B.B. King’s Bluesville Coming to your Radio

Legendary blues-master, B.B. King is set to start hosting his own weekly music show in September 2008 for America’s XM Radio. The show, which is to be called “B.B. King’s Bluesville” will feature a variety of blues and gospel music that has been selected by King, as well as interesting stories and facts about the featured artists and anecdotes from this talented musician’s long and successful career. For many music-lovers, B.B. King is synonymous with the blues and King is looking forward to sharing his passion for this popular music genre with the XM Radio audience.

Born Riley B. King on 16 September 1925 on a plantation near Indianola, Mississippi, King showed a talent for music at a very young age. He started off playing on street corners for tips, and by 1947 he joined the music migration to Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis was fast becoming the gathering point for noteworthy musicians from the South, not only for the blues but for virtually every style of African-American music to be found at the time. King thrived in this music-oriented environment and was further encouraged and schooled by his cousin Bukka White, who was one of the most renowned blues performers of his time.

B.B. King has released more than fifty albums since he first started recording in the 1940s. He has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including fourteen Grammy Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of the Arts. He has also been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. He has been rated at number three on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “the 100 greatest guitarists of all time”. Additionally, he was awarded with a “Living Legend” medal at a special ceremony at the Library of Congress in recognition of his achievements as a musician and an ambassador of the blues.

B.B. King is not stuck on reminiscing and past achievements though, he is still producing albums, with his latest album “One Kind Favor” due to be released on 26 August 2008. Along with his beloved guitar, Lucille, he continues to entertain sold-out audiences. Moreover, on 13 September he will preside at the opening ceremony of the B.B. King Museum and the Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, his hometown in Mississippi. This honor gives some indication as to how deep an impression King has made on people’s lives, both through his music and by being the warm, kind and generous person that he is. No doubt XM Radio listeners are waiting in keen anticipation to tune into B.B. King’s Bluesville.