '' Related articles Discography B.B. King `` Into the Night '' Memphis blues Beale Street WDIA Chitlin ' Circuit Bihari brothers Maxwell Davis Lucille ( guitar ) The Road to Memphis Laureates of the Polar Music Prize 1990s Paul McCartney / the Baltic states ( 1992 ) Dizzy Gillespie / Witold Lutosławski ( 1993 ) Quincy Jones / Nikolaus Harnoncourt ( 1994 ) Elton John / Mstislav Rostropovich ( 1995 ) Joni Mitchell / Pierre Boulez ( 1996 ) Bruce Springsteen / Eric Ericson ( 1997 ) Ray Charles / Ravi Shankar ( 1998 ) Stevie Wonder / Iannis Xenakis ( 1999 ) 2000s Bob Dylan / Isaac Stern ( 2000 ) Burt Bacharach / Robert Moog / Karlheinz Stockhausen ( 2001 ) Miriam Makeba / Sofia Gubaidulina ( 2002 ) Keith Jarrett ( 2003 ) B.B. King / György Ligeti ( 2004 ) Gilberto Gil / Dietrich Fischer - Dieskau ( 2005 ) Led Zeppelin / Valery Gergiev ( 2006 ) Sonny Rollins / Steve Reich ( 2007 ) Pink Floyd / Renée Fleming ( 2008 ) Peter Gabriel / José Antonio Abreu / El Sistema ( 2009 ) 2010s Björk / Ennio Morricone ( 2010 ) Kronos Quartet / Patti Smith ( 2011 ) Paul Simon / Yo - Yo Ma ( 2012 ) Youssou N'Dour / Kaija Saariaho ( 2013 ) Chuck Berry / Peter Sellars ( 2014 ) Emmylou Harris / Evelyn Glennie ( 2015 ) Max Martin / Cecilia Bartoli ( 2016 ) Sting / Wayne Shorter ( 2017 ) Metallica / Afghanistan National Institute of Music ( 2018 ) Kennedy Center Honorees ( 1990s ) Dizzy Gillespie Katharine Hepburn Risë Stevens Jule Styne Billy Wilder 1991 Roy Acuff Betty Comden and Adolph Green Fayard and Harold Nicholas Gregory Peck Robert Shaw 1992 Lionel Hampton Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Ginger Rogers Mstislav Rostropovich Paul Taylor Johnny Carson Arthur Mitchell Sir Georg Solti Stephen Sondheim Marion Williams 1994 Kirk Douglas Aretha Franklin Morton Gould Harold Prince Pete Seeger 1995 Jacques d'Amboise Marilyn Horne B.B. King Sidney Poitier Neil Simon Edward Albee Benny Carter Johnny Cash Jack Lemmon Maria Tallchief 1997 Lauren Bacall Bob Dylan Charlton Heston Jessye Norman Edward Villella 1998 Bill Cosby Fred Ebb and John Kander Willie Nelson André Previn Shirley Temple Black 1999 Victor Borge Sean Connery Judith Jamison Jason Robards Stevie Wonder Complete list 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 1987 Performers The Coasters ( Carl Gardner, Cornell Gunter, Billy Guy, Dub Jones ) Eddie Cochran Bo Diddley Aretha Franklin Marvin Gaye Bill Haley B.B. King Clyde McPhatter Ricky Nelson Roy Orbison Carl Perkins Smokey Robinson Big Joe Turner Muddy Waters Jackie Wilson Early influences Louis Jordan T - Bone Walker Hank Williams Non-performers ( Ahmet Ertegun Award ) Leonard Chess Ahmet Ertegün Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Wexler VIAF : 37102303 LCCN : n82006577 ISNI : 0000 0001 0888 6545 GND : 118864122 SELIBR : 214238 SUDOC : 078531403 BNF : cb13895993b ( data ) MusicBrainz : dcb03ce3 - 67a5 - 4eb3 - b2d1 - 2a12d93a38f3 NDL : 00847664 BNE : XX946605 SNAC : w6qz3ssz Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=B.B._King&oldid=828284129 '' Categories : B.B. King 1925 births 2015 deaths 20th - century American singers 21st - century American singers African - American Christians African - American guitarists African - American male singers American male singers African - American singers African - American rock musicians African - American singer - songwriters African - American songwriters American singer - songwriters American blues guitarists American blues singers American blues singer - songwriters American Protestants American buskers American male guitarists American guitarists American male singer - songwriters American rhythm and blues musicians Blues Hall of Fame inductees Blues musicians from Mississippi Deaths from dementia Deaths from diabetes Disease - related deaths in Nevada Electric blues musicians Federal Records artists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Geffen Records artists Grammy Award winners Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Jammy Award winners Kennedy Center honorees Kent Records artists Lead guitarists MCA Records artists Memphis blues musicians Mississippi Blues Trail Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee National Heritage Fellowship winners People from Leflore County, Mississippi People from Indianola, Mississippi Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees RPM Records ( United States ) artists Songwriters from Mississippi Soul - blues musicians Sun Records artists United States National Medal of Arts recipients Virgin Records artists Guitarists from Mississippi Guitarists from Tennessee People from Kilmichael, Mississippi 20th - century American guitarists Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from September 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hCards Pages using div col with deprecated parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2015 Articles with Encyclopædia Britannica links Articles with Curlie links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Alemannisch Aragonés Asturianu Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Boarisch Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Hausa Հայերեն Hrvatski Ido Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Malagasy Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Русский Sardu Scots Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Volapük Winaray Yorùbá 粵語 中文 65 more Edit links This page was last edited on 1 March 2018, at 17 : 27. 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Question: b.b. king is noted for what type of music
Answer: blues