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B. B. King

American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter

B. B. King

Born:September 16, 1925

Died:May 14, 2015

Age at death:89

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Stroke

Zodiac Sign:Virgo

Born in:Itta Bena, United States

Languages:English

Record ProducerComposerSingerGuitaristPianistSinger-songwriterBlues MusicianMusician

Signature

B. B. King Signature

Links

WikipediaOfficial WebsiteIMDbFacebookYouTube

Famous For

Movies & TV

Blues Brothers 2000Spies Like UsAmazon Women on the MoonHeart and SoulsWhen We Were Kings

Songs & Albums

Riding with the KingThe Thrill Is GoneWhen Love Comes to TownLive at the RegalOne Kind Favor

Awards

Americana Music Association President's Award (2015)Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)commandeur de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1994)Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987)Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1987)

Biography

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 electric guitar blues players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century". King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is one of the most influential blues musicians in history, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is referred to as one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts a year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows. Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, King was attracted to music and taught himself to play guitar, beginning his career in juke joints and on local radio. King later lived and performed in Memphis and Chicago. As his fame grew, he toured the world extensively.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “B. B. King”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

B.B. King

Publicity photo of B.B. King.

B.B. King

The Farish Street Neighborhood Historic District is a location where Black businesses flourished during the period of legal segregation. B.B. King's marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

B.B. King

B.B. King

B.B. King

Douglas Fulton papers "B.B. King, Ann Arbor Blues Festival 1969; HS19106." In the digital collection Bentley Historical Library: Bentley Image Bank. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-hs19106/hs19106. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 05, 2026.

B.B. King

Blues legend B.B. King performs at the 2011 National Memorial Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 29, 2011.

B.B. King

United States President Barack Obama joins in singing "Sweet Home Chicago" during the In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues concert for the Black History Month celebration of blues music in the East Room of the White House on 21 February 2012. Participants include, from left: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks, B.B. King, and Gary Clark, Jr.

B.B. King

Blues trail marker located in the Berclair area

B.B. King

Gibson ES-345 <stroke>ES-355</stroke> - Sun Studio (2018-09-10 16.56.30 by Michael Gaylard)

B.B. King

Oproštajni koncert B.B. Kinga, O2 Arena Hamburg, 6.7.2009. Trenutak "Blues kao molitva", povezan sa sjećanjem na Tuzlu 1993. Ekskluzivni snimak i povijesni dokument. Autor: Zijad Žuna.

B.B. King

Marquee of Blues City Band Box, Memphis, TN on May 16, 2015 in memoriam BB King who died: May 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, NV. The Band Box is across Beale Street from BB King's Blues Club

Videos