B.B. King, full name Riley B. King, "King of the Blues", performer, professional guitarist, songwriter, was born in 1925 on September 16.
B.B. King’s love of music, especially the blues, was evident in his childhood, but there was no opportunity to seriously engage in music. From the age of seventeen, in his spare time on the farm, he played the guitar blues composition. In 1946, Riley B. King came to Memphis to begin his career as a musician, but after six months of non-recognition and a hard life, he returned home to the farm to prepare more thoroughly for his creative activities. Two years later, after arriving in Memphis, he worked for a radio station as a presenter and singer. There he received his nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy”, which for convenience was shortened to “V.V.”
His debut song, Miss Martha King, was released in 1949. The following year, B.B. King formed his own band, the B.B. King Review. In his work, the musician mainly relied on improvisation, often with arrangements he was helped by the more experienced Onzie Horne.
In 1950, B.B. King went on tour in the United States, which lasted until 1956. During them, the musician gave many concerts and accumulated musical experience. In 1956, King created his own company, Blues Boys Kingdom, which produced many musicians, including Levi Seabury and Millard Lee.
Gradually, B.B. King topped the list of artists in the style of rhythm and blues, his collection of songs was replenished with more and more hits, including “Woke Up This Morning”, “You Upset Me Baby”, “On My Word of Honor”, “Sneakin’ Around” and others.
Participation in many music competitions and festivals with new compositions of the musician further increased the popularity of King. In 1974, the musician performed at the opening of the boxing match between Joe Frazier and the
U2 ("When Love Comes to Town")
Throughout his creative career, B.B. King collaborated with such famous musicians as Eric Clapton, Stanley Clark, Gary Moore, Earl Thomas.
The musician belongs to the sixth place in the list of “One hundred best guitarists of all time”, compiled by the results of a survey of Rolling Stone magazine in 2011.
For more than twenty years, B.B. King had type 2 diabetes. Due to the worsening of the disease in 2014, he was forced to stop concert activities. At the age of 89, King died at his home on May 14, 2015 due to complications from his illness.
Discography
1957 - Singin' the Blues
1958 - The Blues
My Kind of Blues (1960) (writer)
1965 Live at the Regal (live)
1968 - Lucille
1969 Live & Well
1969 Completely Well
1970 - Indianola Mississippi Seeds
1971 Live in Cook County Jail
1971 - B. B. King in London
1971 Guess Who
1972 L.A. Midnight
Together for the First Time (1974) (with Bobby Bland)
1975 - Lucille Talks Back
1976 Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again ..Live
1977 - King Size
1978 Midnight Believer
1979 - Take It Home
1980 - Now Appearing at Ole Miss (live)
1981 There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
1982 - Love Me Tender
1983 - Why I Sing the Blues
1985 Six Silver Strings
1990 B. B. King and Sons Live (Live)
1991 Live at San Quentin
1991 Live at the Apollo (live)
1991 - There is Always One More Time
1991 Bacon Double Cheeseburger
1992 King of the Blues
1995 - Lucille & Friends
1997 Deuces Wild | Gold
1997 Best of King | Platinum
1998 Blues on the Bayou
1999 - Live in Japan
1999 - Let the Good Times Roll
Riding with the King (2000) (with Eric Clapton)
Makin' Love is Good for You (2000)
2003 - Reflections
2005 - The Ultimate Collection
2005 B. B. King & Friends: 80
2007 The Best of the Early Years
2008 - Live
2008 - One Kind Favor