This year's selections include such renowned BMI songwriters and composers as Herbie Hancock (Head Hunters), Michael Jackson (Thriller), Roy Orbison ( “Oh Pretty Woman”), Kitty Wells (“ It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”) and Art Tatum (“Sweet Lorraine”). Almost 70% of the PRO-affiliated works on this year’s list are part of the BMI repertoire. View images and and listen to brief clips of these selections.

The National Recording Preservation Board, comprising experts from the music industry and preservation field, culled its list from nominations made by the public for recordings considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Recordings must be 10 years old to be considered for preservation and final selections are made by the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington.

The National Recording Registry was created by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, legislation that promotes and supports audio preservation. The registry celebrates the richness and variety of the nation's audio legacy and underscores the responsibility to assure the long-term preservation of that legacy for future generations.

This year’s selections include (*indicates BMI entry):

1. The first Trans-Atlantic Broadcast, March14, 1925
2. “Allons a Lafayette,” Joseph Falcon*
3. “Casta Diva,” from Bellini’s Norma
4. “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” Thomas A. Dorsey*
5. “Sweet Lorraine,” Art Tatum*
6. Fibber McGee and Molly
7. Wings Over Jordan
8. Fiorello LaGuardia reading the comics
9. “Call it Stormy Monday but Tuesday is Just as Bad,” T-Bone Walker*
10. Harry S. Truman Speech at the 1948 Democratic Convention
11. The Jazz Scene, Various Artists*
12. “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” Kitty Wells*
13. My Fair Lady, Original Cast Recording
14. Navajo Shootingway Ceremony Field Recordings
15. ‘Freight Train’ and Other North Carolina Folk Songs, Elizabeth Cotton*
16. “Oh Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison*
17. “Marine Band Concert Album to Help Benefit the National Cultural Center (1963)
18. “Tracks of My Tears,” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
19. “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song,” Ella Jenkins
20. “Music From the Morning of the World,” David Lewiston
21. “For the Roses,” Joni Mitchell
22. Head Hunters, Herbie Hancock*
23. Ronald Reagan Broadcasts
24. “The Sounds of the Earth,” Voyager Spacecraft
25. “Thriller,” Michael Jackson*

Her mentor was James Baldwin; he learned the fine points of guitar playing looking over Muddy Waters's shoulder. As a teen in the '80s, she gave up guitar playing soon after she started because it was such a white-guy thing; he encouraged her to go back to playing. She encouraged him to write about his years playing harmonica in Waters band.

She is playwright fellow Suzan-Lori Parks; he is bluesman Paul Oscher, who joined Waters in 1967 and also spent a fair amount the next five years looking over piano player Otis Spann's shoulder. Their mantle boasts her two Obies, a Pulitzer and a MacArthur "Genius" grant alongside his two 2006 Blues Music Awards (previously the W.C. Handy Awards) for Down in the Delta. He was also featured on Hubert Sumlin's 2006 Blues Music Awards' winning album About Them Shoes along with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Levon Helm.

"When I was a young man, I played other peoples blues. Now that I'm older, I write and play my own and when I play a blues classic, I put my own stamp on it," Oscher explains about his journey through the deep blues.

His recollections of four decades spent playing with such artists as John Lee Hooker, Earl Hooker, Son House, Fred McDowell, Lightning Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Albert King, Magic Sam, Johnny Copeland, Victoria Spivey, Big Mama Thornton, Keb Mo' and Mos Def were published in the book that accompanied Martin Scorcese's PBS series, The Blues.

Parks worked with Oprah on Their Eye's Were Watching God, with Spike on Girl 6, with Disney for a project on the Harlem Globe Trotters, and with the producers of Ray for a Broadway version. Her book tour for Getting Mother's Body has been equal parts writing seminar, career counseling and blues performance — she jokes about adding snake-handling.

"I had the brains to marry a guitar player, so he's a big inspiration," Parks explains. "When I wrote the songs to Getting Mother's Body, and I was going on a book tour, he was like, 'Take your guitar, bring the music to the people!' So I started doing it in public."

The perfect couple.]]> 2006-10-17T19:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234312 Artists, Copeland, Shemekia, Holmes Brothers, The, James, Etta, King, B.B., Little Milton, Muddy Waters, Taylor, Koko, Walker, T-Bone, Musical Styles, Blues, Folk the Holmes Brothers lead the list of BMI artists and composers nominated for the 26th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards with six, it was announced by the Memphis, Tennessee-based Blues Foundation. Co-sponsored by BMI, a long-time supporter of the non-profit organization, the Handy Awards celebrate excellence in performance and recording of the blues, and is the highest honor bestowed upon artists in the genre.

Holmes Brothers	Paul Oscher	Charlie Musselwhite

BMI writers continued their domination in the blues field, once again garnering every nomination in seven of the 25 categories, including Blues Entertainer of the Year, Blues Band of the Year and Contemporary Artist of the Year, both male and female.

The Holmes Brothers' six nods include Band of the Year, Blues Album and Contemporary Blues Album for their Simple Truths, as well as three individual nominations for members Wendall Holmes (Song of the Year for "Run Myself Out of Town"), Sherman Holmes (Best Instrumentalist-Bass) and Popsy Dixon (Best Instrumentalist-Drums).

Pinetop Perkins	Kim Wilson	Muddy Waters

Other multiple nominees include harp player Paul Oscher, who received four mentions, among them Acoustic Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Alone With the Blues." Perennial favorites W.C. Clark, James Harman, Charlie Musselwhite, Pinetop Perkins, Rod Piazza, Bobby Rush and Kim Wilson each earned three, while double nominations went to Corey Harris, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, EG Knight and Muddy Waters, who will compete against himself in the Historical Blues Album category.

Named after the "Father of the Blues," the 2005 W.C. Handy Blues Awards will take place on Thursday, May 5 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. The awards ceremony is the traditional opener to the Handy Weekend, a series of events for blues musicians, industry members, and fans alike. Events include the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a Blues Symposium with workshops, the Handy Awards Music Festival, a blues film fest and the Handy Awards Children's Festival.

BMI's 2005 Handy Awards nominees:

Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
Paul Oscher
Alone With The Blues
Billy Branch
Double Take
Corey Harris
Mississippi To Mali
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines
Goin' Home
Carey & Lurrie Bell
Second Nature

Acoustic Blues-Artist of the Year
Paul Oscher
Corey Harris
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines

Blues Album of the Year
W.C. Clark
Deep In The Heart
The Holmes Brothers
Simple Truths
Guitar Shorty
Watch Your Back
Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers
Keepin' It Real

Blues Band of the Year
Little Charlie & The Nightcats
Smokin' Joe Kubek Band
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers
Magic Slim & The Teardrops
Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets
The Holmes Brothers

Blues Entertainer of the Year
Bobby Rush
Kim Wilson
B.B. King
Pinetop Perkins
Solomon Burke

Blues Song of the Year
"Alone With The Blues"
Written and performed by Paul Oscher
"Run Myself Out Of Town"
Written by Wendell Holmes, performed by The Holmes Brothers
"Piecework Politicians"
Written and performed by James Harman
"Nothin' Ever Hurt Me"
Written and performed by EG Kight

Comeback Blues Album of the Year
Gary U.S. Bonds
Back In 20

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Charlie Musselwhite
Sanctuary
The Holmes Brothers
Simple Truths
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
Now My Soul
Guitar Shorty
Watch Your Back

Contemporary Blues-Female Artist of the Year
Janiva Magness
Marcia Ball
Shemekia Copeland
EG Kight
Deborah Coleman

Contemporary Blues-Male Artist of the Year
Kim Wilson
Chris Thomas King
Charlie Musselwhite
James Harman
Robert Randolph

Historical Blues Album of the Year
Hound Dog Taylor
Release The Hound (Alligator Records)
Charles Brown
A Life In The Blues (Rounder Records)
Muddy Waters
Hard Again (Epic/Legacy)
Johnny Winter
Second Winter (Columbia/Legacy)
Muddy Waters
I'm Ready (Epic/Legacy)

Instrumentalist-Bass
Willie Kent
Bill Stuve
Sherman Holmes

Instrumentalist-Drums
Popsy Dixon
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Ronnie Earl
Duke Robillard
Bob Margolin
Roy Rogers

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Kim Wilson
Charlie Musselwhite
Rod Piazza
James Harman
Paul Oscher

Instrumentalist-Horns
Calvin Owens - Trumpet
Mark Kazanoff - Saxophone
Roomful of Blues - Horns
Greg Piccolo - Saxophone
Sax Gordon - Saxophone

Instrumentalist-Keyboards
Honey Piazza
Dave Maxwell
Marcia Ball
Jon Cleary

Instrumentalist-Other
Robert Randolph - Pedal Steel Guitar
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Fiddle
Otis Taylor - Banjo

Soul/Blues Album of the Year
Bobby Rush
Folk Funk
W.C. Clark
Deep In The Heart

Soul/Blues-Female Artist of the Year
Etta James
Barbara Lynn

Soul/Blues-Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush
Little Milton
Solomon Burke
W.C. Clark

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Jody Williams
You Left Me In The Dark
Duke Robillard
Blue Mood: The Songs Of T-Bone Walker
Pinetop Perkins
Ladies Man
Sam Myers
Coming From The Old School

Traditional Blues-Female Artist of the Year
Ruth Brown
Koko Taylor

Traditional Blues-Male Artist of the Year
Robert Lockwood Jr.
Jody Williams
Sam Myers
Pinetop Perkins

Headin' South

For me, Memorial Day weekend has come to be associated with the Handy Awards and a trip to Memphis, Tennessee. When BMI first became involved with the Blues Foundation five or more years ago, the awards ceremony was held during the first weekend of the month. That coincided with a major annual event in the city, "Memphis in May." The festivities include a weekend of concerts along the banks of the Mississippi and many more people than usual visiting the city. Recently, it was decided that the festival took attention away from the Handys, so a change was made. All in all, it has been an appropriate decision. Each year, the Handy Awards attract more and more people, and the Memorial Day weekend now is firmly identified with the blues in the eyes of the city.

While I'm not prone to being starry-eyed, Memphis is a special place to me. It has a unique rhythm and mood: languid, friendly, loquacious and fun-loving. Invariably, something interesting happens to me when I'm there. I either meet someone or hear something spectacular or have an experience I would not anywhere else. Part of the pleasure of being in Memphis in particular and the Deep South in general is that one's body rhythm slows down from the hectic craziness of New York City. It's not just the weather but really the pace of the people. No one seems to be in a hurry. If you ask them a question, you have to be ready for a conversation and not just a curt reply. Some people find this aggravating; I take it as a welcome alternative to cell phones and car horns and the cacophony of city life.

Thanking the Charter Members

I ran into Steve Berkowitz from Sony Legacy on the plane, and we spent the short flight catching up on music. Steve has been involved with some of the exciting reissues Sony has marketed in the past several years, including the Robert Johnson material, the Miles Davis back catalog and the recent Louis Armstrong tracks that won a Grammy Award this year. Talking about records was a fine transition from the office to the blues. That evening, the weekend took off with a Charter Members Dinner. This is something new for the Blues Foundation that began last year: a special event to thank individual contributors to the organization that allows them to mingle with performers and other dignitaries. I was seated at a table along with several musicians, including the ace guitarist Duke Robillard (winner this year of the Best Guitarist award) and keyboard player Mike Finnegan, who was playing with Taj Mahal's band. I had met Mike once before at an L.A. Blues Foundation event, and he was pleasantly surprised that I knew his first major album, as lead vocalist with the Jerry Hahn Brotherhood, that he recorded in the early 1970s.

Inducting the "Blues Hall of Fame"

The "Blues Hall of Fame" awards are given out during this dinner. This year, they included the performers Etta James, Junior Parker and Rufus Thomas as well as the recordings "Shake, Rattle & Roll" by Big Joe Turner and the Plantation Recordings of Muddy Waters. The "Blues Literature" award was given to Helen Dance, author of a memorable biography of T-Bone Walker, and the "Non-Performer Award" to the late writer Robert Palmer and Theresa Needham, who ran a famous club on the South side of Chicago. Ms. Needham passed away several years ago, but her family was present. Their genuine, heart-felt enthusiasm at being honored was a joy to behold. Many, many people who never become celebrities are absolutely crucial to the continuation of any form of music, blues included. Theresa Needham's club was a stage for the best of the blues and a centerpiece of the community of Chicago. What it may have lacked in glamour, it more than made up in soul and sass.

Ruth & Bobby Are Back!

Another highpoint in the evening was the appearance of Ruth Brown, who has been off the scene since a recent stroke. The Foundation had successfully kept her attendance a secret, and many of us, myself included, took time to greet her and congratulate her on how well she looked. As I left the event, I ran into Bobby Rush, one of the most popular and talented performers on the soul blues circuit. Bobby and his band were seriously injured in a recent road accident - one of his dancers was killed - and many in the blues community have poured out to assist in the musicians' recovery. BMI had sent flowers to Bobby's home and put a support organization, BluesAid, in contact with both NARAS and the R&B Foundation. Bobby looked on the mend, and his appearance the next night at the Handy show abundantly illustrated what a trouper he is.

The Main Event

Thursday was the Handy show, held at the elegant Orpheum theater at the base of Beale Street. This year, the venue was completely sold out! An enthusiastic crowd cheered on all the acts, and the nearly three hour show was memorable on all accounts. Dr. John hosted and brought his bayou gris gris to the proceedings. The highlight of a Handy show is without a doubt the live performances, and this year was no exception. All were outstanding, but I'd have to single out the show-stopping appearance of Bobby Rush and the duets of Corey Harris and the splendid, blind pianist from New Orleans, Henry Butler. He has the kind of command of the keyboard that his local predecessors Professor Longhair and James Booker brought to the instrument. Amazing. Also, it's exciting to see a veteran like Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown still showing the energy and fire of his younger days now that he's in his seventies. Last but not least, the Handy All-Star Band should not be forgotten. Each year, the winners of the separate instrumental categories are brought together on stage, and the wealth of talent is staggering. Charlie Musselwhite was unable to appear, and Kim Wilson of Texas took his place, stealing the scene with some spirited vocalizing. I hung out at the post-Handy jam until about 2AM, then ended a long and exciting day.

Building The Audience For The Blues

Much of my Handy weekend involves meetings. I've been a member of the Foundation board for four years now, one year into my second term. I also attend meetings of the Blues Music Association [BMA], the professional business organization now in its third year that BMI helped to organize during a strategic retreat several years ago. The BMA helped to organize a Town Hall Meeting on "The State of the Blues" on Friday afternoon. It was held at B.B. King's club on Beale Street, and the room was packed with interested participants. A panel of industry professionals responded to people's comments and concerns. While the general consensus was that the blues still lacks the kind of public visibility that it deserves, the music is healthy and thriving. The need for more of it to be heard on the radio and television is crucial. One of the major enterprises of the BMA is the completion of a business survey that will point out how the audience for the music comprises some of the major clients of advertisers. One hopes that, in the future, the impression that blues is a "downer" or that its audience is small, or that its performers are dying off will be erased. Certainly, the enthusiasm and commitment of the people at this meeting indicated that it will eventually happen.

I went from this event to the final film of a blues series that highlighted the work of Robert Mugge. Having already seen his features on the delta, "Deep Blues," and Robert Johnson, "Hellhound On My Trail," I wanted to catch the new one on the music of Louisiana, "Rhythm and Bayous." Afterwards, I grabbed dinner and caught part of a set by a blues lap steel guitarist, Freddy Roulette. Another fine and full day.

The Hills of Como Are Alive With Music

Saturday brought the Foundation board meeting, but was capped off by probably the most memorable event of the whole weekend. The Memphis Tourist & Visitors office had planned a musical event for visiting journalists to which I was invited. It was held at a farm in the hill country of northern Mississippi in a town called Como. After dinner, we drove out to a grassy field under a striking, clear moon. The owner of the property has held such events before and built an intimate stage for musicians. As we arrived, a young teenage guitarist from Clarksdale was playing. If you read the recent and wrong-headed article about the "death of the blues" in the delta featured in the New York Times, she was mentioned as one of the exceptions to this supposed "rule." Actually, the amount of activity in the delta if not throughout the deep South is abundant as was illustrated by the next act, the fife and drum band of Othar Turner, now in his 90s. He was seemingly the last proponent of this form of music, but now his young granddaughter is following in his footsteps. She commands the stage with ease and assurance. Then, an unexpected turn of events. The blind guitarist and songwriter Paul Pena, best known for writing Steve Miller's hit "Big Old Jet Airliner," had been at the Handys and came along for the evening. He ended up playing a spectacular set along with a Japanese bass player who is studying at University of Memphis and a drummer related to the great guitarist R.L. Burnside. Paul was very close with the late Fred McDowell, a resident of Como. He had not been in the town for quite a long time, and it was magical to hear him play Fred's most famous tune, "You Got to Move." The night ended for me as a group comprised of the slide guitarist Kenny Brown and the rockabilly pioneer Paul Burlison, lead guitarist of the Rock & Roll Trio, were jamming. An amazing night. Not just the music but the ambience. A diverse crowd of many races and ages and backgrounds, all enjoying a rich stew of unique self-expression underneath the delta moon. Like I said, it's hard not to have a good time in Memphis.

By Rob Patterson

From the dawning days of rhythm & blues through today's multifaceted urban music scene, BMI has been at the forefront of music from the African American tradition, styles and community. A continuity of teamwork between BMI and Black music-makers extends from Aretha Franklin to Janet Jackson, from Motown hitmakers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland to R. Kelly, and from Miles Davis to Terence Blanchard.

B.B. King

Busta Rhymes

Janet Jackson

Eminem

When r&b, in its formative years, was the province of budding independent labels, small publishers, and adventurous radio stations, BMI opened its ranks to the musical movement when the existing performing rights organization failed to recognize the legitimacy and potential brewing in Black American music. The considerable fact that 90 percent of the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Awards have been bestowed on BMI artists attests to BMI's historical commitment to Black music.

Eric Benet

Macy Gray

Mariah Carey

Michael Jackson

The BMI Black music rosters reads like a musical honor role: Jazz giants such as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane; blues icons like Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker; r&b pacesetters such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and James Brown; soul sisters Etta James, Irma Thomas and Diana Ross; rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Mya

R. Kelly

Snoop Dogg

Toni Braxton

The BMI bloodlines can be traced from then to now, from Carla Thomas to Donna Summer to Vanessa Williams, from Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff to LA Reid and Babyface, from Otis Redding to Michael Jackson. And if you check this space 20 or 30 years from now, the odds say its likely that BMI's contemporary urban music artists will be just as legendary and influential as those BMI has represented throughout the history of Black popular music in America.

In a sense, the pages have already been written by today's BMI star talents. Mariah Carey has proven herself a formidable and enduring presence in popular music, while Macy Gray is arising to help bring soul back to its rightful place of presence in urban music. Kevin Eubanks delivers sublime new variations of the jazz guitar heritage to millions on The Tonight Show, and Joshua Redman redefines the notion of young jazz giant for a new millennium. Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Lil' Kim continue to push the hip-hop envelope, while Kirk Franklin and Winans Phase 2 keep the gospel spirit alive.

But it's not just the marquee names that make these exciting times for BMI's urban music roster. And even some of BMI's team whose work happens primarily behind the scenes are earning public note on the level of the artists they work with. Producer, songwriter, keyboardist and remixer Dallas Austin launched Monica and TLC, and counts Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boyz II Men and Aretha Franklin among his credits. Such musical versatility and vision continues with such recording and writing powerhouses as Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Master P, Tim & Bob, SoulShock & Karlin, Jean Claude 'Poke' Olivier of The Track Masters, Organized Noise, Teddy Bishop and Cory Rooney - all drawing from a differing wealth of musical wells and creating new and innovative musical moments.

Hip-hop remains a powerfully progressive and sometimes provocative movement in modern popular music. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Goodie Mob keep it real, and the beats and themes will surely remain hard in the hands of such acts as Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ja Rule, Mos Def, Trick Daddy, Silkk the Shocker, JT Money, Kurupt and J-Shin. At the same time, acts like The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Spooks infuse a rich mixture of styles into the hip-hop genre. Once the sound of the street, just as r&b had been, hip-hop is now an integral part of contemporary culture. And its Caribbean cousin dancehall is also claiming the attention of the public ear thanks to Buju Banton.

R&B has always boasted its powerful cadre of female singers. And just as Carla Thomas, Martha Reeves and Jodi Whatley established their voices as trademarks, so have the women like Brandy, Toni Braxton and Faith Evans. Rising to join them are such soul sisters as Angie Stone, Mya, Sunshine Anderson and Aaliyah, while R&B brothers such as Eric Benet and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes stir up new soul traditions for today's urban music fans as Clyde McPhatter, Sam Moore and Aaron Neville have before them. The girl group traditions forged by The Shirelles and The Supremes find modern expression in the "new jill flava" of Total.

As the recent Ken Burns documentary demonstrated, jazz is one of the richest skeins in the American cultural tapestry. BMI has been a consistent presence in jazz, from Lionel Hampton to Coleman Hawkins to Herbie Hancock to Roy Hargrove. Today, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks and Bilal maintain the instrumental and compositional greatness of jazz music for the genre's future.

Spirituals have always been an essential element in Black music and BMI's mission, thanks to everyone from James Ingram to The Fairfield Four. And perhaps nobody has had a more profound impact on contemporary music and the popularity of spiritual sounds than minister, songwriter, producer and visionary Kirk Franklin. In the past, one could make similar claims for The Winans, and the family tradition forged there is carried on by Winans Phase 2. The ears reached by these artists are now opening as well to such rising talents as Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7.

Such diversity, commercial impact, innovation and encouragement of burgeoning styles and new artists has been a hallmark of BMI's commitment to Black music from the time that "race music" became rhythm & blues, and on through soul, funk and disco right up to rap and new jack swing. As BMI salutes tradition through its longtime support of the R&B Foundation, it also helps create the future that is urban music in all its breadth and creativity. Because at BMI, Black Music Month is celebrated 12 months a year.

The drama unfolded last spring when the New York Post wagered that B.B. King's new solo album, Makin' Love Is Good For You, would "snag the [Grammy] award as Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year." Mere months later, B.B. doubled his Grammy winning odds when he teamed with rock legend Eric Clapton for the super-duo recording Riding with the King. The acclaimed disc entered the Billboard pop charts at number three and has since been certified platinum in the U.S., Denmark and Japan. By releasing two superb albums in a single year, B.B. has placed himself in an enviable predicament: He will probably be named twice when Grammy nominations are announced in early 2001.

The hoopla is well deserved. As his new recordings reveal, B.B. is performing at the very top of his game. Where Makin' Love Is Good For You offers a stylish mix of blues standards and original compositions, Riding with the King casts B.B. in the role of blues mentor to Eric Clapton's student. Tracks like "Marry You," "Help the Poor" and the funky title track showcase the rapport between the legends.

For Riley "B.B." King, feats of derring-do are par for the course. Born in 1925 to an impoverished Mississippi Delta family, B.B. shunned the squalor of his origins and cultivated a tuxedo-clad style all his own. With his gentlemanly demeanor, gale-force vocals and expressive guitar playing, B.B. conferred an elegance to the blues that was previously unimaginable. Grittier than T-Bone Walker, yet more urbane than Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, B.B. skillfully toes the tightrope between hardcore blues and sophisticated jazz.

To fully comprehend his cultural impact, consider this fact: Every guitarist that has employed string-bending vibrato has paid homage to B.B.'s pioneering influence. The resulting list includes legends like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless others. Indeed, in blues history there are two periods: "Before B.B." and "After B.B."

Currently enjoying his fifth decade as King of the Blues, B.B. looms as a symbol of Yankee-style diligence and upward mobility. The untutored bluesman has received four honorary doctorates, including honors from Yale and Berklee College of Music. He is the recipient of 4 honorariums, including a Kennedy Center Honor, a National Endowment of the Arts Heritage Fellowship and a Presidential Medal of the Arts. He's won nine Grammys, three Walk of Fame honors, four NAACP Image Awards, seven Downbeat magazine Readers Poll awards and 27 International Critics Poll honors. He's even won a B'nai B'rith Humanitarian Award and an MTV Video Music Award for his 1988 performance with U2 in the video "When Love Comes To Town."

Most recently, the guitarist oversaw the grand opening of a B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan. Combined with his critically acclaimed new albums, 2000 is shaping up to be the Year of the King.