Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Series: B.B. King Quiz

Answer: Mississippi

Riley B. King was born in Indianola, Mississippi on September 19, 1925 to share cropper parents. King moved to Memphis in his early twenties and found a job working on a local radio station, WDIA.

Answer: He became known as Blues Boy on his radio program.

When King was a deejay and performer on the radio in Memphis, most people started calling him the Beale Street Blues Boy. Eventually, Blues Boy was shortened to B.B., a moniker that has stuck ever since.

Answer: Bullet Records

Jim Bullet, the founder of Bullet Records, gave King his first taste of recording in 1949. One of the songs he recorded was "Miss Martha King", a song he has performed live on a few occasions.

Answer: Three O'Clock Blues

"Three O'Clock Blues" was released in 1951 and was recorded in a downtown Memphis YMCA using portable recording equipment. The song was originally recorded by Lowell Fulson. Fulson was a very influential bluesman who even had a young Ray Charles in his band at one time.

Answer: Lucille

While playing a gig in Twist, Arkansas, a fight broke out over a young lady. During the course of the scuffle, a kerosene lamp was knocked to the floor and a fire ensued. The crowd quickly evacuated and B.B. ran out. After getting outside, he realized that the source of his future income, his guitars, were still inside.

He then risked his life to run into the building to retrieve his beloved guitars. As the crowd watched the juke joint go up in flames, B.B. learned that the young girl who was the center of the fight was named Lucille. Since then, every key guitar that B.B. plays has been named Lucille.

There have been hundreds of Lucille's over the year, including a custom Gibson model named Lucille, approved by B.B. himself.

Answer: Chicago

The "Live at the Regal" album is a great example of B.B. at his best. The enthusiasm the crowd exhibits is a true testament to how great an entertainer King is. King decided to change some of his guitar solos during this performance to a more jazzy approach, a move that proved to be masterful.

The crowd literally could not get enough of King that day, and for that reason, this critically acclaimed album is considered a must have for any King collector.

Answer: Roy Hawkins

Poor Roy Hawkins was one of the worst luck cases in blues music. A talented pianist, he lost an arm in a car accident, thus ending his playing career. Then, to make matters even worse, when B.B. recorded "The Thrill is Gone", Hawkins could never cash in on the profits of the song because it was mistakenly credited to another writer.

By the time the mistake was corrected, Hawkins was in poor health and died soon after.

Answer: Eric Clapton

"Riding With the King" was released in 2000 and earned the duo a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. The album peaked at number three on The Billboard 200 album chart and at number one on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. The title song reached number 26 on the Mainstream Rock singles chart.

Answer: Bobby Blue Bland

Although King and Bland are great friends, Bland was not included on this album. The album features King and other contemporaries performing some great blues standards. Stand out performances on this album were "You Shook Me" (performed by King and John Lee Hooker, "Stormy Monday" (performed by King and Albert Collins) and "Playin' with my Friends" (performed by King and Robert Cray).

Answer: U2

"When Love Comes to Town" was recorded for the CD and movie "Rattle and Hum", a collaboration between King and U2. The movie was supposed to be a documentary on the band U2, but what resulted was a disastrous mix of concert footage and meaningless dialogue between the band. The high point, in my humble opinion, was the duet between Bono and King on this song.