Bb king short biography

Home / Celebrity Biographies / Bb king short biography

He called B.B. “the greatest guitar player that ever lived – period.”[65] and marveled at King’s unique left-hand vibrato. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked B.B. King #6 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time[126] (he was the highest-ranking blues guitarist on that list). This led to King replacing Williamson at a gig that weekend when Williamson double booked himself.

“I had never heard the word ‘superstar’, but when I think about it today, I was a superstar tractor driver. He maintained a kind of royal dignity tempered with Southern modesty. It’s often noted that by the 1990s, B.B. King was arguably the most famous blues musician alive – the genre’s official ambassador. No one has ever carried the diplomatic pouch of the blues to more nations and capital cities than B.B.

Over the years, the personal triumphs have been many and varied for B.B. King. Interestingly, those Lab Series amps are not commonly used by others, but B.B. made them sing. He’d play crowd favorites like “Every Day I Have the Blues,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “How Blue Can You Get,” and of course “The Thrill Is Gone,” always saving that last one for near the end.

He remembered names, he tipped generously, he was punctual (often showing up hours early for gigs – a habit from his DJ days where dead air was unacceptable). His shows were celebratory affairs. This wasn’t a subtle classical vibrato nor the deep bend-vibrato of bluesmen like Albert King; it was a fast, delicate flutter that was totally unique.

You want to be you… listen to me and anybody else you like, ‘borrow’ a little bit from each guy… and like that, you become you.”[110] This philosophy is ironically exactly how B.B. formed his style – borrowing from T-Bone Walker, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian[111][112] and others – but he melded those influences so expertly that the end product was 100% B.B.

“The blues is life itself,” he told interviewers. He often left spaces between phrases (inhaling musically, so to speak) – a practice that jazz musicians admired in him. While there, a fight broke out and the barrel was knocked over, causing a fire to spread throughout the venue. New York: Shirmer, 1997.

Sawyer, Charles.

Audiences from San Francisco to Stockholm would erupt when they heard the first ringing notes of “Thrill.” In between songs, B.B. charmed them with humorous stories, down-home wisdom, and that megawatt smile of his. The song earned B.B. King his first Grammy Award (for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, 1970)[53] and introduced his music to millions who had never set foot in a juke joint.