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Riley B. King (born September 16, 1925), known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter acclaimed for his expressive singing and guitar playing.

Critical acclaim and widespread popularity have cemented his reputation as possibly the most respected, successful, and most recognized bluesman, not just in the United States, but in the world. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him at #3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time''. According to Edward M. Komara, King ''introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed.''

Early life

King was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, a small town near Indianola, Mississippi. His parents were Alfred King and Nora Ella King. While singing in a local gospel group, at the age of twelve Riley bought his first guitar for $15.00.

From the 1980s onward, King has been recording less,date=August 2009 but he has continued to maintain a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the single ''When Love Comes to Town'', a collaborative effort between King and the Irish band U2 on their ''Rattle and Hum'' album. In 2000, King teamed up with guitarist Eric Clapton to record ''Riding With the King''. In 1998, King appeared in ''The Blues Brothers 2000'', playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley.

2000— present

King owns several clubs in the US: on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee; in New Orleans, Louisiana; and in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, he invested in merchandise including barbecue accessories and has endorsed a line of guitar strings. Since 2004 King has toured less frequently, citing age and health reasons. In the summer of 2005 he undertook a ''Final Farewell Tour'' of Europe; but in 2006 he performed in both the US and Europe.

Farewell tour

Aged 80 at the time, on March 29, 2006, King played at Hallam Arena in Sheffield, England. This was the first date of his UK and European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by shredder/rocker-turned-bluesman Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song ''Since I Met You Baby''. The British leg of the tour ended on April 4 with a concert at Wembley Arena. And on 28 June 2009 King returned to Wembley arena to end a tour around Great Britain with British blues icon John Mayall.

In July King went back to Europe, playing twice (July 2 and 3) in the 40th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival and also in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset on July 14. During his show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Lella James, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. The European leg of the Farewell Tour ended in Luxembourg on September 19, 2006, at the D'Coque Arena (support act: Todd Sharpville).

In November and December, King played six times in Brazil. During a press conference on November 29 in São Paulo, a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: ''One of my favorite actors is a man from Scotland named Sean Connery. Most of you know him as James Bond, 007. He made a movie called ''Never Say Never Again.''''

In June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King. in Indianola, Mississippi. The museum opened on September 13, 2008.

In late October 2006, he recorded a concert CD and DVD entitled ''B.B. King: Live'' at his B.B. King Blues Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The four night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performs it nightly around the world. It was his first live performance recording in 14 years.

On July 28, 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for the Crossroads Centre for addictive disorders. Performing in Chicago, he played ''Paying the Cost to Be the Boss'' and ''Rock Me Baby'' with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and Hubert Sumlin. In the live broadcast, he offered a toast to the concert's host, Eric Clapton, and philosophized about his age and life. Parts of this performance were subsequently aired in a PBS broadcast and released on the ''Crossroads II'' DVD.

In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee; he was also the final performer at the 25th annual Chicago Blues Festival on June 8, 2008, and at the Monterey Blues Festival, following Taj Mahal. Another June 2008 event was King's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Liza Minnelli and Sir James Galway.

In July 2008, Sirius XM Radio's Bluesville channel was re-named B.B. King's Bluesville.

On December 1, 2008, King performed at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland. On December 3, King and John Mayer were the closing act at the 51st Grammy Nomination Concert, playing ''Let the Good Times Roll'' by Louis Jordan. On December 30, 2008, King played at The Kennedy Center Honors Awards Show; his performance was in honor of actor Morgan Freeman.

Legacy

Over a period of 52 years, B.B. King has played in excess of 15,000 performances. He has made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows, including ''The Cosby Show'', ''The Young and the Restless'', ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', ''Married With Children'' He has lived with Type II diabetes for over twenty years and is a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in advertisements for diabetes-management products.

His favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography King speaks about how he was, and is, a ''Sinatra nut'' and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album ''In the Wee Small Hours''. King has credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in ''white dominated'' venues; Sinatra got B.B. King into the main clubs in Las Vegas during the 1960s.

Each year during the first week in June, a B.B. King Homecoming Festival is held in Indianola, Mississippi. However, King does not attend the festival.

Lucille

Philanthropy

In 2001, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the U.S.A. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.

Discography

Videography

Honors and awards

Grammy Awards

Grammy Awards - King was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. As of 2009, he has won 15 Grammy Awards, of which ten have been the Grammy award for Best Traditional Blues Album: in 2009 (for ''One Kind Favor''), 2006 (for ''B.B. King & Friends: 80''), 2003 (for ''A Christmas Celebration of Hope''), 2001 (for ''Riding with the King''), 2000 (for ''Blues on the Bayou''), 1994 (for ''Blues Summit''), 1992 (for ''Live at the Apollo''), 1991 (for ''Live at San Quentin''), 1986 (for ''My Guitar Sings the Blues'') and 1984 (for ''Blues 'N' Jazz''). In 1982, he won the Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording (for ''There Must Be a Better World Somewhere''). The Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk was last given in 1986; the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album was first given in 1983. In 1997, he won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (with other artists, for ''SRV Shuffle''). In 1971, he won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for ''The Thrill is Gone''). A Grammy Hall of Fame Award was given to ''The Thrill is Gone'' in 1998, an award given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have ''qualitative or historical significance.''