Riley B. King, known to most as B.B. King, has passed away at 89. The American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist was a regular at the Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland.
The son of sharecroppers Albert and Nora Ella King he was born on September 16, 1925 near the town of Itta Bena, Mississippi but considered the nearby city of Indianola, Mississippi to be his home.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. ranked No. 3 in the 2003 edition of its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Earning the nickname “The King of Blues”, he remained tireless throughout his life appearing at more than 200 concerts a year into his 70s, last performing in Montreux in 2011. His first performance there was in 1979. He came to Montreux 20 times in total. A tribute to this much loved artist was posted today on the Montreux Jazz website (in French).
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