B.B. King - The King of the Blues

IN THE BEGINNING
YOUNG BLUESMAN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
RISE TO STARDOM
LUCILLE SPEAKS
DISCOGRAPHY
THE INFLUENCES

Surely the most influential guitarist of our time, B.B. has had a major impact on the development of modern blues and rock & roll music. Although he was a well known star on the "chitlin circuit" during the 1950's and 60's, B.B. King was relatively unknown to Middle America until the late 1960's. B.B. broke through the barriers of race and national boundaries when he recorded an adaptation of the Roy Hawkins'song, "The Thrill Is Gone." The song shot up to #15 on the Pop charts and topped out at #3 on the R&B charts in 1970, leading to the solidification of B.B. King as the premier blues artist of our time.

B.B. King has also been referred to as "The Ambassador of the Blues" - he is constantly on the road, performing more than 250 shows per year. In 1956, B.B. King performed 342 one night stands! His travels have taken him all over the world. B.B. has performed in the former U.S.S.R in 1979, and at the opening of the Hard Rock Cafe in Beijing, China.

From his humble beginnings as a sharecropping farmer, to his rise to musical stardom, these pages will take you on a cyberspace exploration into the life and times of the man known as the "King of the Blues."