B.B. King

Born Riley B. King in the Mississippi Delta on September 16, 1925, he taught himself guitar and started in juke joints and local radio before moving through Memphis and Chicago as his sound took shape. He introduced a sophisticated style built on fluid string bending and staccato picking that redefined what the electric guitar could do, earning induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He performed with relentless devotion - 342 shows in 1956 alone, more than 200 concerts a year well into his seventies - carrying the blues to every corner of the world. He died May 14, 2015, having spent nearly seven decades proving that one man and six strings could change the way music moves.