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B. B. King

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Chuck Stewart, 21 May 1927 - 20 Jan 2017
Sitter
B. B. King, 16 Sep 1925 - 14 May 2015
Exhibition Label
In Memoriam
1925–2015
Born Itta Bena, Mississippi
Long acknowledged as the undisputed “King of the Blues,” guitarist B. B. King was a consummate musi­cian whose “vocal-like string bends” and distinctive left-hand vibrato influenced generations of blues players, as well as rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Carlos Santana. Born Riley B. King, he acquired the moniker B. B.—short for Blues Boy—while performing on a West Memphis radio station in the late 1940s. After his rendition of “Three O’Clock Blues” claimed the number-one spot on the R&B charts in 1951, King and his band embarked on their first nationwide tour. Thereafter, he main­tained an ambitious touring schedule, much to the delight of his legions of fans. In 1970 King scored a huge crossover hit with “The Thrill Is Gone,” which climbed both the R&B and pop music charts to earn him the first of fifteen Grammy Awards—more than any other blues artist.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
June 19, 1992
Object number
NPG.2013.91
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
©Chuck Stewart
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 27.9 × 35.5 cm (11 × 14")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Ring
Equipment\Sound Devices\Microphone
Costume\Jewelry\Bracelet
Music\Musical instrument\Guitar
B. B. King: Male
B. B. King: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician
B. B. King: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Guitarist
B. B. King: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Rhythm and Blues
B. B. King: Military and Intelligence\Army
B. B. King: Presidential Medal of Freedom
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2013.91
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm437bdf79f-3976-424f-84a4-7695e35540ba

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