B.B. King | Guitar World

"You are hot tonight, young man": when Gary Moore (and Greeny) played The Thrill Is Gone with B.B. King

By Matt Parker published 10 July 23

The blues titans' 1992 collaboration yielded what must rank as one of the greatest call and response sequences ever committed to tape

Carmen Vandenberg, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Joe Bonamassa have covered BB King track Ain't Nobody Home

Joe Bonamassa, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Carmen Vandenberg play an electrifying game of blues tag in this cover of B.B. King’s Ain’t Nobody Home

By Matt Parker published 9 June 23

The three players trade licks and smiles – all backed by Josh Smith – on this classic King cover, albeit seemingly unaware of the irony that they’ve crowded in a room to do so

Watch the moment Derek Trucks receives the biggest compliment possible from B.B. King after dazzling him with his slide skills

By Matt Owen published 17 March 23

Susan Tedeschi and John Mayer were also in attendance when the blues guitar hero labeled Trucks' slide solo “as good as I’ve ever heard”

Bonnie Raitt (left) and B.B. King perform at the House of Blues Chicago in 2004

Watch Bonnie Raitt leave B.B. King in awe with a series of stunning slide solos at the House of Blues Chicago in 2004

By Jackson Maxwell published 8 March 23

King once said that Raitt was the “best damn slide player working today”

Gibson's B.B. King ES-335 Argentine Grey guitar

Gibson commemorates B.B King’s iconic Live at the Regal album with Custom Shop Argentine Grey ES-335

By Matt Owen published 21 February 23

The limited-edition Murphy Lab model recreates the custom-finished '59 ES-335 that the guitar legend used to record one of the greatest live blues albums of all time

Learn the vibrato styles of 5 giants of the blues

By Richard Barrett published 21 December 22

Welcome to vibrato bootcamp, where we'll be looking at how B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Peter Green and Paul Kossoff shook those strings

How to play the blues like B.B. King

By Kirk Fletcher published 12 August 22

Kirk Fletcher pays tribute to the King of the Blues with a lesson that explores the magic of the legendary bluesman's style

Epiphone's B.B. King Lucille Cherry model

Epiphone unveils new Cherry-finished B.B. King Lucille guitar

By Jackson Maxwell published 7 June 22

A Bone White-finished Epi Lucille has also been unveiled, exclusively for the European market

Ed Sheeran, Steve Vai, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King

10 pro guitarists who broke strings onstage – and how they recovered

By Jonathan Horsley published 24 May 22

The rock royals, pop icons and blues heroes who kept their cool in the heat of battle and styled it out even after going a string down...

10 of the best slow guitar solos

By Tony Grassi last updated 11 April 22

Examine some of rock guitar’s greatest slow burns

The secrets behind B.B. King’s guitar tone on The Thrill Is Gone

By Chris Gill published 18 March 22

How the King of the Blues made Lucille howl at the Cook County Jail

Epiphone Joe Bonamassa ‘Lazarus’ 1959 Les Paul Standard and BB King Lucille review

By Neville Marten last updated 17 February 22

These signature Epiphones for two of Gibson’s most famous endorsers look so good as to challenge the legendary guitar maker at its own game. Let’s see if they can do it…

Gibson Custom Shop B.B. King Lucille Legacy

Gibson Custom Shop unveils the B.B. King Lucille Legacy, a tribute to the blues great’s iconic custom ES-355

By Matt Parker published 2 February 22

The Lucille is now part of the Custom Shop’s core Artist line-up, with a fancy new figured maple finish

Epiphone finally launches eagerly awaited B.B. King Lucille model

By Matt Owen published 19 October 21

The model, which made its first appearance back in February in the hands of Emily Wolfe, features a Varitone switch, '60s Kalamazoo headstock and Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers

New Epiphone Lucille model confirmed for October release as Gibson and B.B. King Music Company reaffirm partnership

By Matt Owen published 17 September 21

The newly launched B.B. King Icon Life Legacy Initiative will aim to celebrate King's name via more signature models, a theatrical biopic and more

American singer, songwriter and guitarist B.B. King (1925-2015) plays a Gibson ES-355 guitar live on stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, United States on 15 April 1978.

B.B. King’s childhood acoustic parlor guitar goes up for auction

By Matt Parker published 19 July 21

The 1920s gut-string parlor guitar is said to be King's "first love"

5 highlights from the weekend's star-studded B.B. King Museum celebration

By Jim Beaugez published 8 June 21

Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Gary Clark Jr. and more paid tribute to the King of the Blues in Indianola, Mississippi

Session great Yolanda Charles on her best (and worst) bass albums

By Bass Player Staff published 3 June 21

Charles reflects on playing with BB King, Paul Weller, Squeeze and P-Funk legend Bernie Worrell

Nita Strauss weighs in on the ‘shred stigma’ debate: "Yngwie Malmsteen’s three notes are no more or less valid than BB King’s"

By Matt Owen published 3 June 21

"They’re just three notes played differently, at different speeds, on different guitars, in different styles,” says the Alice Cooper guitarist

B.B. King's 10 greatest guitar moments

By Andy Aledort last updated 16 September 20

Sit back and take in the blues guitar legend's most electrifying six-string performances