B.B. King, the King Of The Blues is an undisputed music icon. In a career spanning seven decades, he sold in excess of 50 million records, won 20 Grammy Awards, and played alongside artists such as Bono, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder. A hard-working musician, King toured the world several times over, taking his extraordinary blues from the margins to the mainstream. His emotional and sophisticated soloing on his Gibson guitar, 'Lucille', coupled with his subtle vibrato style, influenced a diverse range of artists, including, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Richie Sambora, and even 50 Cent. This fine collection brings together some of King's greatest early blues numbers. From his first hit single, Three O'Clock Blues, timeless tracks such as Woke Up This Morning and Everyday I Have The Blues, the epic double sider Sweet Sixteen finishing with his early sixties classics, Someday and Peace Of Mind. King was a pioneer from the very beginning, with this collection demonstrating just why the British blues bands of the late sixties revered him as a guitar god. King was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall Of Fame in 1984, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987, received the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award and awarded the Presidential Medal of the Arts in 1990. In 2006 he received the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour.
