B.B. King was born a century ago – un secolo fa nasceva B.B. King
Born among the cotton fields of Itta Benna on 16 September 1925, B.B. King travelled down the Mississippi to Memphis, where he had a cousin who played country blues. King had the perfect name: he became The Blues Boy from Beale Street, then simply Blues Boy and finally B.B. King. With his guitar, he arrived in Los Angeles, where he met Sam Phillips of Sun Records, who produced his first recordings.
In 1949, he was playing in a club in Arkansas when a fight broke out between two men over a woman named Lucille. During the scuffle, a barrel fell over, setting the club on fire. King escaped, but as soon as he was outside, he realised he had left his Gibson ES-335 inside. He went back and managed to retrieve it. That guitar became Lucille that evening, immortalised in My Lucille, one of his most famous songs.
By the 1950s, he was already a famous name, and in 1964 he released Live at the Regal, recorded in a theatre in Chicago. In 1969, he topped the charts with The Thrill Is Gone, but his true calling was live performances. In the 1980s, he recorded When Love Comes to Town with U2. In 2000, he recorded Riding with the King with Eric Clapton, and when he turned 80, he released an album with Van Morrison, Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Darryl Hall & John Oates, John Mayer, Mark Knopfler, Glenn Frey, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Bobby Bland and Elton John. He closed the recording alone with Early in the Morning.
His private life was as turbulent as his career. He married twice, had fifteen children and three more who claimed to be his after his death.
In 2013, his artistic and personal story became a film, The Life of Riley.
He died between 14 and 15 May 2015 in Las Vegas.
Nato tra i campi di cotone di Itta Benna il 16 settembre 1925, B.B. King percorre il Mississippi fino a Memphis dove ha un cugino che suona il country blues. King ha il nome perfetto: diventa The Blues Boy from Beale Street, poi semplicemente Blues Boy e infine B.B. King. Con la sua chitarra arriva a Los Angeles, dove incontra Sam Phillips della Sun Records ed è proprio lui a produrgli le prime registrazioni.
Nel 1949 sta suonando in un locale dell’Arkansas, scoppia una rissa tra due uomini, che si contendono una donna il cui nome è Lucille. Nella colluttazione un barile cade provocando l’incendio del locale, King scappa ma appena fuori si accorge di aver lasciato dentro la sua Gibson ES-335, torna indietro e riesce a recuperarla. Quella chitarra quella sera Lucille, immortalata in My Lucille, uno dei suoi brani più famosi. Negli anni Cinquanta è già un nome famoso, nel 1964 pubblica il Live at the Regal registrato in un teatro di Chicago. Nel 1969 scala le classifiche con The Thrill Is Gone, ma la sua vocazione sono i concerti, negli anni Ottanta incide When Love Comes to Town con gli U2.
Nel 2000 registra Riding with the King con Eric Clapton, quando compie 80 anni pubblica un disco con Van Morrison, Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Darryl Hall & John Oates, John Mayer, Mark Knopfler, Glenn Frey, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Bobby Bland ed Elton John. Chiude la registrazione da solo con Early in the Morning.
La sua vita privata è altrettanto turbolenta come la sua carriera. Si sposa due volte, ha quindici figli e altri tre, dopo la sua morte, dicono di esserlo.
Nel 2013, la sua storia artistica e personale diventa un film, The life of Riley.
Muore fra il 14 e il 15 maggio 2015 a Las Vegas.
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