B.B. King

The name B.B. King is synonymous with the blues. Born in Itta Bena in September 1925, in his younger days, Riley B. King worked on a cotton plantation, earning barely over $20 a week, and played music on street corners for change.

After serving in World War II, B.B. King moved to Memphis to pursue his dream. His big break came when he performed on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio show in 1948, a performance which led to a 10-minute spot on the WDIA radio station. “King’s Spot” became so popular that it was expanded and renamed the “Sepia Swing Club.” This led to his famous nickname, as he went from being called Beale Street Blues Boy to Blues Boy King and, finally, B.B. King. King and Lucille, as he called his beloved Gibson guitars, toured nationally after “Three O’clock Blues” became a number-one hit.

King played everywhere from juke joints to concert halls to international venues. In 1980, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and in 1987 into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That same year, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Through the years, B.B. King continued to tour, age and time never diminishing his passion for the blues. By the time he died on May 14, 2015, he had earned 15 Grammy Awards and released over 50 albums, the contents of which define blues music as we know it.