BLUES N'AT

     Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, on October 15, a true blues legend, in every sense of the word, will grace the Pittsburgh area with his presence. Mr. B.B. King will perform at the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead. It's an opportunity to see blues royalty in all its glory.

     The "King of the Blues" was born September 16, 1925 on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, MS. He was born Riley B. King. When young Riley's father left home, his mother remarried and Riley was raised by his maternal grandmother. From there, he began singing in his local church choir. By age 12, he'd taken up playing guitar. Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker were among his influences.

      In the 1940's he left home to find work as a tractor driver and to hone his guitar skills in churches and on Greenwood, MS radio station WRGM. In 1946, Riley traveled to Memphis, TN with his mother's cousin, guitarist Bukka White. Riley stayed for less than a year, returning to Mississippi to refine his technique. He wound up in West Memphis, AR in 1948, performing on KWEM with Sonny Boy Williamson's show. Eventually, he landed back in Memphis on WDIA as a DJ/singer. It was at WDIA that he earned the moniker "Beale Street Blues Boy", or "B.B" for short.

     B.B.'s first record, "Miss Martha King" was recorded in 1949 for Nashville's Bullet Records. Also in 1949, Sun Records founder, Sam Phillips, produced B.B. for Los Angeles-based label RPM Records. From there, B.B. formed a band and began touring various dance halls and juke joints around the country, his beloved guitar "Lucille", a Gibson ES-355, in tow. In the 1950's B.B. began recording and touring with more regularity, releasing hits such as "3 O'clock Blues" and "Every Day I Have the Blues".

     B.B. opened for the Rolling Stones on their 1969 U.S. tour. By 1970, B.B won a Grammy for "The Thrill Is Gone". Rolling Stone magazine would name that song #183 on their list of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone also ranked B.B. at #6 of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" in 2011. Gibson guitars named him to their list of "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time"  at #17.

     B.B. remains well respected and in demand, playing with the likes of Eric Clapton, Cyndi Lauper, and U2. He has also performed at festivals around the world such as the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival, Monterey Blues Festival and Bonnaroo.

     B.B. has the distinction of being inducted into both the Blues Hall of Fame, in 1980, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987. With over 50 albums to his name, B.B. continues to reign supreme as "King of the Blues".

     Until next time, boys and girls. Keep It Bluesy!