B.B King - All That Jazz! a profile

A young B.B. King in shorts, photographed by Ernest C. Withers.

Despite having only a cursory education, King had a natural dignity, poise, and grace that was worthy of royalty. He was also a polished showman and the embodiment of humility. As for influences, King admired T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Lonnie Johnson, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. It may be a surprise to some but he was also a huge Frank Sinatra fan. In his autobiography King writes: "I'm a Sinatra nut. No one sings a ballad with more tenderness... when Sinatra wants to swing, no-one swings any harder. No-one phrases any hipper." But like all truly great artists, B.B. King was unmistakably B.B. King, both as a guitarist and a singer. In truth, he defined blues guitar for an entire generation of blues guitarists, and was arguably one of the greatest blues singers the world has known.

B.B. King also loved jazz, and respected jazz musicians. He was especially fond of Dizzy Gillespie and thankfully he left us his thoughts about Gillespie and Charlie Parker in his autobiography. Despite being friendly, King had what he described as a "keep-to-myself" nature. On the road, he had met most of the prominent musicians of the day, but generally it was small talk and pleasantries. That wasn't the case with Gillespie. Although they were on different tours, one time he and Gillespie were booked in the same hotel and became close. King described Gillespie as the "least pretentious" man he had ever met. Gillespie was a country kid from South Carolina, so he and King spent hours reminiscing about farm life. King was in awe of Gillespie's talent, knowledge of music, and reputation, so when he told King that he liked 'Three O'Clock Blues,' that made King feel like a "million bucks." He described Gillespie as a guy who was a "frantic and funny dude" and fun to be around.

By Alan Bryson / All About Jazz

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