Blues legend B.B. King dead at age 89

[Ken.]

...this from msn.com

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- B.B. King, whose scorching guitar licks and heartfelt vocals made him the idol of generations of musicians and fans while earning him the nickname King of the Blues, died late Thursday at home in Las Vegas. He as 89.

His attorney, Brent Bryson, told The Associated Press that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT.

Bryson said funeral arrangements were being made.

Although he had continued to perform well into his 80s, the 15-time Grammy winner suffered from diabetes and had been in declining health during the past year. He collapsed during a concert in Chicago last October, later blaming dehydration and exhaustion. He had been in hospice care at his Las Vegas home.

For most of a career spanning nearly 70 years, Riley B. King was not only the undisputed king of the blues but a mentor to scores of guitarists, who included Eric Clapton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and Keith Richards. He recorded more than 50 albums and toured the world well into his 80s, often performing 250 or more concerts a year.

King played a Gibson guitar he affectionately called Lucille with a style that included beautifully crafted single-string runs punctuated by loud chords, subtle vibratos and bent notes.

Read the full article HERE.

[Skhilled]

When they said he was is hospice I knew the end was near...R.I.P. to the greatest blues man of all time!

I saw this earlier today but was so busy in RL I didn't have time to post it. Thanks, Ken.

[Ronald]

He was the man..

R.I.P. BB. King 

[Ken.]

I began listening to BB King as far back as memory serves, at least in the mid-late 50's... or maybe even the late 40's.

When I was a young boy we had no TV, so we did some serious Radio surfing!   
Stations played music aimed at ethnic audiences, with little to no crossover, so if you wanted to find the Blues it took a bit of surfing, but it was there if you did the looking. Stations out of Mississippi were the best, but you could not get them all the time because of 'atmospheric conditions' I suppose.

There are lots of Blues singers that I like, but BB King is my all time favorite.