Riley King :: essays research papers

Riley King A.K.A. : B. B. King 	Life span: 1925-???? 	Style Synopsis: Style is the word that describes the way that B.B. He uses signature tremolo and "T-Bone Walker" influenced jazzy sounding blues riffs. Also, in words of B.B., "I don't do no chords". He can also tell when muted notes are more necessary than full notes. Biography 	For as long as anyone can remember, B.B. King has reigned as the "King Of Blues." With his Gibson guitar named Lucille, along with his unique vocals, king has put out some of the most down-home sounds in African-American music. B.B. King, the world's greatest blues singer had- like a lot of people- had some hard times. Born in 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi., King lived with his mother until he was nine. When his mother died he lived alone, taking care of himself by working in cotton fields that were owned by the people who had employed his mother, this was the time of the Depression , and the period when he started learning the guitar. He worked as a disc jockey at the Memphis radio station WDIA in 1949, where he picked up the stage name "The Beale Street Blues Boy," He was influenced by jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, as well as countless other blues musicians including T-Bone Walker. Among the many songs he eternalized, "The Thrill Is Gone" is perhaps his most enduring, he aslo won several Grammy's for that song and the albums "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere", "My Guitar Sings The Blues", "Live at San Quentin", "Live at the Apollo", an d "Blues Summit". He received along with other numerous awards the Grammy Lifetime Achievments Award in 1987. Still on the road and recording for MCA, with Lucille , B.B. King is still showing the world the blues is here to stay. 	King started his career as a teenage professional musician on the streets of Memphis during the 1940s. He played gospel and blues on street corners for tips. Concerned in whether or not to play gospel or Blues, he decided to integrate both styles. In 1951, B. B. King had his first hit song ,"3 O'clock Blues.'' The song was so successful, record producers signed the young man from his Memphis, Tenn. home and send him to New York City, where he shortened his stage name from Beale Street Blues Boy to "B.B.'' 	Over the past forty years, King has been called the master of blue using his many styles of gospel, jazz, and blues, which has influenced all blues and rock guitarists.