Fun Facts About B.B. King
- B.B. King ran back into a burning club to save his guitar. He later learned the brawl that started the fire was over a woman named Lucille, so he named the guitar Lucille.[1]
- The initials B.B. come from a radio nickname: as a disc jockey at Memphis station WDIA, he was called "Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to "Blues Boy" and then "B. B."[1]
- King served in the U.S. Army during World War II but was released as "essential to the war economy" because of his experience as a tractor driver.[1]
- King was an FAA-certified private pilot who often flew himself to gigs. He stopped around age 70, when his insurance company and manager asked him to fly only with another pilot.[1]
- In 1997, King performed at the Vatican's Christmas concert and gave his trademark guitar Lucille to Pope John Paul II.[1]
- Gibson's B.B. King Lucille guitar has no f-holes, at King's direct request, to reduce feedback.[1]
- B.B. King was alive at the same time as Claude Monet — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1925–1926).[1][2][3][4]
- B.B. King and Frank Sinatra died on the same day of the year, May 14.[1][2][5][6]
Riley B. King, known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that influenced many later electric guitar blues players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".[1]
Read more on Wikipedia →Contemporaries
Their World
Questions About B.B. King
When was B.B. King born?
B.B. King was born on September 16, 1925, and died on May 14, 2015.
How old was B.B. King at death?
B.B. King was born on September 16, 1925, and died on May 14, 2015, at age 89.
What was B.B. King known for?
B.B. King was known for: King of the Blues. Riley B. King, known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that influenced many later electric guitar blues players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".
Who was alive at the same time as B.B. King?
B.B. King's closest contemporary was Stan Lee. Their lives overlapped for 90 years.
Sources
- B. B. King — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- B.B. King (Q188969) — Wikidata
- Claude Monet — Wikipedia
- Claude Monet (Q296) — Wikidata
- Frank Sinatra — Wikipedia
- Frank Sinatra (Q40912) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Bbking.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Marco Tambara / Lightversus, CC BY-SA 3.0