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Article: King, B. B.
- Article from:
- UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography
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B. B. King
Born: September 16, 1925
Itta Bena, Mississippi
African American singer, musician, and songwriter
B. B. King is one of the most successful artists in the history of blues music. Today his ability as a blues guitarist remains unmatched.
Early years
Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925, between Itta Bena and Indianola, Mississippi. His parents split up when he was a small child, and he lived for a few years with his mother in the Mississippi hills. She died when he was nine, and he was alone until his father, Albert King, found him a few years later. Working on a cotton plantation in Indianola, he earned $22.50 a week. "I guess the earliest sound of blues that I can ...