B. B. King

Riley B. King, also known as B.B. King, born in September 1925, is an American blues musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter. He has also been called the “King of the Blues” and “Ambassador of the Blues”. His great success owes much to his hard work as a touring musician who had between 200 and 300 shows a year.

Keeping the trends and skillfully incorporating other favored forms – jazz and pop, he remained faithful to the blues.

As a guitarist, B.B. King is best-known for his single-note solos. His unique tone is smooth and majestic and he is known for his wicked string bends and sensible approach that makes every note count.

In 1949, King began recording songs under contract with RPM Records. Before the contract he had released the single “Miss Martha King”, but it didn’t chart well.

In the 1950s, B.B. King became one of the most important names in the R&B music, with the hits “You Know I Love You”, “Whole Lotta Love”, “Please Love Me”, “Every Day I Have the Blues” etc.

A record-breaking year for King was the 1956, when he had booked 342 concerts and three recording sessions, and also in the same year he formed his own record label, called Blues Boys Kingdom, where he produced artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury.

In 1970, King won Grammy Award with his song “The Thrill Is Gone”, which topped the pop and R&B charts and was on the 183rd spot in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 1988, B.B. King reached a new generation of fans with “When Love Comes to Town”, which is a result of collaboration between King and U2 on their album Rattle and Hum.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked King at No. 6 on the list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2011, and he was ranked at No. 17 in Gibson’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time. B.B. King is considered as the most influential blues musician of all time and is referred to a man who brought the blues from the margins to the mainstream.