B.B. King

B.B. King was born as Riley King in Mississippi in 1925, but earned the nickname B.B., or Blues Boy, during his DJ career in Memphis. Although a DJ, King also had a passion for making his own music. In 1951 he was catapulted to fame with his hit record “Three O’Clock Blues” (1951). King’s signature sound combined jazz and blues on the guitar and gospel influences on vocals. King toured almost constantly for many years following “Three O’Clock Blues”, and his popularity grew with subsequent hits like “Sweet Sixteen”. He was well known as a highly skilled and engaging performer, which is clear in videos of him at Farm Aid 1985. King recorded another album (Live at the Regal) in Chicago in 1964, and a 1969 recording of “The Thrill is Gone” won him a whopping 15 Grammys. By the 70s King was known as the King of Blues and consistently made the Billboard Charts into the 1980s. 

B.B. King was one of over 50 performers to play for Farm Aid in 1985. He played five songs at the concert, and even paid homage to Farm Aid co-founder Willie Nelson with a cover of his song “Night Life”. A favorite moment in the concert is “How Blue Can You Get”, during which one of King’s guitar strings broke. He casually replaced the string while continuing  the performance and finishing the song.