Jon Hammond at the Organ and Microphone
<< New HTML Element >>*WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: FP Blues Louisville Soundcheck http://archive.org/details/JonHammondFPBluesLouisvilleSoundcheckJonHammondBand/ Blip TV http://blip.tv/jon-hammond/fp-blues-louisville-soundcheck-jon-hammond-band-6282440 Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3swBC17MZU FP Blues Louisville Soundcheck Jon Hammond Band, original
composition (Shuffle) Blues with guitarist John Bishop, Alex Budman tenor saxophone, Ronnie Smith Jr. drums, Jon Hammond organ / ASCAP Publishing http://www.jonhammondband.com Category: Music Tags: FP Blues shuffle jon hammond band organ jazz louisville kentucky WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Cannonball 99 One More Time Louisville
Kentucky http://archive.org/details/JonHammondShuffleCANNONBALL99ONEMORETIMEJonHammondBandSoundcheck Blip TV
http://blip.tv/jon-hammond/shuffle-cannonball-99-one-more-time-jon-hammond-band-soundcheck-6280830
Youtube Shuffle CANNONBALL 99 ONE MORE TIME Jon Hammond Band Soundcheck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb-_fo8F87g Jon Hammond Band soundchecking in Louisville Kentucky, original composition CANNONBALL 99 ONE MORE TIME
(Shuffle) Blues with guitarist John Bishop, Alex Budman tenor saxophone, Ronnie Smith Jr. drums, Jon Hammond organ ASCAP Publishing http://www.jonhammondband.com Category: Music Tags: cannonball 99 one more time jon hammond band organ jazz louisville kentucky Nash Metropolitan Car Sighted -- Jon Hammond Vintage 1953–1961 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_Metropolitan The Nash Metropolitan is a car that was sold, initially, only in the United States and Canada,[1]
from 1954–1962. It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car In today’s terminology the Metropolitan is a “subcompact”, but this category had not yet come into use when the
car was made.[8] At that time, it was variously categorized, for example as a "small automobile" as well as an "economy car". The Metropolitan was also sold as a Hudson when Nash and Hudson merged in
1954 to form the American Motors Corporation (AMC), and later as a standalone marque during the Rambler years, as well as in the United Kingdom and other markets. 
Frankfurt Germany -- This cake and party/gig from previous year was really great also!
Special thanks to Bernie Capicchiano for this wonderful photo - Jon Hammond Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hozrJpHvV-4 Chocolate on
Chocolate Cake at 2011 Musikmesse Warm Up Party in Jazzkeller Frankfurt with Jon Hammond Band and special guests for this special occasion celebrating 25 years in Musikmesse. Special acknowledgement
of Wilhelm P. "Charly" Hosenseidl R.I.P. who was the Director of Musikmesse years 1989-2008 now Directed by Wolfgang Luecke, special thanks to Messe Frankfurt Projekt and Presse Team! Jon Hammond
Band: Joe Berger guitar Tony Lakatos tenor saxophone Giovanni Gulino drums Jon Hammond - XB-2 Hammond Organ - special thanks Hiromitsu Ono Chief Engineer Suzuki Musical Instruments designed my
instrument which took me all around the world many times "Late Rent" Jon Hammond theme song for Jon Hammond Show MNNTV and HammondCast Show KYOU Radio San Francisco CBS Radio Network Thanks Joe
Lamond President CEO NAMM, TecAmp Jürgen Kunze and Thomas Eich - Puma Combo bass amp powering Jon Hammond's organ Dankeschoen to Yücel Atiker, Tino Pavlis, Poehl, Bernie Capicchiano, Michael
Falkenstein Hammond Suzuki Deutschland, Peggy Behling, Christine Vogel Messe Frankfurt, Saray Pastanesi Baeckerei & Konditorei for Chocolate on Chocolate Cake — at Jazzkeller 
Frankfurt Germany -- Yes it is my biggest Birthday cake of my whole life and also for 26
years consecutive Musikmesse Frankfurt in the good old Jazzkeller Frankfurt! We had a really beautiful party / gig there this last time and I am already looking forward again to the next one which
will be on Tuesday night 9th April 2013. Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKI42G_CLeQ Jon Hammond Band celebrating 26 consecutive years
Musikmesse Warm Up Party in Jazzkeller Frankfurt on Jon's 59th birthday, finale song Over The Rainbow Tony Lakatos tenor saxophone, Giovanni Gulino drums, Joe Berger guitar, Jon Hammond at Sk1
Hammond organ / bass special thanks Thomas Eich TecAmp - 2 x 12" Neodymium Speakers with TecAmp power amp on my organ 
Chocolate on Chocolate Cake by Saray Pastanesi
Baeckerei & Konditorei Bakery — at Jazzkeller"King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 BB King and Jon Hammond 
King was born in a small cabin on a cotton plantation
outside of Berclair, Mississippi, to Albert King and Nora Ella Farr on September 16, 1925. In 1930, when King was four years old, his father abandoned the family, and his mother married another man.
Because Nora Ella was too poor to raise her son, King was raised by his maternal grandmother Elnora Farr in Kilmichael, Mississippi.[4] Over the years, King has developed one of the world's most
identifiable guitar styles. He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string bends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have
become indispensable components of rock guitarist's vocabulary. His economy and phrasing has been a model for thousands of players, from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck. King has mixed
traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop, and jump into a unique sound. In King's words, "When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille."
King grew up singing in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. At age 12, he purchased his first guitar for $15.00[4] although another reference indicates he was given his first
guitar by his cousin, Bukka White. In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. John's Quartet of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches
and on WGRM in Greenwood, Mississippi.[5][6] In 1946, King followed his cousin Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months.[4] However, King shortly returned to
Mississippi, where he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit, and returned to West Memphis, Arkansas, two years later in 1948. He performed on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program on
KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas where he began to develop a local audience for his sound. King's appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a
ten-minute spot on the legendary Memphis radio station WDIA. King's Spot became so popular, it was expanded and became the Sepia Swing Club. Initially he worked at the local R&B radio station
WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, where he gained the nickname Beale Street Blues Boy, later shortened to Blues Boy and finally to B.B.[7][8] It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. "Once I'd
heard him for the first time, I knew I'd have to have [an electric guitar] myself. 'Had' to have one, short of stealing!", he said.[9] [edit]Career [edit]1949–2005 In 1949, King began recording songs
under contract with Los Angeles-based RPM Records. Many of King's early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet
Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which did not chart well. "My very first recordings [in 1949] were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record
Transcription company," King recalls. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green
on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis."[10]
Performing with his famous guitar, Lucille King assembled his own band; the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands
(trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone),[11] Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano), George Joyner (bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry (drums).
Onzie Horne was a trained musician elicited as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his own admission, he cannot play chords well[12] and always relies on improvisation. This was
followed by tours across the USA with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke
joints of the southern US states. In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. In order to heat the hall, a barrel half-filled with kerosene was lit, a fairly common
practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, which triggered an
evacuation. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside the burning building. He entered the blaze to retrieve his beloved guitar, a Gibson semi-hollow electric. Two people died in
the fire. The next day, King learned that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille, as well as every one he owned since that near-fatal experience,
as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women. King meanwhile toured the entire "Chitlin' circuit" and 1956 became a record-breaking year,
with 342 concerts booked. The same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he produced artists such as
Millard Lee and Levi Seabury. In the 1950s, B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music, amassing an impressive list of hits including "3 O'Clock Blues", "You Know I Love You,"
"Woke Up This Morning," "Please Love Me," "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta Love," "You Upset Me Baby," "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around," "Ten Long Years," "Bad Luck,"
"Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor," and "Please Accept My Love." In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and this hence into his current
label, Geffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. King won a Grammy Award for a tune called "The Thrill Is Gone";[13] his
version became a hit on both the pop and R&B charts, which was rare during that time for an R&B artist. It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of
All Time. He gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on The Rolling Stones' 1969 American Tour. King's mainstream success continued throughout the 1970s with songs like "To
Know You is to Love You" and "I Like to Live the Love". King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2004 he was awarded the
international Polar Music Prize, given to artists "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music."[14] B.B. King in concert in France 1989 From the 1980s onward
he has continued to maintain a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the
single "When Love Comes to Town", a collaborative effort between King and the Irish band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album. In 2000, King teamed up with guitarist Eric Clapton to record Riding With
the King. In 1998, King appeared in The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley.
[edit]2006–present: farewell tour and later activities Aged 80 at the time, on March 29, 2006, King played at Hallam Arena in Sheffield, England. This was the first date of his United Kingdom and
European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song "Since I Met You Baby". The British
leg of the tour ended on April 4 with a concert at Wembley Arena. And on June 28, 2009 King returned to Wembley arena to end a tour around Great Britain with British blues icon John Mayall. When
questioned as to why he was embarking on another tour after already completing his farewell stint, King jokingly remarked that he had never actually said the farewell tour would be his last.[15] In
July King went back to Europe, playing twice (July 2 and 3) in the 40th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival and also in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset on July 14. During his show in Montreux at the
Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Lella James, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. The European leg
of the Farewell Tour ended in Luxembourg on September 19, 2006, at the D'Coque Arena (support act: Todd Sharpville). In November and December, King played six times in Brazil. During a press
conference on November 29 in São Paulo, a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: "One of my favorite actors is a man from Scotland named Sean Connery. Most of
you know him as James Bond, 007. He made a movie called Never Say Never Again." In June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood,
Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King.[16] in Indianola, Mississippi.[17] The
museum opened on September 13, 2008. B.B. King at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ontario (May 2007) In late October 2006, he recorded a concert CD and DVD entitled B.B. King: Live at his B.B. King Blues
Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The four night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performs it nightly around the world. It was his first live performance
recording in 14 years. On July 28, 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for the Crossroads Centre for addictive disorders.
Performing in Chicago, he played "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss", "Rock Me Baby" and "Thrill is Gone" (although the latter was not published on the DVD release) with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and
Hubert Sumlin. In a poignant moment during the live broadcast, he offered a toast to the concert's host, Eric Clapton, and also reflected upon his own life and seniority. Adding to the poignancy, the
four-minute speech — which had been underlaid with a mellow chord progression by Robert Cray throughout — made a transition to an emotional rendition of "Thrill is Gone". Parts of this performance
were subsequently aired in a PBS broadcast and released on the Crossroads II DVD. Also in 2007, King accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records).
With Ivan Neville's DumpstaPhunk, King contributed his version of the title song, "Goin' Home". In 2007 King performed "One Shoe Blues" on the Sandra Boynton children's album Blue Moo, accompanied by
a pair of sock puppets in the video. In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee; he was also the final performer at the 25th annual Chicago Blues
Festival on June 8, 2008, and at the Monterey Blues Festival, following Taj Mahal. Another June 2008 event was King's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Liza Minnelli and Sir
James Galway. In July 2008, Sirius XM Radio's Bluesville channel was renamed B.B. King's Bluesville. On December 1, 2008, King performed at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland.[18] On
December 3, King and John Mayer were the closing act at the 51st Grammy Nomination Concert, playing "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan. On December 30, 2008, King played at The Kennedy Center
Honors Awards Show; his performance was in honor of actor Morgan Freeman. European Tour 2009, Vienna, July 2009 In Summer 2009, King started a European Tour with concerts in France, Germany, Belgium,
Finland and Denmark. In March 2010, King contributed to Cyndi Lauper's album Memphis Blues, which was released on June 22, 2010. King performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco, on May 27,
2010.[19] On June 25, 2011 King played the pyramid stage at The Glastonbury Music Festival. On the June 28 he opened his new European tour at The Royal Albert Hall, London, supported by Derek Trucks
and Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood, Mick Hucknall and Slash. Barack Obama and B.B. King singing "Sweet Home Chicago" in February 21st 2012 On February 21st 2012, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama hosted,
“In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues”, a celebration of blues music held in the East Room of the White House and B.B. King was among the performers. Later on that night, President
Obama, encouraged by Buddy Guy and B.B. King, sang part of "Sweet Home Chicago".[20] On March 22, 2012, King played a concert at the Chicago House of Blues, where Benson made a guest appearance and
both King & Benson held a jammin' session for over 20 minutes, it was also the celebration of Benson's birthday. King performed on the debut album of rapper and producer Big K.R.I.T., who also
hails from Mississippi.[21] On July 5, 2012, King performed a concert at the Byblos Festival, Lebanon. Over a period of 63 years, King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.[22] [edit]Equipment
More info about the guitar, see Lucille (guitar) B.B. King uses simple equipment. King played guitars made by different manufacturers early in his career: he played a Fender Telecaster on most of his
recordings with RPM Records (USA).[23] However, he is best known for playing variants of the Gibson ES-355. In 1980 Gibson Guitar Corporation launched the B.B. King Lucille model. In 2005 Gibson made
a special run of 80 Gibson Lucilles, referred to as the '80th Birthday Lucille', the first prototype of which was given as a birthday gift to King, which he has been using ever since.[24]. He uses
Lab Series L5 2x12" combo amp. King has been using this amp for a long time. The amp was made by Norlin Industries for Gibson in the 70's and 80's. Other popular L5 users are Allan Holdsworth and Ty
Tabor of King's X. The L5 has an onboard compressor, parametric EQ, and four inputs. He also has used a Fender Twin Reverb.[25] He uses his signature model strings Gibson SEG-BBS B.B. King Signature
Electric Guitar Strings with gauges: 10-13-17p-32w-45w-54w and D'Andrea 351 MD SHL CX (Medium .71mm, Tortoise Shell, Celluloid) Picks.[25] [edit]B.B. King's Blues Club Sign outside B.B. King's Blues
Club on Beale Street, Memphis In 1991, B.B. King's Blues Club opened on Beale Street in Memphis, and in 1994, a second club was launched at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. A third club in New
York City's Times Square opened in June 2000. Two further clubs opened at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut in January 2002[26] and another in Nashville in 2003.[27] A club in West Palm Beach opened in
the fall of 2009[28] and an additional one, based in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, opened in the winter of 2009.[29] In 2007, a B.B. King's Blues Club in Orlando opened on International Drive. The
Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Las Vegas stores are all the same Company. [edit]Legacy King is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, inspiring
countless other electric blues and blues-rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Peter Green, Derek Trucks, Duane Allman, Elmore James and Stevie Ray
Vaughan.[30] [edit]Philanthropy In 2001, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in
underprivileged public schools throughout the US. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors. [edit]TV appearances B.B. King has made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows,
including The Cosby Show, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital,[31] The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sesame Street,[32] Married... with Children, Sanford and Son, and Touched by an Angel. He has
also made a cameo in the movie Spies Like Us.[33]. He voiced in the last episode of Cow and Chicken.[citation needed] [edit]Personal life King has been married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, 1946 to
1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. Both marriages ended because of the heavy demands made on the marriage by King's 250 performances a year.[4] It is reported that he has fathered 15 children
and, as of 2004, is the grandfather to fifty grandchildren.[4] He has lived with Type II diabetes for over twenty years and is a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in
advertisements for diabetes-management products along with American Idol season 9 contestant Crystal Bowersox. King is an FAA licensed Private Pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at Chicago Hammond
Airport in Lansing, IL (now Lansing Municipal Airport – KIGQ).[34][35] He frequently flew to gigs, but under the advice of his insurance company and manager in 1995, King was asked to fly only with
another licensed pilot; and as a result, King stopped flying around age 70.[36] His favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography King speaks about how he was, and is, a "Sinatra nut" and
how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album In the Wee Small Hours. King has credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in
"white-dominated" venues; Sinatra got B.B. King into the main clubs in Las Vegas during the 1960s — with B.B. King at Bb. Kings Blues Bar Grill BB King, Shuffle, Blues, Jon Hammond, Louisville
Kentucky, Organ Group, Birthday Cake, Musikmesse, Frankfurt, Local 802, Musicians Union, Jazz, Music
Frankfurt Germany -- This cake and party/gig from previous year was really great also!
Special thanks to Bernie Capicchiano for this wonderful photo - Jon Hammond Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hozrJpHvV-4 Chocolate on
Chocolate Cake at 2011 Musikmesse Warm Up Party in Jazzkeller Frankfurt with Jon Hammond Band and special guests for this special occasion celebrating 25 years in Musikmesse. Special acknowledgement
of Wilhelm P. "Charly" Hosenseidl R.I.P. who was the Director of Musikmesse years 1989-2008 now Directed by Wolfgang Luecke, special thanks to Messe Frankfurt Projekt and Presse Team! Jon Hammond
Band: Joe Berger guitar Tony Lakatos tenor saxophone Giovanni Gulino drums Jon Hammond - XB-2 Hammond Organ - special thanks Hiromitsu Ono Chief Engineer Suzuki Musical Instruments designed my
instrument which took me all around the world many times "Late Rent" Jon Hammond theme song for Jon Hammond Show MNNTV and HammondCast Show KYOU Radio San Francisco CBS Radio Network Thanks Joe
Lamond President CEO NAMM, TecAmp Jürgen Kunze and Thomas Eich - Puma Combo bass amp powering Jon Hammond's organ Dankeschoen to Yücel Atiker, Tino Pavlis, Poehl, Bernie Capicchiano, Michael
Falkenstein Hammond Suzuki Deutschland, Peggy Behling, Christine Vogel Messe Frankfurt, Saray Pastanesi Baeckerei & Konditorei for Chocolate on Chocolate Cake — at Jazzkeller 
Frankfurt Germany -- Yes it is my biggest Birthday cake of my whole life and also for 26
years consecutive Musikmesse Frankfurt in the good old Jazzkeller Frankfurt! We had a really beautiful party / gig there this last time and I am already looking forward again to the next one which
will be on Tuesday night 9th April 2013. Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKI42G_CLeQ Jon Hammond Band celebrating 26 consecutive years
Musikmesse Warm Up Party in Jazzkeller Frankfurt on Jon's 59th birthday, finale song Over The Rainbow Tony Lakatos tenor saxophone, Giovanni Gulino drums, Joe Berger guitar, Jon Hammond at Sk1
Hammond organ / bass special thanks Thomas Eich TecAmp - 2 x 12" Neodymium Speakers with TecAmp power amp on my organ 
Chocolate on Chocolate Cake by Saray Pastanesi
Baeckerei & Konditorei Bakery — at Jazzkeller"King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 BB King and Jon Hammond 
King was born in a small cabin on a cotton plantation
outside of Berclair, Mississippi, to Albert King and Nora Ella Farr on September 16, 1925. In 1930, when King was four years old, his father abandoned the family, and his mother married another man.
Because Nora Ella was too poor to raise her son, King was raised by his maternal grandmother Elnora Farr in Kilmichael, Mississippi.[4] Over the years, King has developed one of the world's most
identifiable guitar styles. He borrowed from Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and others, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string bends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have
become indispensable components of rock guitarist's vocabulary. His economy and phrasing has been a model for thousands of players, from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Jeff Beck. King has mixed
traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop, and jump into a unique sound. In King's words, "When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille."
King grew up singing in the gospel choir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. At age 12, he purchased his first guitar for $15.00[4] although another reference indicates he was given his first
guitar by his cousin, Bukka White. In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. John's Quartet of Inverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches
and on WGRM in Greenwood, Mississippi.[5][6] In 1946, King followed his cousin Bukka White to Memphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months.[4] However, King shortly returned to
Mississippi, where he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit, and returned to West Memphis, Arkansas, two years later in 1948. He performed on Sonny Boy Williamson's radio program on
KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas where he began to develop a local audience for his sound. King's appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a
ten-minute spot on the legendary Memphis radio station WDIA. King's Spot became so popular, it was expanded and became the Sepia Swing Club. Initially he worked at the local R&B radio station
WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, where he gained the nickname Beale Street Blues Boy, later shortened to Blues Boy and finally to B.B.[7][8] It was there that he first met T-Bone Walker. "Once I'd
heard him for the first time, I knew I'd have to have [an electric guitar] myself. 'Had' to have one, short of stealing!", he said.[9] [edit]Career [edit]1949–2005 In 1949, King began recording songs
under contract with Los Angeles-based RPM Records. Many of King's early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted on Bullet
Records by issuing the single "Miss Martha King" (1949), which did not chart well. "My very first recordings [in 1949] were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record
Transcription company," King recalls. "I had horns that very first session. I had Phineas Newborn on piano; his father played drums, and his brother, Calvin, played guitar with me. I had Tuff Green
on bass, Ben Branch on tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis."[10]
Performing with his famous guitar, Lucille King assembled his own band; the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands
(trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone), George Coleman (tenor saxophone),[11] Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano), George Joyner (bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry (drums).
Onzie Horne was a trained musician elicited as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his own admission, he cannot play chords well[12] and always relies on improvisation. This was
followed by tours across the USA with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs and juke
joints of the southern US states. In the winter of 1949, King played at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. In order to heat the hall, a barrel half-filled with kerosene was lit, a fairly common
practice at the time. During a performance, two men began to fight, knocking over the burning barrel and sending burning fuel across the floor. The hall burst into flames, which triggered an
evacuation. Once outside, King realized that he had left his guitar inside the burning building. He entered the blaze to retrieve his beloved guitar, a Gibson semi-hollow electric. Two people died in
the fire. The next day, King learned that the two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. King named that first guitar Lucille, as well as every one he owned since that near-fatal experience,
as a reminder never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over women. King meanwhile toured the entire "Chitlin' circuit" and 1956 became a record-breaking year,
with 342 concerts booked. The same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he produced artists such as
Millard Lee and Levi Seabury. In the 1950s, B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music, amassing an impressive list of hits including "3 O'Clock Blues", "You Know I Love You,"
"Woke Up This Morning," "Please Love Me," "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer," "Whole Lotta Love," "You Upset Me Baby," "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around," "Ten Long Years," "Bad Luck,"
"Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor," and "Please Accept My Love." In 1962, King signed to ABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and this hence into his current
label, Geffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois. King won a Grammy Award for a tune called "The Thrill Is Gone";[13] his
version became a hit on both the pop and R&B charts, which was rare during that time for an R&B artist. It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of
All Time. He gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on The Rolling Stones' 1969 American Tour. King's mainstream success continued throughout the 1970s with songs like "To
Know You is to Love You" and "I Like to Live the Love". King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2004 he was awarded the
international Polar Music Prize, given to artists "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music."[14] B.B. King in concert in France 1989 From the 1980s onward
he has continued to maintain a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the
single "When Love Comes to Town", a collaborative effort between King and the Irish band U2 on their Rattle and Hum album. In 2000, King teamed up with guitarist Eric Clapton to record Riding With
the King. In 1998, King appeared in The Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along with Clapton, Dr. John, Koko Taylor and Bo Diddley.
[edit]2006–present: farewell tour and later activities Aged 80 at the time, on March 29, 2006, King played at Hallam Arena in Sheffield, England. This was the first date of his United Kingdom and
European farewell tour. He played this tour supported by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, with whom King had previously toured and recorded, including the song "Since I Met You Baby". The British
leg of the tour ended on April 4 with a concert at Wembley Arena. And on June 28, 2009 King returned to Wembley arena to end a tour around Great Britain with British blues icon John Mayall. When
questioned as to why he was embarking on another tour after already completing his farewell stint, King jokingly remarked that he had never actually said the farewell tour would be his last.[15] In
July King went back to Europe, playing twice (July 2 and 3) in the 40th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival and also in Zürich at the Blues at Sunset on July 14. During his show in Montreux at the
Stravinski Hall he jammed with Joe Sample, Randy Crawford, David Sanborn, Gladys Knight, Lella James, Earl Thomas, Stanley Clarke, John McLaughlin, Barbara Hendricks and George Duke. The European leg
of the Farewell Tour ended in Luxembourg on September 19, 2006, at the D'Coque Arena (support act: Todd Sharpville). In November and December, King played six times in Brazil. During a press
conference on November 29 in São Paulo, a journalist asked King if that would be the actual farewell tour. He answered: "One of my favorite actors is a man from Scotland named Sean Connery. Most of
you know him as James Bond, 007. He made a movie called Never Say Never Again." In June 2006, King was present at a memorial of his first radio broadcast at the Three Deuces Building in Greenwood,
Mississippi, where an official marker of the Mississippi Blues Trail was erected. The same month, a groundbreaking was held for a new museum, dedicated to King.[16] in Indianola, Mississippi.[17] The
museum opened on September 13, 2008. B.B. King at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ontario (May 2007) In late October 2006, he recorded a concert CD and DVD entitled B.B. King: Live at his B.B. King Blues
Clubs in Nashville and Memphis. The four night production featured his regular B.B. King Blues Band and captured his show as he performs it nightly around the world. It was his first live performance
recording in 14 years. On July 28, 2007, King played at Eric Clapton's second Crossroads Guitar Festival with 20 other guitarists to raise money for the Crossroads Centre for addictive disorders.
Performing in Chicago, he played "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss", "Rock Me Baby" and "Thrill is Gone" (although the latter was not published on the DVD release) with Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan and
Hubert Sumlin. In a poignant moment during the live broadcast, he offered a toast to the concert's host, Eric Clapton, and also reflected upon his own life and seniority. Adding to the poignancy, the
four-minute speech — which had been underlaid with a mellow chord progression by Robert Cray throughout — made a transition to an emotional rendition of "Thrill is Gone". Parts of this performance
were subsequently aired in a PBS broadcast and released on the Crossroads II DVD. Also in 2007, King accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records).
With Ivan Neville's DumpstaPhunk, King contributed his version of the title song, "Goin' Home". In 2007 King performed "One Shoe Blues" on the Sandra Boynton children's album Blue Moo, accompanied by
a pair of sock puppets in the video. In June 2008, King played at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee; he was also the final performer at the 25th annual Chicago Blues
Festival on June 8, 2008, and at the Monterey Blues Festival, following Taj Mahal. Another June 2008 event was King's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Liza Minnelli and Sir
James Galway. In July 2008, Sirius XM Radio's Bluesville channel was renamed B.B. King's Bluesville. On December 1, 2008, King performed at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland.[18] On
December 3, King and John Mayer were the closing act at the 51st Grammy Nomination Concert, playing "Let the Good Times Roll" by Louis Jordan. On December 30, 2008, King played at The Kennedy Center
Honors Awards Show; his performance was in honor of actor Morgan Freeman. European Tour 2009, Vienna, July 2009 In Summer 2009, King started a European Tour with concerts in France, Germany, Belgium,
Finland and Denmark. In March 2010, King contributed to Cyndi Lauper's album Memphis Blues, which was released on June 22, 2010. King performed at the Mawazine festival in Rabat, Morocco, on May 27,
2010.[19] On June 25, 2011 King played the pyramid stage at The Glastonbury Music Festival. On the June 28 he opened his new European tour at The Royal Albert Hall, London, supported by Derek Trucks
and Susan Tedeschi, Ronnie Wood, Mick Hucknall and Slash. Barack Obama and B.B. King singing "Sweet Home Chicago" in February 21st 2012 On February 21st 2012, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama hosted,
“In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues”, a celebration of blues music held in the East Room of the White House and B.B. King was among the performers. Later on that night, President
Obama, encouraged by Buddy Guy and B.B. King, sang part of "Sweet Home Chicago".[20] On March 22, 2012, King played a concert at the Chicago House of Blues, where Benson made a guest appearance and
both King & Benson held a jammin' session for over 20 minutes, it was also the celebration of Benson's birthday. King performed on the debut album of rapper and producer Big K.R.I.T., who also
hails from Mississippi.[21] On July 5, 2012, King performed a concert at the Byblos Festival, Lebanon. Over a period of 63 years, King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.[22] [edit]Equipment
More info about the guitar, see Lucille (guitar) B.B. King uses simple equipment. King played guitars made by different manufacturers early in his career: he played a Fender Telecaster on most of his
recordings with RPM Records (USA).[23] However, he is best known for playing variants of the Gibson ES-355. In 1980 Gibson Guitar Corporation launched the B.B. King Lucille model. In 2005 Gibson made
a special run of 80 Gibson Lucilles, referred to as the '80th Birthday Lucille', the first prototype of which was given as a birthday gift to King, which he has been using ever since.[24]. He uses
Lab Series L5 2x12" combo amp. King has been using this amp for a long time. The amp was made by Norlin Industries for Gibson in the 70's and 80's. Other popular L5 users are Allan Holdsworth and Ty
Tabor of King's X. The L5 has an onboard compressor, parametric EQ, and four inputs. He also has used a Fender Twin Reverb.[25] He uses his signature model strings Gibson SEG-BBS B.B. King Signature
Electric Guitar Strings with gauges: 10-13-17p-32w-45w-54w and D'Andrea 351 MD SHL CX (Medium .71mm, Tortoise Shell, Celluloid) Picks.[25] [edit]B.B. King's Blues Club Sign outside B.B. King's Blues
Club on Beale Street, Memphis In 1991, B.B. King's Blues Club opened on Beale Street in Memphis, and in 1994, a second club was launched at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. A third club in New
York City's Times Square opened in June 2000. Two further clubs opened at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut in January 2002[26] and another in Nashville in 2003.[27] A club in West Palm Beach opened in
the fall of 2009[28] and an additional one, based in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, opened in the winter of 2009.[29] In 2007, a B.B. King's Blues Club in Orlando opened on International Drive. The
Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Las Vegas stores are all the same Company. [edit]Legacy King is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, inspiring
countless other electric blues and blues-rock guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Peter Green, Derek Trucks, Duane Allman, Elmore James and Stevie Ray
Vaughan.[30] [edit]Philanthropy In 2001, King signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a non-profit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in
underprivileged public schools throughout the US. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors. [edit]TV appearances B.B. King has made guest appearances in numerous popular television shows,
including The Cosby Show, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital,[31] The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sesame Street,[32] Married... with Children, Sanford and Son, and Touched by an Angel. He has
also made a cameo in the movie Spies Like Us.[33]. He voiced in the last episode of Cow and Chicken.[citation needed] [edit]Personal life King has been married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, 1946 to
1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. Both marriages ended because of the heavy demands made on the marriage by King's 250 performances a year.[4] It is reported that he has fathered 15 children
and, as of 2004, is the grandfather to fifty grandchildren.[4] He has lived with Type II diabetes for over twenty years and is a high-profile spokesman in the fight against the disease, appearing in
advertisements for diabetes-management products along with American Idol season 9 contestant Crystal Bowersox. King is an FAA licensed Private Pilot and learned to fly in 1963 at Chicago Hammond
Airport in Lansing, IL (now Lansing Municipal Airport – KIGQ).[34][35] He frequently flew to gigs, but under the advice of his insurance company and manager in 1995, King was asked to fly only with
another licensed pilot; and as a result, King stopped flying around age 70.[36] His favorite singer is Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography King speaks about how he was, and is, a "Sinatra nut" and
how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra's classic album In the Wee Small Hours. King has credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in
"white-dominated" venues; Sinatra got B.B. King into the main clubs in Las Vegas during the 1960s — with B.B. King at Bb. Kings Blues Bar Grill BB King, Shuffle, Blues, Jon Hammond, Louisville
Kentucky, Organ Group, Birthday Cake, Musikmesse, Frankfurt, Local 802, Musicians Union, Jazz, Music