B. B. King

T-Bone was, to me, that sound of being in heaven.

I’m no good with chords. I’m horrible with chords.

I learned another thing from the hurt my cousin gave me – never to give that kind of hurt to anyone else. My revenge was to change a bad feeling into a good one. If I’m working with you and I sense you’re feeling a little insecure, I try to make you feel great. That’s how I get rid of my old hurt. If I don’t do that, my hurt grows and makes me mean and vengeful. But if hurt can change to kindness – that’s something Mama showed me – the world becomes a little less cruel.

Growing up on the plantation there in Mississippi, I would work Monday through Saturday noon. I’d go to town on Saturday afternoons, sit on the street corner, and I’d sing and play.

When I sing, I play in my mind; the minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.

Growing up, I was taught that a man has to defend his family. When the wolf is trying to get in, you gotta stand in the doorway.

Music’s a good thing, it calm the beast in the man.

And then when I found my sound, it took me two and a half weeks to find my sound and when I did I pulled out all the stops, all the stops I could find.

Improvisation is the ability to talk to oneself.

Dog spelled backward is God. That’s pretty heavy.

Jazz is a mental attitude rather than a style. It uses a certain process of the mind expressed spontaneously through some musical instrument. I’m concerned with retaining that process.

You can’t copy anybody and end up with anything. If you copy, you’re working without any real feeling.

I was walking down the street, and I saw a sewer digger on his lunch hour open his lunch pail, dig out a harmonica, knock out the cracker crumbs, and play a bunch of tunes on it. I was fascinated by that harmonica, so I stared the guy out of it. I just stared at him. He said, ‘Here, kid, take it. Get out of here.’

What we hear is the quality of our listening.

They always want to sell me as a hard bopper.

There’s a category for me. I like to be referred to as a good singer of good songs in good taste.

Jazz attracted me because in it I found a formal perfection and instrumental precision I admire in classical music, but which popular music doesn’t have.

I like an element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever.

Sometimes it’s to your advantage for people to think you’re crazy.

I wanted to do the music, but not at the expense of being happy.

Inspiration comes from tunes you play, other musicians and your own imagination.