|
|
 Armed with an earth-shaking voice, a remarkably expressive guitar style and a world-conquering work ethic, B.B. King looms as the mythic, undisputed “King of the Blues.” Born Riley B. King in Mississippi in 1925, he dispensed with the acoustic Delta blues approach associated with his home state, opting instead for a tuxedo-clad electric sound (peppered with distinctive picked- and bent-note solos) that seized on America’s upwardly mobile post-war aspirations. Commencing his career in the 1940s at WDIA in Memphis (as a musician first, then as a DJ), King later took to the road, bringing blues revue fundamentals to the nation’s supper clubs. By this time, his nickname of “Beale Street Blues Boy” had been clipped to “B.B.”
King’s classic albums — including Live at the Regal (1965), Completely Well (1969), Indianola, Mississippi Seeds (1970) and Guess Who (1972) — have spawned a host of legendary singles including "Whole Lotta Love," "You Upset Me Baby," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "Bad Luck" and “The Thrill is Gone.” A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, King is the recipient of 14 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of the Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors, among countless other accolades.
King still tours tirelessly and can be heard as the host of his own weekly radio show, “B.B. Kings Bluesville,” on XM Radio. He’s also the centerpiece of the newly opened B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi, where he was raised. Though it seems almost inconceivable that a virtuoso with a career spanning more than 60 years could possibly elevate his game any higher, King won effusive praise in 2008 for his T Bone Burnett-produced studio album, One Kind Favor, which features interpretations of classics by Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Lemon Jefferson and other blues pioneers.
Provenance: Itta Bena, Mississippi
Latest Release: One Kind Favor (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|