B. B. King - Blues Quotes

12 Sourced Quotes

View all B. B. King Quotes
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.

B. B. King
Blues had this bad image about it that made it, along with country music, something that the educated 'majority' would always put down. Blues seemed to be right at the bottom of the totem pole.

B. B. King
I had begun to notice something about the difference between blues and gospel. A person would ask me to play a gospel tune and when I'd finished they'd say, 'Keep it up son - you'll be good some day,' and pat me on the shoulder, but they would never tip. But guys who would ask me to play a blues song would always tip and maybe give me a beer as well!

B. B. King
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.

B. B. King
I am married to my music. Blues music is at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to radio. So as long as my health is good and I can handle myself well and people still come to my concerts, I'll keep playing until I feel like I can't. All I want is for people to hear what I do.

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

B. B. King
If T-Bone Walker had been a woman, I would have asked him to marry me. I'd never heard anything like that before: single-string blues played on an electric guitar. Where we lived we had no electricity, and of course all that I had heard was acoustic players.

B. B. King
When I first heard how all you British guys loved what we were doing I was thrilled. While the Civil Rights movement was fighting for the respect of black people, I felt I was fighting for the respect of the blues.

B. B. King
I knew that it would be tough. As they always say — if you're white and play the blues, you're black once. If you're black and you play the blues, you're black twice.

B. B. King
Jazz is the big brother of the blues. If a guy's playing blues like we play, he's in high school. When he starts playing jazz it's like going on to college, to a school of higher learning.

B. B. King
Some people say that blues singers are always cryin' in their beer. But you know what? I don't drink.

B. B. King
When I first got the blues,
They brought me over on a ship.
Men was standing over me,
And a lot more with a whip.
And everybody wanna know,
Why I sing the blues.

B. B. King