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LAS VEGAS, Nev. —

MEMPHIS, Tenn –For music fans, he was simply the king of the blues. Riley B. King better known as “B.B. King” was born in 1925 in the tiny town of Itta Bena, Mississippi.

He recorded and performed for more than 60 years and gave the world classic songs such as “The Thrill Is Gone,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “Paying The Cost To Be The Boss” and “Why I Sing The Blues,” just to name a few.

Jay Seileman is the president of the Blues Foundation based in Memphis.

“B.B. King and blues. the words are synonymous when people think of blues, they think of B.B. King. He is the king of the blues,” Sieleman said.

For decades, King was an icon of blues music, with his voice and often imitated style of singing along with his trademark guitar known as ‘Lucille.’

After a brief stint in the army, King moved to Memphis where he worked a regular job by day and performed anywhere on the city`s historic Beale Street at night.

King landed a job as a radio disc jockey on WDIA AM 1070. It was here where took the name “Beale Street Blues Boy,” and later he became known as just B.B.

In his early career, he became the most popular blues man among African-Americans. but in the 1960s and 70s, he became the most popular blues performer around the globe.

In his early years, he met several of his contemporaries and future rivals, including Howlin` Wolf.

King got a record deal in 1949 but didn`t have a hit until three years later, with  “Three O`clock Blues.” That song topped the Billboard charts..

Years later, the blues lost some of its popularity in the 1960s with much of the young black audiences.

But by the middle of the decade, a generation of young, mostly white musicians and their listeners began discovering King`s blues stylings.

in 1970, he had his biggest hit and now blues standard, “the thrill is gone.”

Throughout the `70s, King was playing theaters and large halls. he adapted his music without losing its core.

The group U2 and lead singer Bono were fans of King and invited him to tour with the band in 1989 and 1990.  King’s music was introduced to a generation of MTV fans.

Throughout his career B.B. King. the man, the entertainer and legend never stopped thrilling audiences with music and his love for Memphis, Beale Street where there is a blues club bearing his name..

“It’s a big loss for the music world and a big loss for all his fans in Memphis and just irreplaceable,” Sieleman said.

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