B.B. King: In Memoriam (1925 – 2015)

Great Performances mourns the passing of blues singer, songwriter and guitarist B.B. King (born Riley B. King in 1925). On Great Performances , King was among the NEA Folk Heritage honorees featured in the 1994 film The Songs of Six Families hosted by Kris Kristofferson. King also participated in all three of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival concerts.

In a distinguished career as one of the most influential blues musicians, he earned the nickname “The King of the Blues,” and was ranked by Rolling Stone as No. 6 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. The tireless King averaged as many as 200 shows per year in the 1970s. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2006.