King of the Blues...Remembered

(CNN) Riley B. King, the legendary guitarist known as B.B. King, whose velvety voice and economical, expressive style brought blues from the margins to the mainstream, died Thursday night. He was 89. Read MORE...

Around the end of the 19th century, a musical form known as the 'Blues' originated in the African-American communities in the "Deep South" of the United States. At the heart of documenting the essence of the blues is a recording artist who has been at the top for decades. Even the mention of R&B brings his name immediately to mind. 

Remembering the King of the Blues...

If you ask anyone to name a blues man, chances are the first name that will come to mind will be B.B. King, aka “The King of the Blues”. It’s been said of him that he “arguably did more for bringing blues to white America than any other musician”. Read MORE...

Riley B. King: one of the most influential blues musicians of all time known for a unique style that mixes blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump

Riley B. King is none other than the legendary B.B. King who began as a disc jockey in Memphis before finding fame as a blues and R&B guitarist. His reign as "King of the Blues" has been as long as that of any monarch on earth. The world just can't seem to get enough of his music. B.B. King started recording in the 1940s and had his first national hit, "Three O'Clock Blues," in 1949. His many hits include "Let The Good Times Roll", "Thrill is Gone", & "Rock me Baby". He played over 300 concerts a year until he was in his 70s.

 

The Legend of Lucille...

In the mid-1950s, while B.B. was performing at a dance in Twist, Arkansas, a few fans became unruly. Two men got into a fight and knocked over a kerosene stove, setting fire to the hall. B.B. raced outdoors to safety with everyone else, then realized that he left his beloved $30 acoustic guitar inside, so he rushed back inside the burning building to retrieve it, narrowly escaping death. When he later found out that the fight had been over a woman named Lucille, he decided to give the name to his guitar to remind him never to do a crazy thing like fight over a woman. Ever since, each one of B.B.’s trademark Gibson guitars has been called Lucille. [Source: BBKing.com Official Website]

The thrill (of live performances) may be gone but the legend lives on and on and on...

“We all have idols. Play like anyone you care about, but try to be yourself while you’re doing it.”
~B. B. King