Just taking a minute to pay a little tribute to an American icon, B.B. King. Born Riley B. King on this day (Sep 16) in 1925. He received the moniker B.B. King while working at a radio station in Memphis, where they dubbed him "Beale Street Blues Boy", which was later shortened to B.B.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #3 on their list of 100 greatest guitarists of all time. If you're a guitarist or even just an aficionado, then you know that position and the list in general has been argued over and over. Either way, you can't discount his importance to American music and culture.
Even though he's turning 86 today, he still plays more than 200 shows worldwide every year, not from a need for money but rather that he just loves to play and perform, and interact with his fans. He's an amazing guy who puts on an amazing show.
Someone you all know once asked me why I liked the Blues. My answer was pretty simple. The Blues is not defined to an era, and is the progenitor of all that has come since. Without the Blues we wouldn't have Rock, Soul, Hip Hop, R&B, Metal, etc. etc. etc. Yes, the Blues is now electrified, but it's still the same basic music that Robert Johnson (#5 on that list) played nearly a century ago.
On a side note, B.B.'s drummer is one of the best I've ever heard live!
Happy Birthday, B.B. King!!!
