11 Years Ago Today, We Said Goodbye to the “King of Blues” and Eric Clapton’s Beacon of Music

Delta blues legend B.B. King once wryly referred to his distinct playing style as “droopy-drawers music.” It was a gross understatement, but King always maintained a sense of humor about his lack of mainstream success. Never chasing fame, the 15-time Grammy Award winner did it for the love of the game, bridging musical and cultural divides with grace and wit.

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On this day (May 14) in 2015, the legendary B.B. King died in his sleep at his Las Vegas home of complications stemming from high blood pressure and diabetes. He was 89 years old. And as musician Lenny Kravitz wrote on X/Twitter following the news, “BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one.”

BB, anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one. #RIP #BBKing pic.twitter.com/YvZYH8hyJE

— Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) May 15, 2015

How B.B. King Rose From the Cotton Fields to Global Stardom

Born September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation near Itta Bena, Mississippi, Riley B. King was on his own by age 14, “sharecropping an acre of cotton, living on a borrowed allowance of $2.50 a month,” according to blues scholar Dick Waterman.

Growing up, he sang gospel music at church and learned the basics of guitar from a local minister. In November 1941, he heard King Biscuit Time, an Arkansas radio show featuring the Mississippi delta blues, while on his lunch break at the plantation. From that point, King knew exactly what he wanted to be—a radio musician.

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, King followed his cousin, blues guitarist Booker T. Washington “Bukka” White, to Memphis, Tennessee.

He accepted $12.50 for his first gig, which made him an instant hit and landed him a regular disc jockey role on a Memphis radio station. There, people began referring to him as the Beale Street Blues Boy, which became Blues Boy, then B. B. From then on, he became B.B. King.

In December 1951, King’s single “Three O’Clock Blues” topped the R&B charts for 15 weeks. This kicked off a lifetime of near-constant touring, often playing 300 or more nights a year.

[RELATED: The Life-Threatening Story About How B.B. King Named His Guitar]

He Inspired These Guitar Greats

B.B. King released his 42nd and final studio album, One Kind Favor, in 2008, snagging the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. He continued performing until October 2014, when dehydration and exhaustion forced him to cancel his final tour.

King helped bring the blues to a rock-and-roll audience, collaborating with U2, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Joe Walsh, and more. In 1995, he even earned an Album of the Year nod from the Country Music Association for Rhythm, Country and Blues, on which he sang “Patches” with George Jones.

“He was a beacon for all of us who loved this kind of music, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart,” Eric Clapton said following King’s death.

Featured image by Paul Natkin/Getty Images