Happy Birthday to Mr. Riley B. King American blues musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The undisputed king of the blues was born in a cabin on a cotton plantation outside of Berclair, Mississippi, to Albert King and Nora Ella Farr on September 16, 1925. Although, King considers the nearby city of Indianola, MS to be his home. In 1930, his father left the family, and his mother married another man. King was raised by his maternal grandmother Elnora Farr in Kilmichael, Mississippi. While young, King sang in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. It seems that at the age of 12, he purchased his first guitar for $15.00, although another source indicates he was given his first guitar by Bukka White, his mothers first cousin (Kings grandmother and Whites mother were sisters). In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. Johns Quartet of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches and on WGRM in Greenwood, Mississippi. In 1946, King followed Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months. He performed on Sonny Boy Williamsons radio program on KWEM in West Memphis, where he began to develop an audience. Kings appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten-minute spot on the Memphis radio station WDIA. Kings Spot became so popular, it was expanded and became the Sepia Swing Club. Initially he worked at WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, gaining the nickname Beale Street Blues Boy, which was later shortened to Blues Boy and finally to B.B. It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. Once Id heard him for the first time, I knew Id have to have [an electric guitar] myself. Had to have one, short of stealing!, he said. Thrill is Gone made Rolling Stones list of Greatest Songs Of All Time
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 01:35:08 +0000
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