B.B. King
Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925, on the Berclair cotton plantation near the town of Itta Bena, Mississippi, the son of sharecroppers Albert and Nora Ella King. He considered the nearby city of Indianola, Mississippi to be his home. When King was four years old, his mother left his father for another man, so he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr, in Kilmichael, Mississippi.
3 O'Clock Blues
"3 O'Clock Blues" launched B.B. King's career and gave him his first opportunity to perform in front of national audience. Due to the song's success, he began performing in the big theaters, such as the Howard Theater in Washington and the Apollo in New York, with a significant increase in his weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500. It sparked a touring schedule that continued throughout King's career. In 1956, the song was included on King's first album, "Singin' the Blues". It has remained in King's repertoire and he has recorded several versions of the song, including a 2000 release with Eric Clapton for their "Riding with the King" album.