B.B. King, also known as the “King of the Blues”, has defined the blues for generations to come. B.B. King’s nickname was formed when he became a disc jockey in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was called ‘the Beale Street Blues Boy”. That nickname was later shortened to B.B. and he soon after recorded his first record in 1949. B.B. had a phenomenal career, recording more than 50 albums and playing more than 300 shows a year for many decades. He’s also collaborated with many of the blues and rock greats including Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, and Van Morrison.
Do you know how B.B. King’s famed guitar ‘Lucille’ got its name? B.B. went to a dance in Arkansas that had a barrel lit with kerosene fire in the middle to keep the venue warm. As these things sometimes tend to happen, a fight broke out and the barrel was tipped over causing fire to spread inside the venue. All the attendees rushed out, including B.B., who then turned back to rescue his guitar from the flames. Luckily B.B. and his guitar were safe. He later learned that the fight broke out over a woman named ‘Lucille’, who B.B. named his guitar after as a reminder to never do anything stupid again.
Lick #1 - Sweet Little Angel
This lick is inspired by B.B. King’s Sweet Little Angel.
This lick uses the C mixolydian mode and can be played over a C7 chord.
In the third measure, make sure to bend the Bb (11th fret, B string) nice and slow. Also, add a bit of vibrato when you hit the full bend. The fourth measure repeats the opening phrase.
Lick #2 - Classic B.B. Lick
This is a classic B.B. King lick that uses the ‘B.B. Box’. This one can be played over an A7 chord. To sound more like B.B., let those notes ring and add vibrato! The lick ends with a slide into the A root note.
Lick #3 - B.B. A7 Lick
Here’s another one that can be played over an A7 chord. This lick uses the A blues scale. Be sure to nail those bends! One very easy way, well… I shouldn’t say it’s easy because it requires some practice, to make your blues licks sound better is to nail the bends! When you are going for a full bend, make sure to do a full bend! There’s nothing worse than a bend that’s just a bit flat (or a bit sharp)!
