DJ Dirrty

(Phoenix, AZ) BB King radio interview by Drew Verbis: 

October, 2005:     Listen to Interview

Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century. A contemporary blues guitar solo without at least a couple of recognizable King-inspired bent notes is all but unimaginable, and he remains a supremely confident singer capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric (and he’s tried his hand at many an unlikely song, anybody recall his version of “Love Me Tender?”).Yet B.B. King remains an intrinsically humble superstar, an utterly accessible icon who welcomes visitors into his dressing room with self-effacing graciousness. Between 1951 and 1985, King notched an amazing 74 entries on Billboard’s R&B charts, and he was one of the few full-fledged blues artists to score a major pop hit when his 1970 smash “The Thrill Is Gone” crossed over to mainstream success (engendering memorable appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand). B.B. was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He received NARAS’ Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1987, and has received honorary doctorates from Tougaloo(MS) College in 1973; Yale University in 1977; Berklee College of Music in 1982; Rhodes College of Memphis in 1990 and Mississippi Valley State University in 2002. In 1992, he received the National Award of Distinction from the University of Mississippi. BB King has been awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civil award by President Bush in 2006. As of 2006, King has earned 14 Grammy Awards.

For further information: www.bbking.com
Files are not intended for commericial use.