B.B. King Passes On to Music Hall in the Sky
The world has lost yet another great singer and guitar player as B.B. King passes on at age 89. King, who was born as Riley King, died in Las Vegas Thursday evening after spending two weeks in a hospice where he was suffering from dehydration, according to his daughter, Patty King. He also had Type II diabetes.
King’s moniker of “B.B.” came from the Beale Street Blues Boy, when he worked as a DJ in Memphis at WDIA/AM Memphis. King had a great adventure in the world of music, with a career that spanned 66 years playing jazz and blues styles of music.
He began his adventure in Memphis in the 1940s and was an inspiration to many other singers and guitarists over the next several years. His silky smooth voice was well-known by just about everyone and is known to have been a very strong influence in the 1960s for…show more content… King Passes On the Mantle of Blues and Jazz
King was also known for his music including jazz harmonies and lengthy improvising, as well as full horn sections in his accompanying bands. The great B.B. King passes on the mantle of great blues and jazz music with more than 50 songs. One of the best beloved tunes from B.B. King is “The Thrill is Gone.”
King was also called the “king of blues” and his music inspired other greats like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name just two. He was even able to blend in with the trends of today and still stay true to his own background. This showed when he was in a scene from the 1988 movie, “Rattle and Hum,” where he played with U2, as well as a time when King played at the White House with singers Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy.
Tributes to B.B. King Abound
There is now also a B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center based on his life and music. It opened in 2008. King had a lengthy list of awards and honors, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was given the Presidential Medal of