# R.I.P. BB King at 89 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [May 15, 2015, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092 "2015-05-15T06:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/21 "2015-05-15T13:40:03Z")
Lucile has finally quit singing her blues. I feel lucky to have seen King and his woman live a couple of times. Sorry to see them both gone. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/22 "2015-05-15T14:24:37Z")
We may have not had Rock and Roll without his influence. You were a great among greats B.B. King, you’re legacy will never die. They eagerly await you in Rock and Roll Heaven, the musicians will be the audience for your concert tonight. RIP and thank you so much. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/23 "2015-05-15T14:25:56Z")
He had 15 children by 15 women and provided generously for all of them. That means he raised more single mothers out of poverty than any U.S. president. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/24 "2015-05-15T14:44:11Z")
> [@Atomic\_Mama](#): > > Surely it’s been posted here already, but blues giant, kingpin, and one of the many Kings has passed on. B.B. King was a friend to Living Blues Magazine, and a worldwide friend and ambassador to all. I know the following authors of his obituary, and I recommend that you read both newspaper articles: > > [http://www](http://www). [Music | The Guardian](http://theguardian.com/music/2015/may/15/) bb-king-obituary-mississippi-farmhand-blues-legend > > [http://www.theguardian](http://www.theguardian). com/music/2015 /may/15/bb-king-obituary- mississippi-farmhand-blues-legend > > Obligatory links “broken” per SDMB “rules”. Forgive me if I’ve done something wrong. One Kind Favor I Ask Of You. Just so you know, I’m pretty sure you don’t have to break a link unless it’s to something pornographic or otherwise explicit/shocking. RIP Mr. King. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/25 "2015-05-15T14:49:36Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > He had 15 children by 15 women and provided generously for all of them. I guess The Thrill \*wasn’t \*Gone! ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/26 "2015-05-15T15:23:36Z")
> [@Atomic\_Mama](#): > > Surely it’s been posted here already, but blues giant, kingpin, and one of the many Kings has passed on. B.B. King was a friend to Living Blues Magazine, and a worldwide friend and ambassador to all. I know the following authors of his obituary, and I recommend that you read both newspaper articles: > > [http://www](http://www). [Music | The Guardian](http://theguardian.com/music/2015/may/15/) bb-king-obituary-mississippi-farmhand-blues-legend > > [http://www.theguardian](http://www.theguardian). com/music/2015 /may/15/bb-king-obituary- mississippi-farmhand-blues-legend > > Obligatory links “broken” per SDMB “rules”. Forgive me if I’ve done something wrong. One Kind Favor I Ask Of You. **Atomic Mama** , I’ve merged your thread with the one that was already started in Cafe Society. Also, as was noted, you don’t need to break links unless there is something NSFW or otherwise problematic for other posters on the other end. News stories on reputable sites are generally fine. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/27 "2015-05-15T15:28:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Lucile has finally quit singing her blues. I feel lucky to have seen King and his woman live a couple of times. Sorry to see them both gone. Ditto. I saw him perform live in LA somewhere not long after his 80th birthday. He was still amazing. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/28 "2015-05-15T15:48:20Z")
Saw him in Norfolk, Virginia in 1985 with Bobby Blue Bland opening. For a college brat, in retrospect, I picked a pretty good show that time. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/29 "2015-05-15T15:57:20Z")
If anybody is interested, KCSM 91.1, San Francisco’s jazz station, is playing King at least all morning. You’ll have to put up with their chatter, as it’s pledge drive time, but they’re playing some good stuff. [Stream here](http://tunein.com/radio/Jazz-911-s32163/). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/30 "2015-05-15T16:46:25Z")
Just heard part of an interview with King. He was talking about how as a young boy he listened to the greats of the time like Blind Lemon Jefferson, and he noticed how they often used a slide. As he put it: “But I have stupid fingers and can’t use a slide”, so instead, he developed his trademark “trill” of three or four notes to compensate. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/31 "2015-05-15T17:18:17Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > He had 15 children by 15 women and provided generously for all of them. > That means he raised more single mothers out of poverty than any U.S. president. How do you know they would have been impoverished? I saw him tour in…1980 maybe? My main recollection is that he could really belt it out while he was playing and it was a great show. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/32 "2015-05-15T17:45:53Z")
One person’s encounter with Mr. King. Maybe of interest… > **[King of the Blues](https://csproles.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/king-of-the-blues/)** > > About fourteen years ago, I had the distinct honor of getting a phone call from B.B. King. I was a rookie reporter at the Delta Democrat Times in Greenville, Mississippi, and had been working on a … ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/33 "2015-05-15T22:54:52Z")
RIP, MR. King, sir! Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/34 "2015-05-15T23:13:03Z")
Made his move too soon…loved that man. What an artist. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092/35 "2015-05-16T00:42:58Z")
He was one of the best blues guys ever. Brought blues music from the clubs and into everybody’s homes. He had such a long career. So many recordings. There will never be anyone remotely close in that style. On top of that, he came across as a really humble guy that always enjoyed and set time aside for his fans. R.I.P. Thank you for all the music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-bb-king-at-89/720092.md?page=1)