B.B. King

B.B. King, born on September 16, 1925 in the Mississippi Delta, was the most important and influential blues singer, guitarist and entertainer of the twentieth century. He influenced entire generations of musicians, from Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Mike Bloomfield and Johnny Winter, so much so that the question arises: what modern bluesman hasn't he inspired? The "King of the Blues" hardly usurped his crown with immortal standards such as "Everyday I Have the Blues" and "The Thril Is Gone"; a myriad of albums that defined and accompanied a genre - electric blues - in all its evolution, from Singin' the Blues (1955) to Live at the Regal (1964) or Completely Well (1969); an impressive collection of Grammy Awards and other honors gleaned from his native Mississippi to the great capitals of Europe...and a guitar christened "Lucille", which brought him luck and remained faithful to him throughout his career. Having become the most popular bluesman on the planet, B.B. King breathed his last on May 14, 2015, at the age of 89.