In Performance at the White House: B.B. King

Blues legend and son of sharecroppers B.B. King performs "The Thrill is Gone" at the White House in 2012.

Learn More

Read an oral history with B.B. King from American Roots Music (PBS).

Read about King's visit to the NEH in 1999.

Read former President Barack Obama's statement on the passing of B.B. King.

Classroom Connections

Contextualize King's music in the longer history of African American musical traditions with the lesson The Music of African American History (grades 9-12). Explore the blues in greater depth with the lesson plan Learning the Blues (grades 9-12) and the PBS lesson Desegregating the Airwaves: Blues on the Radio (grades 9-12).