Contents
B. B. King
Giving electric blues a distinctive singing guitar voice.
Lucille · The Thrill Is Gone
- Born
- 16 September 1925
- Birthplace
- Berclair, Mississippi, United States
- Died
- 14 May 2015
More people
B. B. King
B. B. King was an American blues guitarist and singer known for expressive string bends and vibrato. His economical solos often answered his vocal phrases, creating a recognisable conversation between voice and guitar.
Early life
Mississippi childhood
Grew up in the Delta and sang in church.
Guitar beginnings
Learned the instrument while working in agriculture and performing locally.
Career
- 1940s
Memphis move
Built connections in the city’s blues scene and worked on WDIA radio.
- 1950s
Recording breakthrough
Established himself through records and intensive touring.
- 1960s–1970s
Wider audiences
Reached rock and international listeners without abandoning the blues circuit.
- Later decades
Touring elder
Continued performing and recording with musicians across generations.
Selected work
Three O’Clock Blues
A breakthrough R&B chart success.
Live at the Regal
Captured the interaction of his band, singing and enthusiastic audience.
The Thrill Is Gone
A string-backed recording became his signature crossover hit.
Beyond work
Lucille
Used the name for a succession of guitars, connected to an incident involving a dance-hall fire.
Blues heritage
Supported preservation of the music’s history, including the museum bearing his name in Indianola.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Marco Tambara / Lightversus. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
