The World Celebrates the King of the Blues
The internet is flooded with blues guitar riffs and emotional tributes as the music world celebrates what would have been the th birthday of the ultimate icon, B.B. King. Born on September , , the legendary artist passed away in May at the age of , but his presence on social media has never been stronger.
To mark his centennial, fans on TikTok and Instagram have been sharing classic clips of the music ambassador, sparking a massive wave of trending online buzz. While modern listeners consider him a flawless giant of American culture, early reviews were shockingly different.
When King made his New York debut at Harlem’s Apollo Theater back in , a review at the time famously described him as a simple rhythm and blues performer who merely “twangs a guitar to accompany his modest vocalizing.” Decades later, music fans are laughing at how ludicrous that critique sounds today.
Bono’s Hilarious and Humbling Viral Memory
Among the many tributes circulating online, a hilarious throwback clip from the documentary “The Life of Riley” has gone viral once again. In the snippet, U lead singer Bono looks back at the band’s iconic collaboration with King on the hit single “When Love Comes to Town.”
Bono admitted that he thought he was bringing the ultimate power to the recording studio until King stepped up to the microphone.
“I gave it my absolute everything I had in that howl at the start of the song, and then B.B. opened his mouth, and I felt like a girl,” Bono famously joked. “We had learnt and absorbed, but the more we tried to be like B.B., the less convincing we were.”
U guitarist The Edge also weighed in on King’s unmistakable tone, noting how rare it is to be completely unique in a genre that is so widely copied. “You would know within a note or two that it was B.B. playing,” The Edge shared. “As Keith Richards says, ‘All the greats specialize.'”
Music Icons Unite for a Massive New Project
The th birthday celebrations are not just limited to viral videos. Guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa has just announced a star-studded tribute album titled “B.B. King’s Blues Summit .” The massive -track project features a jaw-dropping lineup of music royalty, including Slash, Buddy Guy, Michael McDonald, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, George Benson, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
To honor the birthday kickoff, the first five tracks dropped digitally on September , with five more arriving each month leading up to the full physical release on February .
“I owe King a debt of gratitude for what he did for me,” said Bonamassa, who first shared a stage with King in when he was just years old. “This is paying it forward and trying to do what he told me to do, which is keep the music going, keep the blues alive.”
A Biopic is Officially on the Way
If that is not enough to get fans excited, the B.B. King estate dropped a major bombshell. Vassal Benford, chairman of the estate, revealed that a Hollywood biopic is officially in development through Benford & Canton Studios. Production is slated to begin next year, and it will be accompanied by a modern soundtrack featuring contemporary artists putting a fresh spin on King’s legendary catalog.
“He is a man that many people loved, he is a man that loved many people,” Benford shared. “I’ve never heard one bad word about him from anybody.”
From driving an old-fashioned tour bus through the dangers of the Jim Crow South to playing shows in a single year, King’s relentless work ethic never stopped. Even on his deathbed in Las Vegas, the icon was still insisting he needed to get back out on the road. With a movie and a massive tribute album on the horizon, the conversation surrounding the King of the Blues is clearly far from over.
