B.B.King, the reigning king of the blues, was the most popular blues-musician ever. He gave the Blues a place in the western culture. The seeds of King′s enduring talent were sown deep in the blues-rich Mississippi Delta. That′s where Riley B. King was sired, in Itta Bena, to be exact. His career as a recording artist started in 1951 at Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee. His first hit song, Three O′ Clock Blues, was soon followed by a series of bestsellers, including You Know I Love You, Everyday I Have The Blues, and Sweet Little Angel.
King′s mammoth selling hit The Thrill Is Gone, recorded in 1970, made him an international superstar. Yet B.B. King remained an intrinsically humble superstar, an utterly accessible icon who welcomes visitors into his dressing room with self-effacing graciousness.
Due to a fall during a concert at the House of Blues in Chicago, his live performances ended at the age of 89. In early April 2015, he was hospitalized in his hometown of Las Vegas due to severe dehydration due to his diabetes. In May 2015 he died at home while sleeping.