The legendary BB King, unquestionably hailed as the king of the blues, was the most important electric guitarist of the second half of the XNUMXth century. His unusual staccato playing style has influenced hundreds of contemporary blues players.
At the same time, his firm and confident voice, capable of expressing all the emotions from any song, provided a worthy match for his passionate playing.
Between 1951 and 1985 King has charted on the R&B Billboard chart 74 times. He was also the first bluesman to record the world-famous hit The Thrill Is Gone (1970).
The musician collaborated with Eric Clapton and the U2 group, and also promoted his work himself. At the same time, he was able to maintain his recognizable style throughout his career.
The childhood and youth of the artist BB King
Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925 in the Mississippi Delta, near the town of Itta Bena. As a child, he rushed between his mother's house and his grandmother's house. The boy's father left the family when King was still very young.
The young musician spent a long time in church and sincerely sang the praises of the Lord, and then in 1943 King moved to Indianola, another city located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.
Country and gospel music left an indelible impression on King's musical thinking. He grew up listening to the music of blues artists (T-Bone Walker and Lonnie Johnson) and jazz geniuses (Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt).
In 1946, he traveled to Memphis to track down his cousin (country guitarist) Bukka White. For ten priceless months, White taught his impatient young relative the finer points of blues guitar playing.
After returning to Indianola, King traveled to Memphis again in late 1948. This time he lingered for a while.
The beginning of the career of musician Riley B. King
King was soon broadcasting his music live through Memphis radio station WDIA. It was a station that had recently switched to an innovative, "black" format.
Local club owners preferred that their artists also not play radio concerts so that they could get their nightly performances on the air.
When DJ Maurice Hot Rod Hulbert stepped down as rotation leader, King took over as record holder.
At first, the musician was called The Peptikon Boy (an alcohol company that competed with Hadacol). When radio station WDIA aired it, King's alias became The Beale Street Blues Boy, later shortened to Blues Boy. And only after that the name BB King appeared.
King had a huge "breakthrough" only in 1949. He recorded his first four tracks for Jim Bullitt's Bullet Records (including the track Miss Martha King in honor of his wife) and then signed with the Bihari brothers' Los Angeles-based RPM Records.
B.B. King's "breakthrough" into the world of music
The Bihari brothers also contributed to the recording of some of King's early work by setting up portable recording equipment wherever they were.
The first track to hit the national R&B top list was Three O'Clock Blues (previously recorded by Lowell Fulson) (1951).
The song was recorded in Memphis at YMCA Studios. Outstanding personalities worked with King at that time - vocalist Bobby Bland, drummer Earl Forest and ballad pianist Johnny Ace. When King went on tour to promote the Three O'Clock Blues, he turned over responsibility for the Beale Streeters to Ace.
historical guitar
It was then that King first named his favorite guitar "Lucille". The story began with the fact that King played his concert in the small town of Twist (Arkansas).
During the performance, a fight broke out between the two jealous people. During the scuffle, the men overturned a trash can with kerosene, which spilled out, and a fire started.
Frightened by the fire, the musician ran out of the room in a hurry, leaving his guitar inside. Soon he realized that he was very stupid and ran back. King ran into the room, dodging the flames, risking his life.
When everyone calmed down and the fire was put out, King learned the name of the girl who caused the trouble. Her name was Lucille.
Since then, King has had many different Lucilles. Gibson even created a custom guitar that was validated and approved by King.
Top chart songs
In the 1950s, King established himself as a well-known R&B musician. He recorded compositions primarily in Los Angeles at RPM Studios. King made 20 top charting records during this musical and tumultuous decade.
In particular, outstanding compositions of that time were: You Know I Love You (1952); Woke Up This Morning and Please Love Me (1953); When My Heart Beats like a Hammer, Whole Lotta' Love, and You Upset Me Baby (1954); Every Day I Have the Blues.
King's guitar playing became more and more sophisticated, leaving all competitors far behind.
1960s - our time
In 1960, King's successful double-sided LP Sweet Sixteen became a top seller, and his other works Got a Right to Love My Baby and Partin' Time were also not far behind.
The artist moved to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962, following in the footsteps of Lloyd Price and Ray Charles.
In November 1964, the guitarist released his original live album, which included a concert at the legendary Chicago theater.
In the same year, he enjoyed the glory of the hit How Blue Can You Get. It was one of his many signature songs.
The songs Don't Answer the Door (1966) and Paying the Cost to be the Boss were top XNUMX R&B records two years later.
King was one of the few bluesmen who consistently recorded successful work, and for good reason. He was not afraid to experiment with music.
In 1973, the musician traveled to Philadelphia to record several top-selling songs: To Know You Is to Love You and I Like to Live the Love.
And in 1978, he joined forces with some jazz musicians to create the great funky song Never Make Your Move Too Soon.
However, sometimes bold experiments negatively affected the work. Love Me Tender, a country sounding album, was an artistic and marketing disaster.
However, his disc for the MCA Blues Summit (1993) was a return to form. Other notable releases from this period include Letthe Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan (1999) and Riding with the King (2000) in collaboration with Eric Clapton.
In 2005, King celebrated his 80th birthday with the co-star album 80, which featured artists as diverse as Gloria Estefan, John Mayer and Van Morrison.
Another live album was released in 2008; that same year, King returned to pure blues with One Kind Favor.
In late 2014, King was forced to cancel several concerts due to ill health, and he was later hospitalized twice and entered hospice service in the spring. He died on May 14, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
