B.B. King
Source: Web (fity.club)
Arts & Music • Historical Archive • 🇺🇸 United States • 2,636 views

B.B. King 🇺🇸

Riley B. King (Known as "B.B. King")
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Born Sep 16, 1925 🇺🇸 Berclair, Mississippi, United States
Passed Away May 14, 2015 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Lifespan 89 years old
2,636 views
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Archival Overview

The undisputed 'King of the Blues' whose stinging guitar vibrato on 'Lucille' defined modern electric blues guitar.

Biographical Record

Riley B. King, universally celebrated as B.B. King ('Blues Boy' King), was an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter who popularized electric blues across the globe. Born on a cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta, King hitchhiked to Memphis, Tennessee, working as a radio disc jockey before breaking out as a national recording artist.

King developed a peerless guitar style characterized by delicate string bending, searing single-note vibrato, and an expressive call-and-response dialogue with his soulful voice. Playing his trademark Gibson guitar named 'Lucille', King toured tirelessly, playing over 200 to 300 concerts a year well into his eighties. His 1969 hit 'The Thrill Is Gone' earned him international crossover stardom and 15 Grammy Awards.

Key Life Milestones

1965

Live at the Regal

Recorded his legendary live album at Chicago's Regal Theater, regarded as the definitive electric blues concert recording.

1969

The Thrill Is Gone

Released his signature smash hit featuring lush string arrangements, crossing blues into the mainstream pop top 20.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
Indianola, Mississippi, United States
GPS: 33.4501, -90.6482
View on Memory Atlas
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