Early Days:
BB King's real name was Riley B. King and he was born to sharecroppers in the Mississippi Delta. He had a tough childhood, tougher than many. His parents separated when he was 5 and his mother took him to live in the hills of Mississippi. By the time he was 7, he was working in the fields alongside and carrying the weight of grown men. His mother died just two years later. He dropped out of school in his teens to return to the Delta and worked on a plantation.
His Early Music Career:
Like many, he found inspiration in gospel music in church. He taught himself guitar with mail-order instruction books. While he was back in the Delta, he sang on street corners in nearby towns and joined many small gospel groups. Eventually, he decided to leave and go to Memphis to try to make it big in music.
He stayed with his cousin, bluesman Bukka White, when he first arrived and had some help finding his way in the city's music circles. After about a year of street performing, he was given a break by Sonny Boy Williamson. He was known as The Beale Street Blues Boy - which later would become "Blues Boy" King.
He made his first recording in 1949 and released six singles before the end of that year and the rest is history. He is one of the most important living blues guitarists and his music has influenced millions and changed the world.
To learn more about this great man, visit his web site at
http://www.bbking.com/.
To carve your own place in history, get involved with
bkfk.com today.