B.B. King
The King Of Blues
What can be said about this iconic performer that has played more than 15,000 shows throughout his illustrious career. With fourteen Grammy Awards to his credit, B.B. King is one of the most dynamic talents of this century and is one of the greatest blues singer and guitarists of all time.
Riley B. King was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi in 1925 and his career started in 1947 when King began recording music while under contract with L.A.-based RPM Records. He was also a disc jockey in Memphis where he was crowned with the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy," which was later shortened to his moniker "B.B.."
In the 1950's, King's recordings such has "You Know I Love You," "Please Love Me," "When My Heartbeats Like A Hammer," "Whole Lotta Love" and many more hits cemented his place as one of the most important names in R & B music.
King found iconic success in 1969 with a remake of Roy Hawkins song "The Thrill Is Gone," which was a hit on both the R & B and pop charts (unprecedented at the time) and the song is one of Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Songs Of All Time, clocking in at number 193.
When King opened for the Rolling Stones in 1969 on their American tour, King found more fans and mainstream success with songs like "To Know You Is To Love You" and "I Like To Live The Love." Remarkably, King has appeared on Billboard's R & B charts an astonishing 74 times.
Since 1980, King has recorded less and less, but still maintains an active music career performing more than 250 dates a year. He has played with many brilliant guitarists who idolized him including Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor and has shared the stage with progressive rock band Phish, jamming with the band for more than thirty minutes. Additionally, in 1988, his fan base grew even more when he collaborated with the rock band U2, with their single "When Love Comes To Town," from U2's "Rattle And Hum" release.
Just past the age of 80, the ambassador and quintessential blues guitarist is embarking on farewell tours, having played in the UK and all over Europe in the spring and in November and December, he played six gigs in Brazil. King is scheduled to do a Canadian tour in May of 2007.
B.B. King has been honored many times in his illustrious career and the accolades keep coming. Here is a short list of the honors the music legend has achieved:
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1987)
Kennedy Center Honors (1995)- an award given to recognize the "lifelong accomplishments and extraordinary talents of our Nation's most prestigious artists".
The Presidential Medal Of Freedom (2006)- from George W. Bush
National Medal Of Arts (1990)
There are many more accolades, gifts and awards bestowed upon B.B. King, but the best award is his legendary music, which will always be timeless and enduring. His phenomenal creativity will live for generations to come and the world of music is certainly better because of B.B. King.
Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can secure your copy of his ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting." Robert can be contacted at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com.