B b-king biography timeline

(1925-2015)

Who Was B.B. King?

After serving in World War II, Riley B. King, better known as B.B. King, became a disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was dubbed "the Beale Street Blues Boy." That nickname was shortened to "B.B." and the guitarist cut his first record in 1949.

He spent the next several decades recording and touring, playing more than 300 shows a year.

B b-king biography timeline of events

An artist of international renown, King worked with other musicians from rock, pop and country backgrounds. He won his 15th Grammy Award in 2009. King died in 2015.

Early Career

A singer and guitarist born into a sharecropping family on September 16, 1925, in Itta Bena, Mississippi, King became one of the best-known blues performers, an important consolidator of blues styles, and a primary model for rock guitarists.

Following his service in the U.S. Army, he began his career as a disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was dubbed "the Beale Street Blues Boy."