Five pages of B.B. King handwritten lyrics, in blue and black ink.

1. “Baby Look at You"
2. “Be Careful With a Fool"
3. ”Blues at Midnight"
4. “Untitled"
5. “My Big Sin"

Further Details:

1. “Baby Look at You" - Performed on one of B.B. King's earliest albums titled "More BB King”, song and album both released in 1961.

2. “Be Careful With a Fool" - Recorded in 1957 by B.B. King under his prior moniker "Blues Boy”, which he later shortened to the more familiar “B.B.”, released on 78 rpm format by the fittingly named Los Angeles-based RPM Records.

3. ”Blues at Midnight" - B.B. King performed this song live, notably to an audience on April 25, 2010 at The House of Blues in Chicago, IL.

4. “Untitled" - An unpublished song, handwritten by B.B. King in blue ink on Sheraton letterhead.

5. “My Big Sin" - Lyrics written by Fats Washington, a frequent collaborator of King's and notable songwriter in his own right. The lyrics are Initialed "BB" in lower left, and signed by BB King.

Below are links to the above songs for your listening pleasure:

"Baby Look at You": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgoIOAzbykU
"Be Careful With a Fool": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqdVD3uz-dA
"Blues at Midnight": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSOud8cxzaM

B.B. King


B.B King, born Riley B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer, known worldwide as “The King of The Blues” and highly regarded as one of the most influential musicians in popular music history. B.B. King has defined the blues for a worldwide audience, mixing traditional blues, jazz, swing, mainstream pop and jump into a unique sound he has been referred to as “the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century”.

He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Santana, SRV, John Mayer and thousands more. In B.B.’s words, “When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille”, referencing his beloved guitar he famously named after rescuing from a burning Twist, Arkansas dance hall in 1949.

In a career that spanned 8 decades, King rose to international fame and acclaim, amassing an unmatched legacy, playing an average of 250 shows per year, releasing over fifty albums and winning 15 Grammys. His numerous honors include The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors, Living Legend Medal from The Library of Congress, Inductions into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame, and honorary doctorates in Music from Yale University, Brown University, and Berklee College of Music. In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked King at No. 6 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

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