B. B. King

B. B. King is pictured here plucking on “Lucille”, the name the blues musician gave to his guitar. King began to teach himself guitar in 1945 and made his first recording in 1950. The transfer of idiomatically vocal melodic improvisation to instruments, one of the most basic elements of blues playing, is characteristic of many styles of rhythm-and-blues music.

REUTERS/THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE

Appears in these articles

King, B. B.; Rhythm and Blues; Blues

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