• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
    • Become a print subscriber
    • Sign up for e-Newsletter
    • e-Editions
Saturday, September 30, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
      • Photo of the Week
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
No Result
View All Result

Blues giant B.B. King, dies at age 89

by Dwight Hobbes
May 15, 2015
33
SHARES
663
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Riley “B.B.” King, unquestionably one of the greatest blues artists of all time, has passed into history, succumbing at age 89 to an on-going illness.  King — who had battled diabetes for two decades — fell ill during an October concert and, diagnosed with dehydration and exhaustion, canceled the final tour of a long, well-celebrated career of more than 60 years.  According to the announcement on his website, King died peacefully in this sleep on May 14  in his Las Vegas home.

B.B. King during a 2009 performance
B.B. King during a 2009 performance

King, a contemporary of such legends as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf, was known around the world for his blistering guitar style and volcanic vocals, as well as a wonderfully cheerful manner. He played a Gibson ES-355, which he made famous, owning roughly a dozen copies of the same model in black and in cherry red, each named “Lucille.”

With a discography listing upwards of 45 albums, his catalog is best known for the 1965 LP Live at the Regal, and the 1970 hit single “The Thrill Is Gone,” on which, ironically, he didn’t play guitar, deferring to a session musician.

King notched 15 Grammy Awards, including, in 1987, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.  King enjoyed 40 straight years of hitting the Billboard 200 with 33 titles and, for more than a half-century, averaged nearly 300 shows a year.

Born Sept. 16, 1925 in the Mississippi Delta near Itta Bena, King was raised on a cotton farm by his grandmother, Elnora, and picked cotton on a plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. He learned the guitar by studying with historic icons Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker, Lonnie Johnson and King’s cousin, Booker “Bukka” White. He eventually recorded as part of a duo with his good friend and soul veteran Bobby “Blue” Bland.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

King was a humble man whose demeanor customarily belied his legendary stature.  Indicative of this, in 1995, receiving Kennedy Center Honors from President Bill Clinton, he said, “Anytime the most powerful man in the world takes 10 to 15 minutes to sit and talk with me, an old guy from Indianola, that’s a memory imprinted in my head that forever will be there.”

Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to P.O. Box 50357, Mpls., 55403. 

Updated 5/15/2015 2:10 pm

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Support Black local news

Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.

Donate Now!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Tony Oliva: “I was born in Cuba but Minnesota is my home”

Next Post

Former Maryland prosecutor weighs in on charges against Baltimore officers

Dwight Hobbes

Dwight Hobbes is a contributing writer at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. He can be reached at dhobbes@spokesman-recorder.com.

You Might Also Like

Prosecutors charge Nevada man for the murder of Tupac Shakur
Arts & Culture

Prosecutors charge Nevada man for the murder of Tupac Shakur

Black Business Spotlight: Syndicate Music Group
Black Business Spotlight

Black Business Spotlight: Syndicate Music Group

Concerns mount over ‘extreme’ school board candidates in Minnesota
Local

Concerns mount over ‘extreme’ school board candidates in Minnesota

Don’t forget to check your blood pressure
Health & Wellness

Don’t forget to check your blood pressure

Wanted: Younger workforce ready to learn about climate jobs
Go Green

Wanted: Younger workforce ready to learn about climate jobs

Gopher tennis coach rebuilds a competitive team
Sports

Gopher tennis coach rebuilds a competitive team

Next Post
Former Maryland prosecutor weighs in on charges against Baltimore officers

Former Maryland prosecutor weighs in on charges against Baltimore officers

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

Upcoming Events

Sep 12
September 12 @ 6:30 pm-December 18 @ 9:30 pm Recurring

Vic Volare Presents MUSIC FOR MARTINIS ft: Vic’s Fabulous Nightclub Academy

Sep 30
10:00 am-3:30 pm

Hands Across the Mississippi Walk for Peace and Justice

Sep 30
12:00 pm-3:00 pm

Live, Laugh, Learn Breast Cancer Event

Oct 3
October 3 @ 8:30 am-October 4 @ 5:30 pm

Insects: Little Body, Big Impact | Nobel Conference 59 | Virtual or In-Person

View Calendar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Read our latest e-Edition!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe

  • Home/Office Delivery
  • Weekly e-newsletter
  • e-Editions

Support

  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • MSR Newsstand Locations

Connect

  • About
    • MSR Staff
  • Contact
  • Send a news tip
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News & Features
    • Local
    • National
  • All Sections
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Wellness
      • Women’s Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • MN Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Business
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
      • Small Business Month Celebration
    • Opinion
    • Sports
  • Events
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: