Basic Information About B.B. King
| Category | Celebrities › Rock Stars |
|---|---|
| Professions | Songwriter, Singer, Musician, Singer-songwriter, Guitarist, Record producer, Actor, Composer |
| Net worth | $10,000,000 |
| Date of birth | 1925-09-16 |
| Place of birth | Berclair, Mississippi |
| Date of death | 2015-05-15 (aged 89) |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Curiosities and Trademarks | His Black Gibson ES-355 guitar, named "Lucille" His vibrato-finger technique on the guitar |
| Spouse | 4 June - Sue Carol Hall ( 1958 - 1966) (divorced) 11 November - Martha Lee Denton ( 1944 - 1952) (divorced) |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.77 m) |
| Social Media | ↗︎ Wikipedia ↗︎ IMDb |
Famous Network of Celebrities with Similar Net Worth
What Movie Awards did B.B. King win?
 Oscar |
 Golden Globe |
 Golder Raspberry |
 BAFTA |
 Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
B.B. King roles
| Movie / Series | Role |
|---|---|
| Spies Like Us | Ace Tomato Agent |
| Blues Brothers 2000 | Malvern Gasperon |
| Amazon Women on the Moon | Self (segment "Blacks Without Soul") |
| Heart and Souls | B.B. King |
| The Cosby Show | Riley Jackson 1 episode, 1990 |
| Sesame Street | Self 1 episode, 1970 |
| Blossom | Self 1 episode, 1993 |
| The Young and the Restless | Self 1 episode, 2001 |
| The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Pappy 1 episode, 1995 |
| Sanford and Son | B.B. King 1 episode, 1977 |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Self / ... 7 episodes, 1992-2012 |
| The Dick Cavett Show | Self 3 episodes, 1970-1972 |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Self - Musical Guest 1 episode, 1998 |
B.B. King's Quotes
- About 15 times, a lady has said, "It's either me or Lucille [his guitar]". That's why I've had 15 children by 15 women.
- Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but no one wants to die to get there!
- [asked what he would do differently, could he live his life over] I would have finished high school.
- Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin', too.
- [on which musicians will keep the blues alive in a June 2006 interview] I could name so many that I think that you won't miss me at all when I'm not around. You'll maybe miss seeing my face, but the music will go on.
B.B. King's photos
Interesting Facts about B.B. King
- Was one of the most talented and celebrated electric-blues artists of the late 20th Century. He recorded between 90 to 100 blues albums over the course of his singing career and was known for refining electric-blues more than any other blues artist, (a genre invented by the late great Muddy Waters).
- Claimed to have fathered 15 children out of wedlock, all with different women. At the time of his death, news sources claimed that his 15 children were a combination of biological and adopted (but did not indicate how many of each), but that only 11 of those children survived him. Those included eldest surviving daughter Shirley King, who was upset that she did not get a chance to see her father before his death.
- He played a Gibson B.B. King Lucille. The model he played used to have a Gibson number name, but starting in 1982, after making some special modifications per King's requests, the guitar became the Lucille model.
- Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
- He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1990.
- According to Las Vegas coroner's report, B.B. King died from Alzheimer's disease, with type 2 diabetes, coronary artery atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, hypertension and cerebral vascular disease acting as significant contributing factors. He died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT, at his home in Las Vegas, NV. He canceled a tour in October 2014, citing dehydration and exhaustion stemming from the diabetes.
- Mentioned in the song "Life Is a Rock But the Radio Rolled Me" by Reunion.
- He was awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award, on May 24, 2004.
- He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1990 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington, D.C.
- Mentioned in the song "Dig It" by The Beatles.
- Performed the song "When Love Comes to Town" in a duet with U2 from the album "Rattle and Hum".
- Was a vegetarian, non-drinker and -smoker, and licensed pilot.
- Owned blues clubs in Memphis, New York City, and Los Angeles.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6771 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- Attended the opening of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center in Indianola, Mississippi. [September 2008]
- The name B.B. King is short for his first stage name, Blues Boy King.
- He chopped and picked cotton as a boy.
- Won 15 Grammys and sold more than 40 million records worldwide, a remarkable number for blues.
- Received the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) Chairman's Award, among many other awards.
- His music inspired Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray, The Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton.
References & Fact Checks ✅
- 1/ Filename: poster-of-b-b-king-and-bill-harvey-saxophonist-and-orchestra-featuring-photos-of-b-b-king-holding-his-guitar-and-evelyn-young-playing-saxaphone-8049g557h-files-92a57ed3-1d17-4a52-bda9-53dd48145101-B236fQR8.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:25)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Poster_of_B.B._King_and_Bill_Harvey_(saxophonist)_and_Orchestra,_featuring_photos_of_B.B._King_holding_his_guitar_and_Evelyn_Young_playing_saxaphone._-_8049g557h_files_92a57ed3-1d17-4a52-bda9-53dd48145101.jpg
- Original Source:
https://digitalcollections.lib.uh.edu/concern/images/8g84mm772?locale=en#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-1682%2C-1%2C8682%2C6733 - Author: Unknown author
- Date taken: 1950s date QS:P,+1950-00-00T00:00:00Z/8
- 2/ Filename: b-b-king-hamburg-1971-1vKU68wA.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:26)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B.B._King_Hamburg_1971.jpg
- Original Source:
This file was derived from: B.B. King 3011710047.jpg - Author: Heinrich Klaffs
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
- Date taken: November 1971
- 3/ Filename: bbkingny-Qy19v7O3.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:27)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BBKingNY.jpg
- Original Source:
Own work - Author: Ronzoni
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
- 4/ Filename: twist-ar-bb-king-marker-1-0N7s5303.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:28)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Twist_AR_BB_king_Marker_1.jpg
- Original Source:
Own work - Author: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected])
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
- Date taken: 24 June 2011
- 5/ Filename: bb-king-onstage-toronto-2007-tvpg44Pa.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:29)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BB_King_onstage_(Toronto,_2007).jpg
- Original Source:
Own work - Author: Piedmontstyle (talk) (Uploads)
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
- Date taken: 16 January 2008
- 6/ Filename: barack-obama-singing-in-the-east-room-6q3y8AIr.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:30)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Barack_Obama_singing_in_the_East_Room.jpg
- Original Source:
White House (P022112PS-1000) - Author:
Pete Souza (1954–) 
Alternative names Peter J. Souza; Peter Joseph SouzaDescription American photographer, photojournalist and journalist Date of birth 31 December 1954 
Location of birth Bristol County Authority file - Date taken: Taken on 21 February 2012, 21:15
- 7/ Filename: b-b-king-in-2009-8LC68L9E.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:31)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B.B._King_in_2009.jpg
- Original Source:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/9967007@N07/6577873073 - Author: Tom Beetz
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
- Date taken: 10 July 2009
- 8/ Filename: bbkingsignbealestreet-pz2x39Q0.jpg
- 9/ Filename: publicity-photo-of-b-b-king-j9602118s-files-7f3e5875-55ee-4389-8eb0-53e6b59f1df3-cropped-D5NyWRhH.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:34)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Publicity_photo_of_B.B._King._-_j9602118s_files_7f3e5875-55ee-4389-8eb0-53e6b59f1df3_(cropped).jpg
- Original Source:
https://digitalcollections.lib.uh.edu/concern/images/2f75r865n?locale=en#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-1312%2C0%2C7898%2C6124 - Author: Unknown author
- Date taken: 1950s or 1960s
- 10/ Filename: b-b-king-presidential-medal-of-freedom-905jeM2F.jpg
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- Checked: ✅ Yes (2023-07-04 01:08:35)
- Source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B.B._King_Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom.jpg
- Original Source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/images/20061215-1_p121506sc-0171jpg-515h.html - Author:
Shealah Craighead (1976–) 
Description American photographer and photojournalist Date of birth 25 September 1976 Location of birth Connecticut Work location Authority file - Date taken: 15 December 2006
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