Throughout the past seven decades, there has been only one King of the Blues - Riley B. King, affectionately known as B.B. King.

Born on September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation in Itta Bene, Mississippi, just outside the Mississippi delta town of Indianola, King used to play on the corner of Church and Second Street for dimes and would sometimes play in as many as four towns on a Saturday night. With his guitar and $2.50, he hitchhiked north to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1947 to pursue his musical career. Memphis was the city where every important musician of the South gravitated and which supported a large, competitive musical community where virtually every black musical style was heard. B.B. stayed with his cousin Bukka White, one of the most renowned rural blues performers of his time, who schooled B.B. further in the art of the blues.

B.B.'s first big break came in 1948 when he performed on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program on KWEM out of West Memphis. This led to steady performance engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten minute spot on black staffed and managed radio station WDIA. "King's Spot", sponsored by Pepticon, a health tonic, became so popular that it was increased in length and became the "Sepia Swing Club". Soon, B.B. needed a catchy radio name. What started out as Beale Street Blues Boy was shortened to Blues Boy King, and eventually B.B. King. Incidentally, King's middle initial "B" is just that, it is not an abbreviation.

Over the years, 15 Time Grammy® Winner, B.B. King has had several Number 1 R & B hits, such as: "Three O'Clock Blues", "You Don't Know Me", "Please Love Me", "You Upset Me Baby", "Sweet Sixteen, Part I", and probably his most popular crossover hit, "The Thrill Is Gone".

B.B. has one of the world's most readily identified guitar styles. He borrowed from Lonnie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, integrating his precise vocal like string bends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have become indispensable components of rock guitarist's vocabulary. His economy, his every note counts phrasing, has been a model for thousands of players including Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Jeff Beck. B.B.'s technique is complex, featuring delicate filigrees of single string runs punctuated by loud chords, subtle vibratos, and "bent" notes.

Don't Miss Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member, BB King, April 1st at 7 PM