B. B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players.[5][6] AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".[6]
B. B. King
Riley B. King
September 16, 1925
near Itta Bena, Mississippi, U.S.
May 14, 2015 (aged 89)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- Guitar
- vocals
1942–2014
King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related).[7][8][9] King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s.[10] In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.[11]
King was born on a cotton plantation of Berclair, near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and taught himself to play guitar and began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, he toured the world extensively. King died at 89 in Las Vegas in 2015.
Television and other appearances[edit]
King made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows including: The Cosby Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sesame Street,[86] Married... with Children, Sanford and Son and Touched by an Angel.
From the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s, King appeared in multiple advertisements for McDonald's.[87][88] In the early 2000s he also appeared in a campaign for Burger King.[89]
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.[90]
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.[91]
King's performance at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival[92] appears in the 2021 music documentary Summer of Soul.
