B.B. King: Accomplishments

Outside of B.B. King's numerous recordings and concerts, he has been bestowed with several honors. The following list, while not all inclusive, highlights the majority of B.B. King's awards and achievements made during his life time. Dates are given where known.

• Member of the Blues Hall of Fame, 1984
• Member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 1987
• Grammy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, 1987
• Member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, 1990
• Presidential Medal of the Arts, 1990
• Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award, 1991
• Kennedy Center Honors, 1995
• Co-Founder of the Foundation for the Advancement of Inmate Recreation and Rehabilitation (FAIRR)
• Honorary Doctorate of Music, Yale University
• Presidential Medal of Freedom
• American Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment of the Arts
• Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Seven Grammy Awards
• B.B. King's Blues Club, Universal City,California
• B.B. King's Blues Club, Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee
• Instructional Blues Guitar Video Series, "Blues Master I, II, III," DCI Video
• Interactive CD ROM, "On the Road With B.B. King, " MCA records

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Text copyright ©, 1996 Jim Kerekes & Dennis O'Neill

Photo Credit:

1. Dr. Riley B. King, with Kingman Brewster, Yale president, at the occasion of B.B.'s receiving his Honorary Doctorate of Music from Yale University. Photo by William Ferris, courtesy of the Center for Southern Folklore, Memphis, Tennessee.

Last update on 1/3/97 ...

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