King of the Blues

Riley B. King was born near Itta Bena, in Mississippi on this day in 1925. He first sang in his Baptist church and later for a Pentecostal church where the minister taught him the rudiments of the guitar. At twelve he saved enough money to purchase his own guitar, or, maybe, such stories don’t always square a relative gifted him with the guitar. He worked fields during the day but began playing for a local radio program in the evening. And then for another. Eventually he was able to work full time as a musician.

At first he called himself Blues Boy. Eventually it shortened to B. B. King.

There are reasons he is also sometimes called King of the Blues…