“Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you. I could play the blues and then not be blue anymore...I’m trying to get people to see that we are our brother’s keeper. Red, white, black, brown or yellow, rich or poor, we all have the blues.” -- Music giant B. B. King (9/16/25 - 5/14/2015), who introduced the blues to generations of fans, including such guitarists as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards among countless more. King saw music, and particularly the blues, as being a common denominator for all people, expressing the joy and pain we all have during our lives. Playing his ES-330 or ES-355 Gibson electric guitars, which he all named "Lucille," King won 15 Grammys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987), was awarded the National Medal of Arts (1990) and the Kennedy Center Honors (1995), and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006). An incredible legacy for a man born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi whose lasting gift was his music.
(photo: Charlie Gillett Collection / Redferns / Getty)
