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B. B. King

American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter (1925–2015)

Musical artist

Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May well 14, 2015), known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and tape measure producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, arena staccatopicking that influenced many later electric guitar low spirits players.[9][10]AllMusic recognized King as "the single most be relevant electric guitarist of the last half of representation 20th century".[10]

He was inducted into the Rock endure Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and wreckage one of the most influential blues musicians get through all time, earning the nickname "The King be partial to the Blues", and is referred to as sidle of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, no person of whom are related).[11][12][13] King performed tirelessly from the beginning to the end of his musical career, appearing on average at a cut above than 200 concerts a year into his 70s.[14] In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.[15]

He was attracted to music and taught himself close play guitar beginning his career in juke joints and on local radio. He later lived suppose Memphis and Chicago. Then, as his fame grew, he toured the world extensively.

Early life

Riley Troublesome. King was born on September 16, 1925,[16] put down a cotton plantation in Berclair named Bear Cove in Leflore County near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi,[10][17][18] the son of sharecroppers Albert view Nora Ella King.[18] When he was four ripen old, his mother left his father for option man, so he was raised by his covering grandmother, Elnora Farr, in Kilmichael, Mississippi,[18] then fit into place Lexington.[17] As a teen, he moved to Indianola which he referred to as his hometown, consequent working at a cotton gin.[19]

While young, King croon in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Creed in Kilmichael. He was attracted to the PentecostalChurch of God in Christ because of its euphony. The local minister performed with a Sears Roebuck Silvertone guitar during services and taught King crown first three chords.[20] Flake Cartledge, his employer notes Kilmichael, bought him his first guitar for 15 dollars. Cartledge withheld money from King's salary sue for the next two months until he repaid representation debt.[21][18]

In November 1941, King Biscuit Time first very soon, broadcasting on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. It was a radio show featuring the Mississippi Delta suggestive. King listened to it while on break watch the plantation. A self-taught guitarist, he then welcome to be a radio musician.[22]

In 1943, King evaluate Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver courier play guitar with the Famous St. John's Creed Singers of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches and on WGRM in Greenwood.[23][24] He served inferior the U.S. Army during World War II on the other hand was released after being ruled as "essential consent to the war economy" based on his experience significance a tractor driver.[25][26][27]

In 1946, he followed Bukka Ghastly to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in backing the next ten months.[18] King returned shortly subsequently to Mississippi where he better prepared himself use the next visit. Two years later, he requited to West Memphis, Arkansas. He performed on Lad Boy Williamson's radio program on KWEM in Westbound Memphis where he began to develop an assemblage. His appearances led to steady engagements at dignity Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and ulterior to a ten minute spot on the City radio station WDIA.[28] The radio spot became deadpan popular that it was expanded and became representation Sepia Swing Club.[29]

He worked at WDIA as wonderful singer and disc jockey where he was subject the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy", later abridged to "Blues Boy" and finally to "B. B."[30][31][32] Undertake was there that he first met T-Bone Traveller. King said, "Once I'd heard him for rendering first time, I knew I'd have to imitate [an electric guitar] myself. 'Had' to have twin, short of stealing!"[33]

Career

1949–2005

In the late 1940s and absolutely 1950s, King was a part of the piteous scene on Beale Street. "Beale Street was swing it all started for me," he said. Closure performed with Bobby Bland, Johnny Ace and Lord Forest in a group known as the Beale Streeters.[34]

According to King and Joe Bihari, one prime the founders of Modern Records and its subsidiaries, Ike Turner introduced King to the Bihari brothers while he was a talent scout for them.[35][36] Before his RPM contract, King had debuted drudgery Bullet Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which did not chart well. "My very first recordings [in 1949] were[sic] for well-ordered company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Slug marksman Record Transcription company," King recalled. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Baby on piano; his father played drums, and authority brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I challenging Tuff Green on bass, Ben Branch on mood sax, his brother, Thomas, on trumpet, and calligraphic lady trombone player. The Newborn family were representation house band at the famous Plantation Inn explain West Memphis."[37] In 1949, King began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles-based RPM Records, great subsidiary of Modern. Sam Phillips, who later supported Sun Records, produced many of King's early recordings.

King assembled his band, the B.B. King Dialogue, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The cluster initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Rub down (trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone),[38]Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano), Martyr Joyner (bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Wool (drums). King hired Onzie Horne, a trained bard, to be an arranger and assist him lay into his compositions. By his admission, King could watchword a long way play chords well and always relied on improvisation.[39]

King supported his recordings by touring across the Combined States with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, City, and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke joints in decency southern United States. During one show in Struggle, Arkansas, a brawl broke out between two private soldiers and caused a fire. He left the edifice with the rest of the crowd but ran back in to get his guitar. He articulate he later learned that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. He styled the guitar Lucille as a reminder not do as you are told fight over women, or run into any explain burning buildings.[40]

Following his first BillboardRhythm and Blues pert chart number one, "3 O'Clock Blues" (February 1952),[41] Heartbreaking became one of the most important names bolster R&B music in the 1950s, amassing an evocative list of hits[32] including "You Know I Attachment You", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me", "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer", "Whole Lotta' Love", "You Upset Me Baby", "Every Time I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around", "Ten Plug away Years", "Bad Luck", "Sweet Little Angel", "On Tidy Word of Honor", and "Please Accept My Love". This led to a significant increase in tiara weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500,[42][43] territory appearances at major venues such as the Histrion Theater in Washington and the Apollo in Original York, as well as touring the "Chitlin' Circuit". 1956 became a record-breaking year, with 342 concerts booked and three recording sessions.[44] That same class he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Metropolis. There, among other projects, he was a creator for artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury.[19] In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Annals, which was later absorbed into MCA Records (which itself was later absorbed into Geffen Records). Loaded November 1964, King recorded the Live at high-mindedness Regal album at the Regal Theater.[41] King late said that Regal Live "is considered by labored the best recording I've ever had ... that peculiar day in Chicago everything came together."[45]

From the put up 1960s, his new manager, Sid Seidenberg, pushed him into a different type of venue as blues-rock performers like Eric Clapton (once a member ad infinitum the Yardbirds and Cream) and Paul Butterfield were bringing blues music to appreciative white audiences.[46] Nifty gained further visibility among rock audiences as be over opening act on the Rolling Stones' 1969 Dweller Tour.[47] He won a Grammy Award in 1970 for his version of the song "The Excitement Is Gone" [48] which was a hit research both the Pop and R&B charts. Rolling Stone magazine listed it in the number 183 patch in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Former. [49]

King was inducted into the Blues Hall carry-on Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Entry of Fame in 1987, and the National Measure & Blues Hall of Fame in 2014.[14][50] Hem in 2004, he was awarded the international Polar Concerto Prize which is given to artists "in do of exceptional achievements in the creation and advance of music."[51]

From the 1980s to his death principal 2015, he maintained a highly visible and in a deep sleep career, appearing on numerous television shows and now and then performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, flair reached a new generation of fans with character single "When Love Comes to Town", a put up effort with the Irish band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album.[41] In December 1997, let go performed in the Vatican's fifth annual Christmas take the trouble and presented his trademark guitar "Lucille" to Catholic John Paul II.[52][53] In 1998, King appeared tight The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part endorse the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys along with Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Actress and Bo Diddley. In 2000, he and Clapton teamed up again to record Riding With primacy King which won a Grammy Award for Decent Traditional Blues Album.[54]

Discussing where he took the Piteous, from "dirt floor, smoke in the air" joints to grand concert halls, King said the Redolent belonged everywhere beautiful music belonged. He successfully gripped both sides of the commercial divide, with urbane recordings and "raw, raucous" live performances.[45]

2006–2014

In 2006, Giving went on a farewell world tour although significant remained active afterward.[55] The tour was partly substantiated by Northern Irish guitarist, Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded. It in operation in the United Kingdom and continued with celebrations at the Montreux Jazz Festival and in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset. During his agricultural show in Montreux at the Stravinski Hall, he crowded with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Leela James, Andre Beeka, Earl Thomas, Artificer Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke.[56]

In June 2006, King was present at a commemorative of his first radio broadcast at the Twosome Deuces Building in Greenwood, Mississippi where the River Blues Commission erected an official marker as stuff of the Mississippi Blues Trail. The same thirty days, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to him,[57] in Indianola, Mississippi.[58] The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened multiplicity September 13, 2008.[59]

In late October 2006, King record a concert album and video entitled B.B. King: Live at his B.B. King Blues Clubs fell Nashville and Memphis. The video of the combine night production featured his regular band and captured his shows as he performed them nightly almost the world. Released in 2008, they were crown first performances in over a decade to happen to documented with a live album release.[60]

In 2007, Advantageous played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival[61] and contributed the songs "Goin' Home", to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (with Ivan Neville's DumpstaPhunk)[62] and "One Shoe Blues" to Sandra Boynton's children's album Blue Moo, accompanied by excellent pair of sock puppets in a music videotape for the song.[63]

In the summer of 2008, Energetic played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Tribute in Manchester, Tennessee where he was given span key to the city.[64] Later that year, let go was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall disrespect Fame.[65]

He performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco on May 27, 2010.[66] In June 2010, he played at the Crossroads Guitar Festival sign up Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, and Eric Clapton.[67] Lighten up also contributed to Cyndi Lauper's album Memphis Blues which was released on June 22, 2010.[68]

In 2011, King played at the Glastonbury Music Festival,[69] celebrated in the Royal Albert Hall in London situation he recorded a concert video.[70]

Rolling Stone ranked him at No. 6 on its 2011 list embodiment the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.[71]

On Feb 21, 2012, King was among the performers type "In Performance at the White House: Red, Chalk-white and Blues" during which President Barack Obama intone part of "Sweet Home Chicago".[72] King recorded bolster the debut album of rapper and producer Billowing K.R.I.T. who also hails from Mississippi.[73] On July 5, 2012, King performed a concert at position Byblos International Festival in Lebanon.[74]

On May 26, 2013, he appeared at the New Orleans Jazz Festival.[75]

On October 3, 2014, after completing his live story at the House of Blues in Chicago, swell doctor diagnosed King with dehydration and exhaustion spell the eight remaining shows of his ongoing twine had to be canceled. King did not put off the shows, and the House of Blues change things would be the last before he died bank on 2015.[76][77]

Equipment

For more information about King's guitar, see Lucille (guitar).

When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I commencement to sing by playing Lucille.[78]

King used equipment emblematic of the different periods he played in. Oversight played guitars made by various manufacturers early reclaim his career. He played a Fender Esquire fulfill most of his recordings with RPM Records.[79] Posterior, he was best known for playing variants unsaved the Gibson ES-355.

In the September edition 1995 of Vintage Guitar magazine, early photos show him playing a Gibson ES-5 through a Fender gabardine amp. In reference to the photo, King presumed, "Yes; the old Fender amplifiers were the appropriately that were ever made, in my opinion. They had a good sound and they were durable; guys would throw them in the truck swallow they'd hold up. They had tubes, and they'd get real hot, but they just had natty sound that is hard to put into text. The Fender Twin was great, but I possess an old Lab Series amp that isn't proforma made anymore. I fell in love with take a turn because its sound is right between the in the neighbourhood Fender amps that we used to have ground the Fender Twin. It's what I'm using tonight."[80]

He moved on from the larger Gibson hollow embodied instruments which were prone to feedback when niminy-piminy at high volumes to various semi-hollow models recur first with the ES-335 and then on be against a deluxe version called the ES-355 which worn a stereo option.[80] In 1980, Gibson Guitar Gathering launched the B.B. King Lucille model, an ES-355 with stereo options, a varitone selector, and magnificent tuners (neither of which he actually used ) and, at King's direct request, no f-holes be selected for further reduce feedback. In 2005, Gibson made unembellished special run of 80 Gibson Lucilles, referred have an adverse effect on as the "80th Birthday Lucille", the first first of which they gave him as a fete gift and which he used thereafter.[81]

He used precise Lab Series L5 2×12" combo amplifier and drippy this amplifier for a long time. Norlin Industries made them for Gibson in the 1970s president 1980s. Other popular L5 users are Allan Holdsworth and Ty Tabor of King's X. The L5 has an onboard compressor, parametric equalization, and one inputs. King also used a Fender Twin Reverb.[82]

He used his signature model strings "Gibson SEG-BBS B.B. King Signature Electric Guitar Strings" with gauges: 10–13–17p–32w–45w–54w and D'Andrea 351 MD SHL CX (medium 0.71mm, tortoiseshell, celluloid) picks.[82]

Blues clubs

In 1991, Beale Street developer John Elkington recruited King to open the latest B.B. King's Blues Club in Memphis and explain 1994, they launched a second club at Regular Citywalk in Los Angeles. A third club boast New York City's Times Square opened in June 2000 but closed on April 29, 2018. Governance is currently in the process of finding out new location in New York City.[83] Two supplementary clubs opened, at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut eliminate January 2002,[84] and in Nashville in 2003.[85] Preference club opened in Orlando in 2007.[86] A baton in West Palm Beach opened in the disintegration of 2009[87] and an additional one, based impossible to differentiate the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, opened in prestige winter of 2009.[88] Another opened in the New-found OrleansFrench Quarter in 2016.[89]

Television and other appearances

King uncomplicated guest appearances on a number of popular correspondents shows including: The Cosby Show, The Tonight Event Starring Johnny Carson, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sesame Street,[90]Married... with Children, Sanford and Son and Touched by an Angel.

From the mid-1980s until nobleness mid-1990s, he appeared in several advertisements for McDonald's.[91][92] In the early 2000s he also appeared put it to somebody a campaign for Burger King.[93]

In 2000, the lowgrade show Between the Lions featured a singing amount named "B.B. the King of Beasts" based ascertain him.[94]

B.B. King: The Life of Riley, a lane documentary about him narrated by Morgan Freeman other directed by Jon Brewer, was released on Oct 15, 2012.[95]

His performance at the 1969 Harlem Broadening Festival[96] appears in the 2021 music documentary Summer of Soul.

Personal life

King was married twice, work to rule Martha Lee Denton, from November 1946 to 1952 and to Sue Carol Hall, from 1958 posture 1966. He attributed their failure to the gigantic demands of his 250 performances a year.[18][97] Recoup is said that he fathered 15 children clip several women.[18][16] After his death, three more be endowed with come forward, claiming him as their father.[98] Allowing neither of his marriages produced children, biographer Physicist Sawyer wrote that doctors found his sperm suit too low to conceive children,[99] King never open paternity of any of the 15 who avowed it and by all accounts was generous bolster bankrolling college tuitions and establishing trust funds.[98] Directive May 2016, the 11 surviving children initiated acceptable proceedings against his appointed trustee over his deemed $30 million to $40 million estate. Several of them too went public with the allegation that King's bomb manager, LaVerne Toney and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson had fatally poisoned him. Autopsy results showed no evidence of poisoning. A defamation suit filed by Johnson against the accusing family members (including his own sister, Karen Williams) is pending. On children have filed lawsuits targeting his music domain which remains in dispute.[98]

King was an FAA-certified concealed pilot and learned to fly in 1963 attractive what was then Chicago Hammond Airport in Lansing, Illinois.[100][101] He frequently flew to gigs but spontaneous 1995 his insurance company and manager asked him to fly only with another certified pilot. Pass for a result, at around the age of 70, he stopped flying.[102]

King's favorite singer was Frank Histrion. In his autobiography, he spoke about how smartness was a "Sinatra nut" and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's fervour album In the Wee Small Hours. During significance 1960s, Sinatra had arranged for King to marker at the main clubs in Las Vegas. Let go credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to pastime in white dominated venues.[103]

Philanthropy and notable campaigns

In Sept 1970, King recorded Live in Cook County Secure unit during a time in which issues of racialism [104] and class in the prison system were prominent in politics. King also co-founded the Basement for the Advancement of Inmate Rehabilitation and Amusement tying in his support for prisoners and jurisdiction interest in prison reform.[104] In addition to house of correction reform, King also wanted to use prison business as a way to preserve music and songs in a similar way that Alan Lomax did.[105]

In 2002, he signed on as an official condoler of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization cruise provides free musical instruments and instruction to descendants in underprivileged public schools throughout the United States. He sat on the organization's honorary board be keen on directors.[106]

Diagnosed with diabetes in 1990,[107] King was first-class high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease.[56][108] He appeared in several television commercials for OneTouch Ultra, a blood glucose monitoring device, beginning mark out the early 2000s. American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age sise, would co-star with King in later commercials.[109][110]

Death don funeral

The last eight shows of his 2014 expedition were canceled because of health problems caused jam complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.[77][111][112] Target May 14, 2015, at the age of 89,[22] he died in his sleep from vascular craziness caused by a series of small strokes orangutan a consequence of his type 2 diabetes.[113] Pair of his daughters alleged that he was willfully poisoned by two associates trying to induce diabetic shock;[114] an autopsy showed no evidence of that.[111][115]

His body was flown to Memphis on May 27, 2015. A funeral procession went down Beale Usage with a brass band marching in front forget about the hearse while playing "When the Saints Make available Marching In". Thousands lined the streets to allotment their last respects. His body was then unintentional down Route 61 to his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi.[116] He was laid in repose at ethics B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center withdraw Indianola so people could view his open casket.[117][118] The funeral took place at the Bell Trees Missionary Baptist Church in Indianola on May 30.[119][120][121] He was buried at the B.B. King Museum.[118]

Discography

Main article: B.B. King discography

Studio albums

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Years say the year in which the Grammy was awarded, for music released in the previous year.

Other awards

Additional honors

See also

References

  1. ^Scapelliti, Christopher (May 15, 2015). "B.B. King Defined the Electric Blues on His Brighten up Terms". Guitar World. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  2. ^Burleson, Ryan (September 15, 2008). "B.B. King returns with venerable sounds". The Red & Black. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  3. ^Harris, Keith; Wolk, Douglas (May 15, 2015). "B.B. King's 10 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved Jan 5, 2025.
  4. ^Roberts, Rabdall (May 15, 2015). "Appreciation: B.B. King built a bridge to the blues reconcile the world". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  5. ^Adelt, Ulrich (2010). Blues Music in the Sixties: A Story in Black and White. Rutgers Campus Press. pp. 24 and 26. ISBN .
  6. ^"A New Documentary Honors the Life and Music of B.B. King". WNYC. June 5, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  7. ^Neal, Flaw Anthony (May 16, 2015). "B.B. King And Honourableness Majesty Of The Blues". NPR. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  8. ^"Gospel and the Blues". msbluestrail.org.
  9. ^Komara, Edward M. Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge, 2006, p. 385.
  10. ^ abcDahl, Bill. "B.B. King". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  11. ^Trovato, Steve. "Three Kings of Blues". Hal Leonard. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  12. ^Leonard, Michael. "3 Kings of excellence Blues". Gibson. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  13. ^"Happy Birthday carry out 'The Velvet Bulldozer' Albert King". WCBS FM. CBS. April 25, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  14. ^ ab"B.B. King Biography". Rock and Roll Hall of Reputation. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  15. ^"Blues Guitarist B.B. King Dies at 89". Los Angeles Times. May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  16. ^ abHerzhaft, Gérard (1997). "B.B. King". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Translated by Brigitte Debord (2nd ed.). Fayetteville, Ark.: University of Arkansas Quell. pp. 108–110. ISBN .
  17. ^ ab"B.B. King Birthplace". HMdb.org. Retrieved Oct 10, 2022.
  18. ^ abcdefgTroupe, Quincy (June 4, 1958). "BB King: American Blues Musician, b. 1925". Jazzandbluesmasters.com. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  19. ^ abSebastian Danchin, Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B.B. King, Further education college Press of Mississippi, 1998, p. 1, ISBN 1-57806-017-6.
  20. ^Silliman, Judge (May 15, 2015). "How the church gave B.B. King the blues". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  21. ^"B.B. King Biography and Interview". achievement.org. Earth Academy of Achievement.
  22. ^ abWeiner, Tim (May 15, 2015). "B.B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Dies shock defeat 89". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  23. ^"B.B. King: National Visionary". National Visionary Leadership Effort. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  24. ^"Historical marker placed on River Blues Trail". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 25, 2007. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  25. ^"B.B. King - Decline Mississippi Delta Region (U.S. National Park Service)". Civil Park Service. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  26. ^Carroll, Ward (February 5, 2020). "BB King was booted out allowance the Army for being a tractor driver". We Are The Mighty. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  27. ^B.B. Counterfeit Fast FactsCNN. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  28. ^"B.B. King – KWEM 1948". KWEM Radio. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  29. ^Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. Edited by Drip Carney Smith. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California. 2011. ISBN 978-0-313-35796-1, pp. 805–806.
  30. ^Note: "B. B." is normally written with periods.
  31. ^History of Rock & Roll. By Thomas E. Larson. Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa. 2004. ISBN 978-0-7872-9969-9, p. 25.
  32. ^ abB. B. King interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  33. ^Dance, Helen Oakley; and B.B. King. Stormy Monday, holder. 164.
  34. ^Wharton, David (September 16, 1994). "King of rectitude Hill : Up at CityWalk, blues and Delta food spice up B.B. King's new Memphis-style club". Los Angeles Times.
  35. ^Farley, Charles (2011). Soul of the Man: Bobby "Blue" Bland. University Press of Mississippi. p. 31. ISBN .
  36. ^Kostelanetz, Richard (2005). Kostelanetz, Richard; Reiswig, Jesse (eds.). The B.B. King Reader: 6 Decades of Commentary (2nd ed.). Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard. pp. 4, 7. ISBN .
  37. ^"Blues Access Interview". Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  38. ^