Bb King Research Paper

House was so rusty when he picked up the guitar again that he had to get someone to teach him how to play like he used to. He then signed with Columbia Records, and began to perform in public places such as: colleges, festivals, and concerts. During his big comeback to fame, House had a new classic song called “Death Letter.” This song was right up there with “My Black Mama” and “Preachin’ Blues.” “In 1965, he played at Carnegie Hall and four years later found himself the subject of an eponymously titled film documentary, all of this another world removed from Clarksdale, MS, indeed” (Koda 1). During the early 70’s, House’s health had begun to disrupt his work because he wad diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. He eventually lost his battle and passed away in 1988, but not before he was rightfully entered into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980.

Her first release “Downhearted Blues” was a huge success, and is known as her most popular song. With all of her success, Bessie was given the nickname “Empress of the Blues” and was Columbia’s saving grace from bankruptcy two times(Bio.com.) By the end of the 1920’s, Bessie’s career was at an all time high. She was the highest paid Black female singer of her time, and one of the few black artists to perform for white audiences. She was the first black woman to be broadcast live on local radio stations in Memphis and Atlanta(American History.com). She also collaborated with notable artists such as Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, James P. Johnson, Joe Smith, and Charlie

As a young boy, Marquise grew up in a bad neighborhood as a African American male. Marquise grew up mentoring the great Blues artist. He learned under the late Henry James Townsend and B.B. King. He released his first album when he was 16 years old. He was part of the Blues and African American culture from a young age.

Elvis Presley was signed to Sun Records in 1954. This was monumental for Phillips’s stand on racial boundaries in music. Elvis drew national attention to Sun Records which, in part, sparked slight popularity for other Sun artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, and Roscoe Gordon (Sun Records 1). This point in time is known as the origin of Rock and Roll. Contrary to what Rock and Roll is now, it was only popular within a certain demographic of people for a long time

B.B. King or ‘The King of Blues’ was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi. His young parents unfortunately divorced, and his mother passed away when he was 9 years old which left him to be raised by his grandmother. King attended school until the 10th grade when he dropped out of school and started to work at a cotton gin near his hometown. Despite dropping out of school he continued to teach himself math and different languages well into his later life. He worked at the cotton gin earning a penny a pound and singing gospel music on street corners. His musical career started when he was studying under his cousin Bukka White. King met a woman and was married at 17 years old. “I guess I was looking for love, because I never had anybody I believed truly loved me” (B.B. King). The marriage quickly came to end when they got a divorce months later. “Since my early childhood, I had a problem trying to open up. Please open me up. Look inside!

The impact that Ray Charles has had on American culture is nearly indescribable. Although unable to see, he was successful in making his artistic visions come to life by fusing the sounds of blues, gospel, jazz, and R&B, making him one of the leading soul artists of the 1950s. The legendary musician is recognized for being a pillar in the industry, credited with making strides in desegregating musical genres. Although he composed many of his early hits, Charles is considered to be an interpreter of music, offering his distinct personal vision of many classics. Over the course of his career, which spanned five decades, he recorded over 60 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.

"King was born on April 24,1943 in Sacramento, California"(Busby). King had a diverse background as his mom was of German-Swiss descent and his father was a

     The Blues musical move was prominent during the 1920s and '30s, a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. Blues music characteristically told the story of

Rhythm and blues, also known today as “R & B”, has been one of the most influential genres of music within the African American Culture, and has evolved over many decades in style and sound. Emerging in the late 1940's rhythm and blues, sometimes called jump blues, became dominant black popular music during and after WWII. Rhythm and blues artists often sung about love, relationships, life troubles, and sometimes focused on segregation and race struggles. Rhythm and blues helped embody what was unique about black American culture and validate it as something distinctive and valuable.

Riley king, better known as BB king, as born on September the 16th 1925 and died on May 14, 2015 at age 89. He was a blues singer, electric guitarist, song writer, and produced records. He was one of the most influential blues artists that earned him the name he king of the blues. He was born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi, called Berclair. He had a rough upbringing, with his mother leaving his father for another man when he was 8. So he was raised with his maternal grandmother. [1]

The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of

Eddie James “Son” House, Jr., an American blues singer and guitarist once stated, "People keep asking me where the blues started and all I can say is that when I was a boy we always was singing in the fields. Not real singing, you know, just hollerin', but we made up our songs about things that was happening to us at the time, and I think that's where the blues started (Cohn, 1993).”

BB King is undoubtedly one of the greatest blues musicians, and an equally unparalleled pioneer of guitar music. Brought up in the midst of poverty, strife, and struggle of the rural Mississippi Delta, King experienced great hardships from a young age, and used this as a source of inspiration for much of his later music (King & Ritz, 1996).

The blues is home to many world famous artists such as Riley B. King, also known as B.B King, and McKinley Morganfield, also known as Muddy Waters. These artists were two very good examples of what the blues is meant to incorporate and their legacy has and will live long passed their deaths. B.B King is an American blue musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, born on September 16th, 1925 in Beclair, Mississippi. He is considered to be one of the most influential blues musicians of all times, giving him the nicknames “The King of the Blues” as

In “Inflation Blues”, his guitar solo sounded different form his others, more like a tonal change. Besides, King’s guitar playing, the pianist kept to the normal “skat” sound and the trumpeter and saxophonist were mainly in charge of the harmonies since King did not have any back up singers. Actually, one of the best harmonies between the two was in “There Must Be A Better World Somewhere” with the trumpet being just a key higher than the saxophone. Two songs that stood out from his others, was his rendition of “Love Me Tender” which was more of a ballad than a blues song and “Better Not Look Down”. “Love Me Tender” had a slow tempo and due to its style was one of the softest played songs which was different, on the other hand “Better Not Look Down” had a very upbeat feel, a crescendo after the third verse(third story), and a great bass solo. During the performance, one could tell that King really got into his performances. From his “ugly” singing to his interaction with the crowd, he was consistent in keeping the audience engaged and the audience seemed to be really enjoying