B.b. King

B.B. King was born Riley B. King to Albert and Nora Ella King on September 16th, 1925 in Berclair, Mississippi. King is considered one of the most influential blues musicians to have ever lived, earning the nickname “The King of Blues,” and known as one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” along with Albert King and Freddie King. When King was 4 years old, he came into the care of his maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr, who remained his caretaker throughout his youth. As a young child, King first began singing as a member of the gospel choir of the Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael, Mississippi. He also began playing guitar at an early age, purchasing his first one at the age of 12. King was heavily influenced by the American Delta Blues guitarist and singer, Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White, who was his mother's first cousin. King followed White to Memphis, Tennessee in 1943, where he began to perform more frequently and establish himself and his unique blues guitar sound. Though King did not experience immediate success with his initial recordings, he gained increased visibility and popularity throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing as an opening act on The Rolling Stone's 1969 American tour. With his Grammy win in 1970 for his version of "The Thrill is Gone," King became a hit on both the Pop and R&B charts. In 1980, King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, followed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 in acknowledgement of his unique contribution to the musical community. From the 1980s onward until his death, King maintained a highly active musical career, touring and performing regularly. He told theRolling Stone in an interview in 2013 that, "As you get older, your fingers sometimes swell. But I've missed 18 days in 65 years. Sometimes guys will just take off; I've never done that. If I'm booked to play, I go and play." After various tour cancelations and periods of hospitalization in late 2014, King announced that he would be going into hospice care at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was there that he died due to complications related to his diabetes May 14th, at around 9:30pm.