He began to build his reputation as a deejay for a local radio station, where he was known as the Beale Street Blues Boy, or Blues Boy. He soon shortened it to "B. B."
He started his recording career in 1949, but it first blasted off in 1951, when he cut “Three O’clock Blues” for RPM. The song rode the top of the R&B charts for 17 weeks, and King began to establish the touring schedule and work ethic that would help keep him on top of the charts for many years to come.
1961 marked the beginning of a new era for King. It was that year that he switched labels from RPM to ABC-Paramount Records, where he recorded several live albums that would become genre classics.
B. B. King may be best known for his guitar, “Lucille.” The near-legendary story has it that King was playing a show when two men in the crowd started to fight. They knocked over a kerosene lamp and started the place on fire, causing everyone to flee. But King ran back into the flames to save his guitar. When he found out later that the two men were fighting over a woman, and that her name was Lucille, he started calling his guitar “Lucille,” and he has called every one of his guitars Lucille since.
Another thing that King is well known for is his playing technique. He has a very unique style that is easily identifiable. Its main characteristic is his left hand technique. He uses his fingers to bend the strings in a way that sounds almost like a singing voice. He also uses his left hand to add vibrato to the sustained notes, giving his playing a delicate but powerful sound.
B. B. King has influenced many guitarists, from George Harrison to Eric Clapton, and will continue to influence guitarists in the future. He has managed to remain fresh after so many years by relentlessly touring, and producing new albums regularly. His collaboration with Eric Clapton on 2000’s Riding With the King went platinum, proving that B. B. King remains popular today, and he will continue to remain popular long into the future.
Go To Page: 1 2
