B.B. King Biography

Fast Facts

• Received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 for his musical accomplishments
• Was an avid supporter of the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock
• Was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
• In 2004, he received the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Polar Music Prize
• Received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006
• Received an honorary doctorate degree from Brown University in 2007
• Cousin of fellow blues guitarist and singer Bukka White
• Quote: "I wanted to connect my guitar to human emotions․"
• Quote: "I keep wanting to play better, go further․ There are so many sounds I still want to make ․․․ When I was younger I thought maybe I'd reached that peak ․․․ [But] it can never be exactly what it should be, so you got to keep going further․"
• Achieved his biggest hit with "The Thrill Is Gone" and was widely regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time
• An FAA licensed private pilot, he frequently flew himself to his musical performances
• Named his trademark black Gibson guitars "Lucille" after the woman over whom two men fought at a dance hall he played in Twist, Ark․, that ended with the building catching fire and his running back in to the building to retrieve his guitar