B. B King Quotes

Whenever I'm in Kansas City, I think back to all the jazz-blues greats who played the blues here – like Count Basie, Charlie Parker and Jay McShann. I watched those guys jam in different places and heard a lot of things – but I couldn't do what they did. They were too good.

When we went into World War II, I was a tractor driver then. I drove tractors on the plantation. So when they start calling people my age, 18, up, I was one they called.

The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn't know how other people would take it.

I just wonder where I was when the talent was being given out, like George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Eric Clapton… oh, there's many more! I wouldn't want to be like them, you understand, but I'd like to be equal, if you will.

I call myself a blues singer, but you ain't never heard me call myself a blues guitar man.

Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin', too.

I don't like anybody to be angry with me. I'd rather have friends.

I've been married twice. Most women would rather not be married to a traveling blues singer.

It seems like I always had to work harder than other people. Those nights when everybody else is asleep, and you sit in your room trying to play scales.

I never wanted to be like other blues singers. I might like hearing them play, but I've never wanted to be anyone other than myself. There are a few people that I've wished I could play like, but when I tried, it didn't work.

The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.

Quotes of the Hour

I've seen a big shift, especially in my classroom, with women standing up and demanding respect. That's in every woman, whether 16, 26, 56.

There was this hip-hop collective called People Crew. And at the time in Korea, there was no real place to access rap music. So People Crew used to host this summer school program, which taught rapping and dancing. I begged my mom to attend that school to learn how to rap.

Nobody should pin their hopes on a miracle.

When I don't look cool enough or when I cannot make good music anymore, I will retire.

You need people around you that care about you and are thinking about you in your best interest. And keep your mind straight.

B. B King Quotes

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