B.B. King is probably the most famous or well-known blues guitarist in the world. It’s hard to think of blues guitar without thinking of B.B. King. He is a household name and has even lent his name to a series of Diabetic product commercials that you have no doubt seen if you live in North America. Born in a small town near Indianola, Mississippi King bought his first guitar for $15 dollars. He followed his cousin, famous blues guitarist Bukka White to Memphis where he initially worked at a Radio Station spinning records. His career began to take flight in 1948 while he was playing for local audiences in and around Memphis who really liked his sound and really took off when in 1949 he started recording for RPM recorders under the infamous Sam Phillips who would later form Sun Records and launch a million careers. B.B. plays his famous guitar “Lucille” to this day and will always be known as one of the greatest blues guitarists to ever walk the face of the earth.
Top 5 Songs
All Over Again
I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water
Blue Shadows
Just a Dream
You’re Still a Parallelogram
Top 3 Albums
Mr. Blues
To Know You Is To Love You
Lucille Talks Back
Discography
[edit]Singles
| Year | Name | Chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&B | Pop | Rock | UK[1] | ||
| 1949 | “Miss Martha King” (Bullet) | ||||
| 1949 | “Got the Blues” | ||||
| 1950 | “Mistreated Woman” (RPM) | ||||
| “The Other Night Blues” | |||||
| “I Am” | |||||
| “My Baby’s Gone” | |||||
| 1951 | “B. B. Blues” | ||||
| “She’s a Mean Woman” | |||||
| “Three O’Clock Blues” | #1 | ||||
| 1952 | “Fine-Looking Woman” | ||||
| “Shake It Up and Go” | |||||
| “Someday, Somewhere” | |||||
| “You Didn’t Want Me” | |||||
| “Story from My Heart and Soul” | #9 | ||||
| 1953 | “Woke Up this Morning with a Bellyache” | ||||
| “Please Love Me” | #1 | ||||
| “Neighborhood Affair” | |||||
| “Why Did You Leave Me” | |||||
| “Praying to the Lord” | |||||
| 1954 | “Love Me Baby” | ||||
| “Everything I Do Is Wrong” | |||||
| “When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer” | #8 | ||||
| “You Upset Me Baby” | #1 | ||||
| 1955 | “Sneaking Around” | #14 | |||
| “Every Day I Have the Blues“[2] | #8 | ||||
| “Lonely and Blue” | |||||
| “Shut Your Mouth” | |||||
| “Talkin’ the Blues” | |||||
| “What Can I Do (Just Sing the Blues)” | |||||
| “Ten Long Years”[3] | #9 | ||||
| 1956 | “I’m Cracking Up Over You” | ||||
| “Crying Won’t Help You” | #15 | ||||
| “Did You Ever Love a Woman?” | |||||
| “Dark Is the Night, Pts. I & II” | |||||
| “Sweet Little Angel“ | #6 | ||||
| “Bad Luck”[4] | #3 | ||||
| “On My Word of Honor” | #3 | ||||
| 1957 | “Early in the Morning” | ||||
| “How Do I Love You” | |||||
| “I Want to Get Married” | #14 | ||||
| “Troubles, Troubles, Troubles”[5] | #13 | ||||
| “(I’m Gonna) Quit My Baby” | |||||
| “Be Careful with a Fool”[6] | #95 | ||||
| “The Keyblade to My Kingdom” | |||||
| 1958 | “Why Do Everything Happen to Me” (Kent) | ||||
| “Don’t Look Now, But You Got the Blues” | |||||
| “Please Accept My Love” | #9 | ||||
| “You’ve Been an Angel”[7] | #16 | ||||
| “The Fool” | |||||
| 1959 | “A Lonely Lover’s Plea” | ||||
| “Time to Say Goodbye” | |||||
| “Sugar Mama” | |||||
| “Army Of The Lord” | |||||
| 1960 | “Sweet Sixteen, Pt. I” | #2 | |||
| “You Done Lost Your Good Thing” | |||||
| “Things Are Not the Same” | |||||
| “Bad Luck Soul” | |||||
| “Hold That Train” | |||||
| 1961 | “Someday Baby“ | ||||
| “Peace of Mind”[8] | #7 | ||||
| “Bad Case of Love” | |||||
| 1962 | “Lonely” | ||||
| “I’m Gonna Sit Till You Give In” (ABC) | |||||
| “Down Now” (Kent) | |||||
| 1963 | “The Road I Travel” | ||||
| “The Letter” | |||||
| “Precious Lord” | |||||
| 1964 | “How Blue Can You Get” (ABC) | #97[9] | |||
| “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (Kent) | |||||
| “Beautician Blues” | |||||
| “Help the Poor” (ABC) | #98[9] | ||||
| “The Worst Thing in My Life” (Kent) | |||||
| “Rock Me Baby“ | #34[9] | ||||
| “The Hurt” (ABC) | |||||
| “Never Trust a Woman” | #90[9] | ||||
| “Please Send Me Someone to Love“ | |||||
| “Night Owl” | |||||
| 1965 | “I Need You” | ||||
| “All Over Again” | |||||
| “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water” | |||||
| “Blue Shadows” (Kent) | |||||
| “Just a Dream” | |||||
| “You’re Still a Parallelogram” (ABC) | |||||
| “Broken Promise” (Kent) | |||||
| 1966 | “Eyesight to the Blind“ | ||||
| “Five Long Years” | |||||
| “Ain’t Nobody’s Business“ | |||||
| “Don’t Answer the Door, Pt. I” (ABC) | #2 | #72 | |||
| “I Say in the Mood” (Kent) | #45 | ||||
| “Waitin’ for You” (ABC) | |||||
| 1967 | “Blues Stay Away” (Kent) | ||||
| “The Jungle” | |||||
| “Growing Old” | |||||
| 1968 | “Blues for Me” | ||||
| “I Don’t Want You Cuttin’ Off Your Hair” (Bluesway) | |||||
| “Shoutin’ the Blues” (Kent) | |||||
| “Paying the Cost to Be the Boss” (Bluesway) | #10 | #39 | |||
| “I’m Gonna Do What They Do to Me” | #26 | #74 | |||
| “The B. B. Jones” | #98 | ||||
| “You Put It on Me”[10] | #25 | #82 | |||
| “The Woman I Love” | #31 | #94 | |||
| 1969 | “Get Myself Somebody” | ||||
| “I Want You So Bad” | |||||
| “Get Off My Back Woman”[11] | #32 | #74 | |||
| “Why I Sing the Blues” | #13 | #61 | |||
| “Just a Little Love” | #15 | #76 | |||
| “I Want You So Bad” | #34 | ||||
| 1970 | “The Thrill Is Gone“ | #3 | #15 | ||
| “So Excited” | #14 | #54 | |||
| “Hummingbird” | #25 | #48 | |||
| “Worried Life“ | #48 | ||||
| “Ask Me No Questions” (ABC) | #18 | #40 | |||
| “Chains and Things” | #6 | #45 | |||
| 1971 | “Nobody Loves Me But My Mother” | ||||
| “Help the Poor” (re-recording) | #36 | #90 | |||
| “Ghetto Woman” | #18 | #40 | |||
| “The Evil Child” | #34 | #97 | |||
| 1972 | “Sweet Sixteen” (re-recording) | #37 | #93 | ||
| “I Got Some Help I Don’t Need” | #28 | #92 | |||
| “Ain’t Nobody Home” | #28 | #46 | |||
| “Guess Who” | #21 | #62 | |||
| 1973 | “To Know You Is to Love You” | #12 | #38 | ||
| 1974 | “I Like to Live the Love” | #6 | #28 | ||
| “Who Are You” | #27 | #78 | |||
| “Philadelphia” | #19 | #64 | |||
| 1975 | “My Song” | ||||
| “Friends”[12] | #34 | ||||
| 1976 | “Let the Good Times Roll“ | #20 | |||
| 1977 | “Slow and Easy” | #88 | |||
| 1978 | “Never Make a Move Too Soon” | #19 | |||
| “I Just Can’t Leave Your Love Alone” | #90 | ||||
| 1979 | “Better Not Look Down” | #30 | |||
| 1981 | “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere” | #91 | |||
| 1985 | “Into the Night” | #15 | |||
| “Big Boss Man” | #62 | ||||
| 1988 | “When Love Comes to Town” (with U2) | #68 | #2[13] | #6 | |
| 1992 | “The Blues Come Over Me” | #63 | |||
| “Since I Met You Baby” | #59 | ||||
| 2000 | “Riding with the King” (with Eric Clapton) | #26 | |||
