B.B. King

Birth Name:

Riley Ben King

Birth Place:

Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States

Profession

Soundtrack, Actor, Music department

In 2004, he received the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Polar Music Prize
Received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006
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
Received an honorary doctorate degree from Brown University in 2007
Cousin of fellow blues guitarist and singer Bukka White
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․"
Quote: "I wanted to connect my guitar to human emotions․"
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

2002Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth or Children's Series/Special:Nominated

Fast Facts