History Music / BBKing

* Crossover: B.B. King teamed up with Music/EricClapton to record the album ''Riding With The King''.
* ICallItVera: In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. The hall was heated by a barrel half-filled with burning kerosene, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, and the building was evacuated. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside so he went back into the burning building to retrieve his beloved guitar. King learned the next day that they had been fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille—and subsequently named every guitar he owned since, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.
** Many guitars have borne the name Lucille, including Fender Telecasters. He is mostly associated with the [=Gibson ES-355=] and [=ES-335=], but those guitars and variants did not exist until 1958.

* DreamTeam: The aforementioned ''"Ridin With The King"'' was particularly notable for combining the talents of B.B., widely considered "King of the Blues" with Music/EricClapton, widely heralded as an all-time great guitarist.

* UngratefulBastard: "How Blue Can You Get", a blues standard tightly connected to King, is about a woman ungrateful for the everything the singer's done for her. This includes calling their penthouse a shack and wishing they'd never had their seven children.

* TwelveBarBlues: A traditional blues artist, many of King's songs take on this progression. "The Thrill is Gone" is a clear example, featuring three two-part phrases per chorus, each phrase increasing in register before dropping down to the I chord.

* UngratefulBastard: "How Blue Can You Get", a blues standard tightly connecting to King, is about a woman ungrateful for the everything the singer's done for her. This includes calling their penthouse a shack and wishing they'd never had their seven children.

* DreamTeam: Teamed up with Music/EricClapton to release ''"Ridin With The King"'' in 2000 which won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

** Many guitars have borne the name Lucille, including Fender Telecasters. He is mostly associated with the [=Gibson ES-355=] and [=ES-335=], but those guitars and variants did not exist until 1958.

* ICallItVera: In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. The hall was heated by a barrel half-filled with burning kerosene, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, and the building was evacuated. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside so he went back into the burning building to retrieve his beloved guitar. King learned the next day that they had been fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille—and subsequently named every guitar he owned since, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.

* ICallItVera: In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. The hall was heated by a barrel half-filled with burning kerosene, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, and the building was evacuated. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside so he went back into the burning building to retrieve his beloved [=Gibson ES-335=]. King learned the next day that they had been fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille—and subsequently named every guitar he owned since, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.

* BigNameFan: Once made a [[TheCameo cameo]] on ''[[Series/{{Concentration}} Classic Concentration]]''.

Riley B. "B.B." King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American [[Main/Blues blues]] singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

Riley B. "B.B." King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American [[Music/Blues blues]] singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

Riley B. "B.B." King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

[[caption-width-right:350:B.B. and [[ICallItVera Lucille]]]]. Riley B. "B.B." King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

[[caption-width-right:350:B.B. and [[ICallItVera Lucille]]. Riley B. "B.B." King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

Riley B. "B.B." King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

! Tropes:

* BadassGrandpa: Performed up to six nights a week for most of his life. When his age started to affect his work, he slowed down... to just ''four'' nights a week. In his seventies!

* BadassGrandpa: Toured extensively well into his 70's.

* DreamTeam: Teamed up with EricClapton to release ''"Ridin With The King"'' in 2000 which won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

'''Riley B. "B.B." King''' (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) was an American blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

* ICallItVera: King's guitar was named "Lucille", no matter what guitar it was. In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. The hall was heated by a barrel half-filled with burning kerosene, a fairly common practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, and the building was evacuated.
Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside so he went back into the burning building to retrieve his beloved [=Gibson ES-335=]. Two men died in the fire, and King learned the next day that they had been fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille—and subsequently named every guitar he owned since, as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women.

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