TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
You can’t talk about the blues—or jazz’s emotional core—without saying the name B.B. King.
Born Riley B. King in Mississippi, he gave the world something more than just guitar licks—he gave it Lucille, his iconic guitar, and a voice that carried the weight of every note.
B.B. King wasn’t a jazz musician per se, but his phrasing, feel, and unmistakable vibrato made him a key influence on jazz guitarists, from George Benson to John Scofield.
His playing was conversational, like jazz. His solos were stories—like jazz. And his tone? Pure emotion.
King once said, “The blues are the true facts of life.” And jazz has always borrowed from that truth.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.