A Fond Farewell to Blues Legend B.B. King
On May 14, 2015, Riley B. King, known by his stage name B.B. King, passed away at his home in Las Vegas. The blues legend was a gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist, a multi-Grammy Award winner, and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. B.B. King amassed an impressive 74 entries on Billboard’s R&B charts and scored a major pop hit when his 1970 smash “The Thrill Is Gone” crossed over to mainstream success.
“Universally hailed as the king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King was without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century,” wrote Bill Dahl, in King’s Allmusic biography.
Ten years ago AMT had the privilege of hosting this incredible artist. In addition to being an exceptional musician, B.B. King was a down-to-earth gentleman – accommodating and gracious to those of us who had the good fortune of meeting him.
After a public viewing in the Mississippi Delta, the land that gave birth to the blues, B.B. King will be buried on May 30 on the grounds of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi.