MUSICIAN
B.B. King
1925 - 2015

B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that influenced many later electric guitar blues players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is referred to as one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. B.B. King is the 9th most popular musician (up from 48th in 2019), the 85th most popular biography from United States (up from 309th in 2019) and the 4th most popular American Musician.
B.B. King is most famous for his guitar playing. He has been playing since he was a child and has had many hit songs.
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Page views of B.B. King by language
Among MUSICIANS
Among musicians, B.B. King ranks 9 out of 3,175. Before him are Madonna, Michael Jackson, Franz Liszt, Niccolò Paganini, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan. After him are Louis Armstrong, Clara Schumann, Leonard Cohen, Lemmy, Jeff Beck, and Roger Taylor.
Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsMadonna
1958 - Present
HPI: 85.74
Rank: 3
Michael Jackson
1958 - 2009
HPI: 85.12
Rank: 4
Franz Liszt
1811 - 1886
HPI: 84.99
Rank: 5
Niccolò Paganini
1782 - 1840
HPI: 84.38
Rank: 6
John Lennon
1940 - 1980
HPI: 83.61
Rank: 7
Bob Dylan
1941 - Present
HPI: 82.73
Rank: 8
B.B. King
1925 - 2015
HPI: 81.79
Rank: 9
Louis Armstrong
1901 - 1971
HPI: 80.57
Rank: 10
Clara Schumann
1819 - 1896
HPI: 80.48
Rank: 11
Leonard Cohen
1934 - 2016
HPI: 80.10
Rank: 12
Lemmy
1945 - 2015
HPI: 79.99
Rank: 13
Jeff Beck
1944 - 2023
HPI: 79.94
Rank: 14
Roger Taylor
1949 - Present
HPI: 79.86
Rank: 15
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1925, B.B. King ranks 6. Before him are Malcolm X, Margaret Thatcher, Pol Pot, Barbara Bush, and Richard Burton. After him are Paul Newman, Yukio Mishima, Mahathir Mohamad, Patrice Lumumba, Robert Edwards, and Gilles Deleuze. Among people deceased in 2015, B.B. King ranks 3. Before him are John Forbes Nash Jr., and Lee Kuan Yew. After him are A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Charles H. Townes, Günter Grass, Lemmy, Christopher Lee, Tomas Tranströmer, Nicholas Winton, Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and Demis Roussos.
Others Born in 1925
Go to all RankingsMalcolm X
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1925 - 1965
HPI: 86.43
Rank: 1
Margaret Thatcher
POLITICIAN
1925 - 2013
HPI: 83.79
Rank: 2
Pol Pot
POLITICIAN
1925 - 1998
HPI: 82.87
Rank: 3
Barbara Bush
POLITICIAN
1925 - 2018
HPI: 82.18
Rank: 4
Richard Burton
ACTOR
1925 - 1984
HPI: 81.95
Rank: 5
B.B. King
MUSICIAN
1925 - 2015
HPI: 81.79
Rank: 6
Paul Newman
ACTOR
1925 - 2008
HPI: 79.93
Rank: 7
Yukio Mishima
WRITER
1925 - 1970
HPI: 79.92
Rank: 8
Mahathir Mohamad
POLITICIAN
1925 - Present
HPI: 78.79
Rank: 9
Patrice Lumumba
POLITICIAN
1925 - 1961
HPI: 78.45
Rank: 10
Robert Edwards
BIOLOGIST
1925 - 2013
HPI: 78.39
Rank: 11
Gilles Deleuze
PHILOSOPHER
1925 - 1995
HPI: 78.10
Rank: 12
Others Deceased in 2015
Go to all RankingsJohn Forbes Nash Jr.
MATHEMATICIAN
1928 - 2015
HPI: 85.78
Rank: 1
Lee Kuan Yew
POLITICIAN
1923 - 2015
HPI: 83.27
Rank: 2
B.B. King
MUSICIAN
1925 - 2015
HPI: 81.79
Rank: 3
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
POLITICIAN
1931 - 2015
HPI: 81.57
Rank: 4
Charles H. Townes
PHYSICIST
1915 - 2015
HPI: 80.63
Rank: 5
Günter Grass
WRITER
1927 - 2015
HPI: 80.42
Rank: 6
Lemmy
MUSICIAN
1945 - 2015
HPI: 79.99
Rank: 7
Christopher Lee
ACTOR
1922 - 2015
HPI: 79.50
Rank: 8
Tomas Tranströmer
WRITER
1931 - 2015
HPI: 79.26
Rank: 9
Nicholas Winton
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1909 - 2015
HPI: 79.12
Rank: 10
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2015
HPI: 79.06
Rank: 11
Demis Roussos
SINGER
1946 - 2015
HPI: 78.95
Rank: 12
In United States
Among people born in United States, B.B. King ranks 85 out of 20,380. Before him are Warren Buffett (1930), Louisa May Alcott (1832), Patrick Swayze (1952), Charles Lindbergh (1902), Ursula K. Le Guin (1929), and Helen Keller (1880). After him are Brigham Young (1801), Jack London (1876), Stanley Kubrick (1928), Robin Williams (1951), John Glenn (1921), and Al Capone (1899).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsWarren Buffett
BUSINESSPERSON
1930 - Present
HPI: 81.98
Rank: 79
Louisa May Alcott
WRITER
1832 - 1888
HPI: 81.95
Rank: 80
Patrick Swayze
ACTOR
1952 - 2009
HPI: 81.93
Rank: 81
Charles Lindbergh
PILOT
1902 - 1974
HPI: 81.92
Rank: 82
Ursula K. Le Guin
WRITER
1929 - 2018
HPI: 81.89
Rank: 83
Helen Keller
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1880 - 1968
HPI: 81.88
Rank: 84
B.B. King
MUSICIAN
1925 - 2015
HPI: 81.79
Rank: 85
Brigham Young
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1801 - 1877
HPI: 81.74
Rank: 86
Jack London
WRITER
1876 - 1916
HPI: 81.73
Rank: 87
Stanley Kubrick
FILM DIRECTOR
1928 - 1999
HPI: 81.71
Rank: 88
Robin Williams
COMEDIAN
1951 - 2014
HPI: 81.66
Rank: 89
John Glenn
ASTRONAUT
1921 - 2016
HPI: 81.58
Rank: 90
Al Capone
MAFIOSO
1899 - 1947
HPI: 81.56
Rank: 91
Among MUSICIANS In United States
Among musicians born in United States, B.B. King ranks 4. Before him are Madonna (1958), Michael Jackson (1958), and Bob Dylan (1941). After him are Louis Armstrong (1901), Jimi Hendrix (1942), Joe Jackson (1928), Ray Charles (1930), Scatman John (1942), Brian Wilson (1942), Ronnie James Dio (1942), and Tom Petty (1950).
Madonna
1958 - Present
HPI: 85.74
Rank: 1
Michael Jackson
1958 - 2009
HPI: 85.12
Rank: 2
Bob Dylan
1941 - Present
HPI: 82.73
Rank: 3
B.B. King
1925 - 2015
HPI: 81.79
Rank: 4
Louis Armstrong
1901 - 1971
HPI: 80.57
Rank: 5
Jimi Hendrix
1942 - 1970
HPI: 79.33
Rank: 6
Joe Jackson
1928 - 2018
HPI: 76.31
Rank: 7
Ray Charles
1930 - 2004
HPI: 76.30
Rank: 8
Scatman John
1942 - 1999
HPI: 75.82
Rank: 9
Brian Wilson
1942 - 2025
HPI: 75.80
Rank: 10
Ronnie James Dio
1942 - 2010
HPI: 75.75
Rank: 11
Tom Petty
1950 - 2017
HPI: 75.53
Rank: 12