(Photo By Flickr User Zach Mahone Photography)
B.B. King, whose scorching guitar licks and heartfelt vocals made him the idol of generations of musicians and fans while earning him the nickname King of the Blues, died late Thursday at home in Las Vegas, NV.
According to blackamericaweb.com and The Associated Press, King's attourney, Brent Bryson, said that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40pm PDT.
Born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925, in Berclair (near Itta Bena), Mississippi, King was raised by his grandmother after his parents separated and his mother died. He worked as a sharecropper for five years in Kilmichael, an even smaller town, until his father found him and took him back to Indianola.
King got his start in radio with a gospel quartet in Mississippi, but soon moved to Memphis, TN, where a job as a disc jockey at WDIA gave him access to a wide range of recordings. He studied the great blues and jazz guitarists, including Django Reinhardt, and T-Bone Walker, and played live music a few minutes each day as the "Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to B.B.
Through his broadcasts and live performances, he quickly built up a following in the black community, and recorded his first R&B hit, “Three O’Clock Blues,” in 1951.
King sold millions of records worldwide. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and received the Songwriters Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, gave a guitar to Pope John Paul II and had President Barack Obama sing along to his "Sweet Home Chicago."
King, the Multi-Grammy Award Winner has won Grammys included best male rhythm ‘n’ blues performance in 1971 for “The Thrill Is Gone,” best ethnic or traditional recording in 1982 for “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere” and best traditional blues recording or album several times. His final Grammy came in 2009 for best blues album for “One Kind Favor.”
In one of King's interviews, he was asked on how he would describe the Blues; King said,
"It's good for me when I'm feelin' bad, and good for me when I'm feelin' good. It's kind of like how religious music is to a lot of people."
In the 1988 book, Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music, King also said,
"I've always tried to defend the idea that the blues doesn't have to be sung by a person who comes from Mississippi, as I did. People all over the world have problems. "And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die."
After he broke through as a musician, it appeared King might never stop performing. When he wasn’t recording, he toured the world relentlessly, playing 342 one-nighters in 1956. In 1989, he spent 300 days on the road. After he turned 80, he vowed he would cut back, and he did, somewhat, to about 100 shows a year.
Singer Smokey Robinson praised the music legend and said,
“The world has physically lost not only one of the greatest musical people ever but one of the greatest people ever. Enjoy your eternity.”
Singer-Songwriter Eric Clapton, who collaborated with King on "Riding With The King," added by saying,
"I just want to express my sadness and say 'thank you' to my dear friend, B.B. King. I want to thank him for all the inspiration and encouragement he gave me as a player over the years and for the friendship that we enoyed. … He was a beacon for all of us who loved this kind of music."
King was married twice; he had 15 biological and adopted children. Family relatives say 11 survive.
Blues Icon, Mayor Of Bluesville, and King Of The Blues, B.B. King, dead at the age of 89.
