|
* As a disc jockey on a Memphis, Tennessee, radio station,
Riley B. King became known as "The Beale Street Blues Boy,"
which was shortened to "Blues Boy" and eventually to "B.B."
* King was playing a dance in Twist, Arkansas, when two men
began fighting over a woman and accidentally set the dance hall
ablaze. King had to dash back in to save his guitar, which he
began calling Lucille, the name of the woman who inspired the
fight.
* King's primary guitar teacher was his cousin, bluesman Bukka
White.
* In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest
guitarists of all time ranked King as No. 3, behind only Jimi
Hendrix and Duane Allman.
* In 1956 King and his band performed 342 one-night stands.
* King greatly expanded his fan base to jazz, folk and rock
audiences in 1967, playing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the
Newport Folk Festival and the Fillmore West in San Francisco.
* King's 10,000th show came on April 17, 2006, at his namesake
nightclub in New York. He performed despite having buried his
son, who died of cancer, the day before.
* King appeared on the television shows "Sanford and Son", "The
Young and the Restless", "The Cosby Show", "Married ... With
Children", "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Sesame Street.".
(Writing by Bill Trott; editing by John Stonestreet)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
