B.B. King

B.B. King

King performing at the Fox Theater in Oakland, April 2009
Background information
Birth name Riley King
Also known as B.B. King
Born September 16, 1925 (1925-09-16) (age 85)
Origin Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States
Genres Blues,
Occupations Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer
Instruments Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active 1947–present
Labels Interscope, Bullet Records, RPM Records, Crown, ABC, MCA, Geffen, Reprise
Associated acts Bobby Bland, Eric Clapton, Pappo
Website www.bbking.com, www.bbkingmuseum.org
Notable instruments
Lucille

Riley B. King (born September 16, 1925), known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter acclaimed for his expressive singing and guitar playing.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at #3 on its list of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time".[1] According to Edward M. Komara, King "introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed."[2]

Contents

Early life

King was born on a plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, a small town near Indianola, Mississippi. His parents were Alfred King and Nora Ella King. King grew up singing in a gospel choir. At age 12 he bought his first guitar for $15.00.[3] In 1943 King left Indianola to work as a tractor driver.

In 1946 King followed his cousin Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months.[3] However, King shortly returned to Mississippi, where he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit, and returned to Memphis two years later. Initially he worked at the local R&B radio station WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, where he gained the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later shortened to "B.B."[4][5] It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. "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!", he said.[6]

In 1948 when he performed on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas he began to develop a local audience for his sound. King's appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten-minute spot on the legendary Memphis radio station WDIA. "King's Spot," became so popular, it was expanded and became the "Sepia Swing Club."

Career

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 recalls. "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."[7]

Performing with his famous guitar, Lucille

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),[8] 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, he cannot play chords well[9] and always relies on improvisation. This was followed by tours across the USA 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 US states.

In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. In order to heat the hall, a barrel half-filled with kerosene was lit, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, which triggered an evacuation. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside the burning building. He entered the blaze to retrieve his beloved $30 guitar, a Gibson semi-hollow electric. Two people died in the fire. The next day, King learned that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille, as well as every one he owned since that near-fatal experience, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.

King meanwhile toured the entire "Chitlin' circuit" and 1956 became a record-breaking year, with 342 concerts booked. The 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 the 1950s, B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music, 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." In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and then his current label, Geffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

King won a Grammy Award for a tune called "The Thrill Is Gone";[10] his version became a hit on both the pop and R&B charts, which was rare during that time for an R&B artist. It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. He gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on The Rolling Stones' 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".

King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. 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."[11]

B.B. King in concert in France 1989

From the 1980s onward he has continued to maintain 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 2000, King teamed up with guitarist Eric Clapton to record Riding With the King. In 1998, King appeared in The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley.

Farewell tour

Aged 80 at the time, on March 29, 2006, King played at Hallam Arena in Sheffield, England. This was the first date of his UK and European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song "Since I Met You Baby". The British leg of the tour ended on April 4 with a concert at Wembley Arena. And on June 28, 2009 King returned to Wembley arena to end a tour around Great Britain with British blues icon John Mayall. When questioned as to why he was embarking on another tour after already completing his farewell stint, King jokingly remarked that he had never actually said the farewell tour would be his last.[12]

In July King went back to Europe, playing twice (July 2 and 3) in the 40th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival and also in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset on July 14. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Lella James, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. The European leg of the Farewell Tour ended in Luxembourg on September 19, 2006, at the D'Coque Arena (support act: Todd Sharpville).

In November and December, King played six times in Brazil. During a press conference on November 29 in São Paulo, a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: "One of my favorite actors is a man from Scotland named Sean Connery. Most of you know him as James Bond, 007. He made a movie called Never Say Never Again."

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.[13] in Indianola, Mississippi.
[14] The museum opened on September 13, 2008.

B.B. King at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ontario (May 2007)

In late October 2006, he recorded a concert CD and DVD 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 performs it nightly around the world. It was his first live performance recording in 14 years.

On July 28, 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for the Crossroads Centre for addictive disorders. Performing in Chicago, he played "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss", "Rock Me Baby" and "Thrill is Gone" (although the latter was not published on the DVD release) with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and Hubert Sumlin. In a poignant moment during the live broadcast, he offered a toast to the concert's host, Eric Clapton, and also reflected upon his own life and seniority. Adding to the poignancy, the four-minute speech — which had been underlaid with a mellow chord progression by Robert Cray throughout — made a transition to an emotional rendition of "Thrill is Gone". Parts of this performance were subsequently aired in a PBS broadcast and released on the Crossroads II DVD.

In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee; he was also the final performer at the 25th annual Chicago Blues Festival on June 8, 2008, and at the Monterey Blues Festival, following Taj Mahal. Another June 2008 event was King's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Liza Minnelli and Sir James Galway.

In July 2008, Sirius XM Radio's Bluesville channel was re-named B.B. King's Bluesville.

On December 1, 2008, King performed at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland.[15] On December 3, King and John Mayer were the closing act at the 51st Grammy Nomination Concert, playing "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan. On December 30, 2008, King played at The Kennedy Center Honors Awards Show; his performance was in honor of actor Morgan Freeman.

European Tour 2009, Vienna, July 2009

In Summer 2009 B.B. King started a European Tour with concerts in France, Germany, Belgium, Finland and Denmark.

King performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco, on May 27, 2010.[16]

Over a period of 52 years, B.B. King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.[17]

B.B. King's Blues Club

Sign outside B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street, Memphis

In 1991, B.B. King's Blues Club opened on Beale Street in Memphis, and in 1994, a second club was launched at Universal City Walk 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[18] and another in Nashville in 2003.[19] A club in West Palm Beach opened in the fall of 2009[20] and an additional one, based in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, is due to open in the winter of 2009.[21] In 2007, A B.B. King's Blues Club in Orlando opened on International Drive. The Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, West Palm Beach. and Las Vegas stores are all the same Company.

Philanthropy

In 2001, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underprivileged public schools throughout the US. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.

TV appearances

B.B. King has made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows, including The Cosby Show,[22] The Young and the Restless,[22] General Hospital,[23] The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,[22] Sesame Street,[24] Married... with Children[22], Sanford and Son[22], and Touched by an Angel.[22]

Personal life

King has been married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, 1946 to 1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. Both marriages ended because of the heavy demands made on the marriage by King's 250 performances a year.[3] It is reported that he has fathered 15 children.[3] He has lived with Type II diabetes for over twenty years and is a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management products.

King is an FAA licensed Private Pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at Chicago Hammond Airport in Lansing, IL (now Lansing Municipal Airport - KIGQ).[25][26] He frequently flew to gigs, but under the advisement of his insurance company and manager in 1995, King was asked to only fly with another licensed pilot and as a result King stopped flying around age 70.[27]

His favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography King speaks about how he was, and is, a "Sinatra nut" and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album In the Wee Small Hours. King has credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in "white dominated" venues; Sinatra got B.B. King into the main clubs in Las Vegas during the 1960s.[28]

Discography

Honors and awards

B.B. King in 1990
A commemorative guitar pick honoring "B.B. King Day" in Portland, Maine.

Merrill Auditorium, Suslovic presented King with the keys to the city.[35]

Grammy Awards

Grammy Awards — King was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.[39] As of 2009, he has won 15 Grammy Awards, of which ten have been the Grammy award for Best Traditional Blues Album: in 2009 (for One Kind Favor), 2005 (B. B. King & Friends: 80 (album)), 2003 (for A Christmas Celebration of Hope), 2001 (for Riding with the King), 2000 (for Blues on the Bayou), 1994 (for Blues Summit), 1992 (for Live at the Apollo), 1991 (for Live at San Quentin), 1986 (for My Guitar Sings the Blues) and 1984 (for Blues 'N' Jazz). In 1982, he won the Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording (for There Must Be a Better World Somewhere). The Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk was last given in 1986; the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album was first given in 1983. In 1997, he won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (with other artists, for "SRV Shuffle"). In 1971, he won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "The Thrill Is Gone"). A Grammy Hall of Fame Award was given to "The Thrill is Gone" in 1998, an award given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."[40]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Rolling Stone magazine
  2. ↑ Komara, Edward M. Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge, 2006, p. 385.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "BB King biography at Jazz and Blues Masters". Jazzandbluesmasters.com. 1958-06-04. http://www.jazzandbluesmasters.com/bbking.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  4. ↑ "B.B." is normally written with no space between the letters.
  5. ↑ History of Rock & Roll. By Thomas E. Larson. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa. Copyright 2004. Page 25
  6. ↑ Dance, Helen Oakley; and B.B. King. Stormy Monday, p. 164
  7. ↑ Blues Access Interview by Wayne Robins, Spring 1999. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  8. ↑ "George Coleman: This Gentleman can PLAY". All About Jazz. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=1078. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  9. ↑ U2 Rattle and Hum DVD, 1988
  10. ↑ Rees, Dafydd & Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock Movers & Shakers, ABC-CLIO, p.287. ISBN 0-87436-661-5
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Polar Music Prize Winners
  12. ↑ BBC Newsnight interview, April 30th 2009
  13. ↑ "B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center". Bbkingmuseum.org. http://www.bbkingmuseum.org/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  14. ↑ John F. Ross "B.B. Gets His Own Museum," American Heritage, Winter 2009.
  15. ↑ McMillion, Dave (2008-12-01). "B.B. King Rules". Herald Mail. http://www.herald-mail.com?cmd=displaystory&story_id=211274. Retrieved 2009-03-18. 
  16. ↑ http://www.bbking.com/events/
  17. ↑ ""Delta Diary" by Charlie Sawyer". Courses.dce.harvard.edu. http://courses.dce.harvard.edu/~musie139/DeltaDiary.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  18. ↑ "The Official Website". Bbking.com. 1925-09-16. http://www.bbking.com/bio/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  19. ↑ "Bb King: King's Clubs: 'good Memories, Good Times'". Allbusiness.com. http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4555293-1.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  20. ↑ "West Palm Beach". Bbkingclubs.com. http://www.bbkingclubs.com/index.php?page=wpbhome. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  21. ↑ "Job Fair at B.B. King’s Blues Club". Lasvegassun.com. 2009-09-03. http://www.lasvegassun.com/events/2009/sep/09/7150/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 IMDB. "B.B. King". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0454475/. Retrieved 2007-02-06. 
  23. ↑ "BB King Performs At Luke's — February 3, 1995". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP3bUh4BOCk. Retrieved 2007-06-08. 
  24. ↑ Sesame Workshop. "Sesame Street Beat Newsletter Archive". http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/newsletter_article.php?contentId=108003&type=sesame. Retrieved 2007-06-08. 
  25. ↑ West, Rebecca (2000-04-20). "Interview with B.B. King". Blues on Stage. http://www.mnblues.com/review/bbking-intv-rw4-00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-14. 
  26. ↑ "You and Me with B.B. King." SIRIUS Channel 74. 12 May. 2009.
  27. ↑ Mitchell, Gail (2007-06-29). "On the road again, B.B. King preps new album". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2930832820070630. 
  28. ↑ King, B.B. and Daniel Ritz. Blue All Around Me, 1999.
  29. ↑ "B. B. King" Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  30. ↑ "List of National Medal of Arts Recipients". Nea.gov. http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  31. ↑ "1991 NEA National Heritage Fellowships". Nea.gov. http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/NHFIntro.php?year=1991. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  32. ↑ "Kennedy Center Records". Kennedy-center.org. 1925-09-16. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3696&source_type=A. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  33. ↑ "List of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients". Senate.gov. http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom_Recipients.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  34. ↑ "Brown University to Confer Nine Honorary Degrees May 27". Brown.edu. http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2006-07/06-142.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  35. ↑ "King of Portland" - Portland Press Herald, May 19, 2008
  36. ↑ by Dave on August 24th, 2009 (2009-08-24). "Fretbase, Time Magazine Picks 10 Best Electric Guitar Players". Fretbase.com. http://www.fretbase.com/blog/2009/08/time-magazine-picks-the-10-best-electric-guitar-players-including-yngwie/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  37. ↑ ""The Blues Heritage" Indianola, Mississippi Chamber of Commerce". Indianolams.org. http://www.indianolams.org/blues.html. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  38. ↑ Mississippi Blues Commission. "B.B. King Birthplace". msbluestrail.org. http://www.msbluestrail.org/CustomContentRetrieve.aspx?ID=1083611. Retrieved 2 February 2010. 
  39. ↑ "Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners". Grammy.com. 2009-02-08. http://www.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Lifetime_Awards/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 
  40. ↑ "Grammy Database". Grammy.com. 2009-02-08. http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY%5FAwards/Winners/. Retrieved 2010-02-17. 

External links

B.B. King
Studio albums
Singin' the Blues (1957) • The Blues (1958) • My Kind of Blues (1960) • Lucille (1968) • Completely Well (1969) • Indianola Mississippi Seeds (1970) • B. B. King in London (1971) • Guess Who (1972) • L.A. Midnight (1972) • King Size (1977) • Midnight Believer (1978) • Take It Home (1979) • There Must Be a Better World Somewhere (1981) • Six Silver Strings (1985) • Lucille & Friends (1995) • Deuces Wild (1997) • Blues on the Bayou (1998) • Let the Good Times Roll (1999) • Riding with the King (2000) • Makin' Love Is Good for You (2000) • Reflections (2003) • B. B. King & Friends: 80 (2005) • One Kind Favor (2008)
Live albums
Live at the Regal (1965) • Live & Well (1969) • Live in Cook County Jail (1971) • Together for the First Time... Live (1974) • Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again...Live (1976) • Now Appearing at Ole Miss (1980) • Live at the Apollo (1991) • Live at San Quentin (1991) • Live in Japan (1999)
Compilations
Lucille Talks Back (1975) • Why I Sing the Blues (1983) • King of the Blues (1992) • His Definitive Greatest Hits (1999) • The Ultimate Collection (2005) • The Best of the Early Years (2007)
Singles
1951: "3 O'Clock Blues" • 1955: "Every Day I Have the Blues" • 1956: "Sweet Little Angel" • 1961: "Someday Baby" • 1962: "Going 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" • "Ain'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: "Don't You Lie to Me" • 1985: "In the Midnight Hour" • 1990: "Into the Night" • 1995: "You Shook Me" • 1998: "Mean Ole' World • 1999: "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" • "Is You Is or Is You Ain'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" • 2000: "Hold On, I'm Coming" • "Come Rain or Come Shine" • "Since I Fell for You" • 2005: "Need Your Love So Bad" • 2008: "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" • "Sitting on Top of the World"
Related articles
Discography • Memphis blues • Beale Street • WDIA • Chitlin' circuit • Bihari brothers • Maxwell Davis
Blues
Subgenres
Boogie-woogie · Classic female blues · Country blues · Delta blues · Electric blues · Fife and drum blues · Jump blues · Piano blues
Fusion genres
Blues rock · Jazz blues · Punk blues · Soul blues
Regional scenes
British blues · Canadian blues · Chicago blues · Detroit blues · East Coast blues · Kansas City blues · Louisiana blues · Memphis blues · New Orleans blues · Piedmont blues · St. Louis blues · Swamp blues · Texas blues · West Coast blues
Instruments
and singing styles
Blues shouter · Acoustic guitar · Harmonica · Electric guitar · Drum kit
Other topics
Blues genres · Blues scale · Jug band · Origins · Twelve-bar blues
Lists
List of blues musicians · List of blues standards
1995 Kennedy Center Honorees
Jacques d'Amboise · Marilyn Horne · B.B. King · Sidney Poitier · Neil Simon