B.B. King Timeline

B.B. King 54

1925 B.B. King born in Mississippi 16 September 1925 Riley B. King was born on a cotton plantation between Itta Bena and Indianola in the Mississippi Delta.
1930 – 1937 Childhood on the plantation Mississippi Delta Raised largely by his grandmother after his mother's early death, young Riley worked as a field hand on Delta cotton plantations from childhood.
1934 Learns guitar in church Rev. Archie Fair His preacher and uncle, Rev. Archie Fair, taught him the rudiments of guitar, which Riley first played as part of church services.
1943 Tractor driver & wartime deferment Age 18 At eighteen, King was inducted into the army but was granted an essential-worker deferment to keep driving a tractor on a Delta plantation supplying cotton under military contract.
1944 – 1946 Famous St. John's Gospel Singers Indianola Formed a gospel quartet, the Famous St. John's Gospel Singers, performing in Delta churches and on local radio in Greenville and Greenwood, while playing blues for tips on Indianola street corners by night.
1946 First trip to Memphis Stays with Bukka White Hitchhiked to Memphis to stay with his cousin, bluesman Bukka White, absorbing the Beale Street music scene for several months before returning to Indianola.
1948 Lands his own radio show on WDIA "Beale Street Blues Boy" Landed a ten-minute daily spot on Memphis station WDIA, sponsored by the tonic Pepticon; his on-air name "Beale Street Blues Boy" was shortened first to "Blues Boy" and then to "B.B."
1948 Meets Sonny Boy Williamson II KWEM radio, West Memphis After impressing Sonny Boy Williamson II on his West Memphis radio show, King was given Williamson's regular gig at the 16th Street Grill when the harmonica player double-booked himself.
1948 Returns to Memphis for good Returned to Memphis determined to make it as a musician, this time staying for good.
1949 First recording session Bullet Records Made his first recordings for the Memphis label Bullet Records, including "Miss Martha King".
1949 Names his guitar "Lucille" Twist, Arkansas After narrowly escaping a fire that broke out during a dance in Twist, Arkansas — caused by a fight over a woman named Lucille — King ran back into the burning building to save his $30 guitar. He named it Lucille as a reminder never to be so reckless again, and every guitar he owned afterward carried the name.
1950 Signs to RPM/Modern Records Los Angeles Signed with the Bihari brothers' RPM/Modern Records, beginning a recording relationship that would last over a decade.
1951 "3 O'Clock Blues" tops the charts First #1 R&B hit His recording of "3 O'Clock Blues" reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart, launching a career of near-continuous touring with his own band.
1952 "You Don't Know Me" hits #1 Scored a second number-one R&B hit with "You Don't Know Me".
1953 "Woke Up This Morning" Released the hit "Woke Up This Morning", further building his reputation on the R&B charts.
1954 "You Upset Me Baby" "You Upset Me Baby" became another major R&B hit, cementing King's place among the era's top blues stars.
1956 342 one-night stands in a year Relentless touring At the height of his early touring years, King and his band played a staggering 342 one-night stands in a single year — a pace he would maintain for decades.
1958 Marries Sue Carol Hall Second marriage Married Sue Carol Hall, his second wife — the marriage would end in divorce in 1966.
1960 "Sweet Sixteen" "Sweet Sixteen" became one of his biggest hits of the decade, reaching the upper levels of the R&B chart.
1962 Signs to ABC-Paramount Moved to ABC-Paramount Records (later its Bluesway subsidiary), a relationship that would produce some of his most acclaimed albums.
1964 Records "Live at the Regal" Chicago Recorded the live album "Live at the Regal" at Chicago's Regal Theater — later regarded as one of the greatest live blues albums ever made.
1966 "Don't Answer the Door" "Don't Answer the Door" became another R&B chart hit.
1968 Plays the Fillmore West San Francisco Promoter Bill Graham booked King at San Francisco's Fillmore West alongside rock acts, introducing his music to a new, largely white rock audience for the first time.
1969 "The Thrill Is Gone" — first Grammy "The Thrill Is Gone" became his signature song and crossover hit, earning him his first Grammy Award; that year he also made his first appearance on The Tonight Show.
1970 "Indianola Mississippi Seeds" Released the album "Indianola Mississippi Seeds", featuring collaborations with musicians including Carole King and Leon Russell, reflecting his growing crossover appeal.
1971 Performs on The Ed Sullivan Show Appeared live on The Ed Sullivan Show, bringing his music to a mainstream television audience.
1973 First honorary doctorate Tougaloo College Received his first honorary doctorate, from Tougaloo College in Mississippi — the first of many academic honours recognising his contribution to American music.
1975 Ebony magazine awards Best Male Blues Singer Won Ebony magazine awards for Best Male Blues Singer, Best Blues Instrumentalist and Best Blues Album.
1977 Honorary doctorate from Yale Received an honorary doctorate in music from Yale University.
1980 Biography "The Arrival of B.B. King" by Charles Sawyer Charles Sawyer's biography "The Arrival of B.B. King" was published by Doubleday.
1982 Honorary doctorate from Berklee Received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
1984 Inducted into Blues Hall of Fame Blues Foundation Inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame.
1984 Wins Grammy for "Blues 'n' Jazz" Best Traditional Blues Recording Won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Recording for the album "Blues 'n' Jazz".
1987 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award NARAS Received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
1987 Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recognising his influence on generations of rock guitarists.
1988 Records "When Love Comes to Town" with U2 Rattle and Hum Recorded "When Love Comes to Town" with Irish rock band U2 for their album and film "Rattle and Hum", introducing him to a new generation of listeners; the track won Best Video from a Film at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
1990 "Live at San Quentin" Fifth live album Released "Live at San Quentin", his fifth live album and second recorded at a correctional facility — part of more than sixty prison concerts over his career.
1990 National Medal of Arts Received the National Medal of Arts, plus an honorary doctorate from Rhodes College in Memphis.
1991 Opens first B.B. King's Blues Club Beale Street, Memphis Opened the first B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis, the street where his career began; the same year he received the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
1992 Grammy for "Live at the Apollo" Won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording for the big-band live album "Live at the Apollo".
1994 "Blues Summit" wins Grammy Plus LA club opens His album "Blues Summit", featuring duets with John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Buddy Guy and others, won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album; that year he also opened a second club at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles.
1995 Kennedy Center Honors Washington, D.C. Received the Kennedy Center Honors, presented by President Bill Clinton — one of the highest honours for performing artists in the United States.
1996 Autobiography "Blues All Around Me" with David Ritz Published his autobiography, "Blues All Around Me", written with David Ritz.
1998 Named "Ambassador of Music" U.S. government The U.S. government designated King its "Ambassador of Music".
2000 "Riding with the King" with Eric Clapton Released "Riding with the King", a collaborative album with Eric Clapton, which won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album in 2001.
2000 Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame Inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and received a Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
2002 Opens Foxwoods clubs Plus MVSU doctorate Opened two more B.B. King's Blues Clubs at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, and received an honorary doctorate from Mississippi Valley State University.
2003 Opens Nashville club Opened a B.B. King Blues Club in Nashville, Tennessee.
2006 Presidential Medal of Freedom Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States.
2007 Honorary doctorate from Brown University Received an honorary doctorate from Brown University.
2008 "One Kind Favor" wins final Grammy T-Bone Burnett produced His final studio album, "One Kind Favor", produced by T-Bone Burnett with Dr. John, Jim Keltner and Nathan East, won the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album — his fifteenth and last Grammy.
2008 B.B. King Museum opens Indianola, Mississippi The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in Indianola, Mississippi, with exhibits on his music, influences and the history of the Delta region.
2012 Performs at the White House "Red, White and Blues" Performed at the White House as part of "Red, White and Blues", a celebration of blues music, alongside President Barack Obama, who joined in singing "Sweet Home Chicago".
2015 B.B. King dies in Las Vegas Aged 89 B.B. King died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 14 May 2015, at age 89, from complications related to diabetes — having performed well into his eighties and left behind over fifty albums and fifteen Grammy Awards.