Blues legend, singer, songwriter and guitarist, B.B. King died yesterday May 14th at his home in Las Vegas. He was aged 89.
His lawyer said the Blues king, who won 15 Grammy awards, died peacefully in his sleep around 9.40pm yesterday. He had been battling diabetes-related ailments and high blood pressure for years.
B.B King, real name Riley B. King, was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 6 on its 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. May his soul rest in peace, amen.
With Obama at the White House in 2012.
B.B. KING'S CONTRIBUTION TO BLUES MUSIC
Pre 1949 BB King, the nickname given to him as the Beale Street Blues Boy releases his first single Three O'Clock Blues
1949 Two other singles You Know I Love You and Woke Up This Morning closely follow
1956 King reportedly appeared at 342 shows in one year
1962 King gets a recording deal with ABC Records
1969 Released hit single The Thrill is Gone
1971 King receives first of 15 Grammy Awards
1977 Granted an honourary Doctor Of Music by Yale University
1987 Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1989 Teamed up with U2 for When Love Comes To Town
2006 Ran the 'Farewell' music tour but continued playing for another decade
2008 A museum was created in honour of the 'King Of Blues'
2009 Wins 15th Grammy Award
2011 Played Glastonbury Music Festival
2012 Invited to sing at the White House with President Obama
2014 Continued to tour the US until he fell on stage and was rushed to hospital
2014 Inducted into R&B Music Hall of Fame
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