AUGUSTA – Riley “B.B.” King, one of the greatest blues singers and guitarists of all time, will appear live in concert, Sunday, May 20, at the Augusta Civic Center. Tickets, $43.50-$52.50, go on sale Monday, Feb. 26.

For more than half-a-century, the king of blues and his guitar “Lucille” have thrilled audiences, influenced generations of guitarists, and helped give the blues its place in the American musical tradition.

King, who recently turned 81, won his 14th Grammy Award last year. Having won his first Grammy in 1970, he again won the Best Traditional Blues Album last February. This is the ninth time that the “King of the Blues” has landed a Grammy in that category.

King’s “Live At The Regal” album was also inducted this year into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

“The thrill isn’t gone when you win an honor like this,” said King. “Every time my peers recognize the work, it’s an honor, a reason to go on. In my lifetime, blues music has certainly grown in its universal appeal, and I’m forever grateful for that.”

In honor of his 80th birthday in September of 2005, King celebrated the occasion with a few of his musical compatriots producing a new studio album of duets. Featuring some of today’s biggest stars – Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Glenn Frey, Mark Knopfler, Billy Gibbons, Bobby Bland, and Daryl Hall – “B.B. King & Friends-80” is yet another landmark in the career of one of the most influential guitarists of the 20th century – not to mention, the blues’ greatest ambassador.

In 1987, King received a Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS, which produces the Grammy Awards. The veteran showman, who got his first break as a musician on a radio show in Memphis in 1948, last received a Grammy Award in 2002, for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Among his many classics are “The Thrill Is Gone,” “Payin’ The Cost To Be The Boss,” “Everyday I Have The Blues,” “You Don’t Know Me” and “Why I Sing The Blues.”

Long known for his prolific performance schedule, one time numbering as many as 250 stops in a year, King is making another “big swing” this year.

After so many years, live performances remain close to his heart.

Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert may be purchased at the Augusta Civic Center box office and at all Ticketron outlets; by calling 626-2400; and online at ticketmaster.com

“In my lifetime, blues music has certainly grown in its universal appeal, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
B.B. King