e Entertainment –
Remembering ‘King Of The Blues,’ B.B. King
e Entertainment
B.B. King, internationally known as THE “King of the Blues,” who influenced scores of Rock & Roll and blues musicians, died late Thursday night at his home in Las Vegas.
King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40pm PDT on Thursday after decades of suffering from Type II Diabetes. Mr. King had been performing live until last October, when he was forced to cancel the remainder of his tour due to dehydration and exhaustion stemming from diabetes. He was hospitalized in late April, then delivered this sad message to his fans on May 1st:
“I am in home hospice care at my residence in Las Vegas. Thanks to all for your well wishes and prayers.”
– B.B. King
For everyone who knew and loved him, it was clear this message meant he was in his final days.
Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation between Indianola and what is now Itta Bena, Mississippi. He sang with church choirs as a child and learned basic guitar chords from his uncle, who was a preacher. In his youth, he played on street corners for dimes, realizing he earned more in 1 night singing on the corner than he did in 1 week working in the cotton field.
He got his first big break in 1948 after performing on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio program of West Memphis, which led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis, and a 10-minute spot on WDIA.
As “King’s Spot” grew in popularity on WDIA, King shortened “Beale Street Blues Boy” to “Blues Boy King,” and eventually B.B. King.
His ascent to stardom continued in 1949 with his first recordings, “Miss Martha King/Take a Swing with Me” and “How Do You Feel When Your Baby Packs Up and Goes/I’ve Got the Blues.” His first hit record “Three O’clock Blues” was released in 1951 and stayed at the top of the charts for 4 months. It was during this era that King first named his beloved guitar “Lucille.”
In 1970, he won his first Grammy, for Best R&B Vocal Performance Male for his trademark song, “The Thrill is Gone.” That same year, he debuted an all-blues show at Carnegie Hall and appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Over the years, he racked up 30 Grammy nominations and 15 wins, including two in 2000: one along with Eric Clapton for Best Traditional Blues Album for “Riding with the King,” and another with Dr. John for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Is You Is, or Is You Ain’t (My Baby).” His last was in February 2009 for Best Traditional Blues Album for “One Kind Favor” (2008).
B.B. King was 89.
