BB King and ‘Lucille’: The Story Behind His Famous Guitar.
BB King, known as the King of Blues, is forever linked with his iconic guitar, affectionately named **‘Lucille’**. The story behind this legendary instrument is as fascinating as the man himself, and it began with an incident that could have ended in tragedy.
In the winter of **1949**, BB King was performing in a small club in **Twist, Arkansas**. During the performance, a fight broke out between two men, which caused a fire to start in the building. As the crowd rushed to evacuate, BB King realized he had left his guitar inside the burning building. Risking his life, he ran back into the flames to retrieve the instrument. After escaping with the guitar, King learned that the fight had started over a woman named **Lucille**. To remind himself never to do something as dangerous as running into a fire again, he named his guitar **Lucille**.
Over the years, Lucille became more than just a guitar. It was an extension of BB King himself, a trusted companion through thousands of performances across the globe. The instrument King played was typically a **Gibson ES-355**, but every guitar he played from that point on was called Lucille. Gibson honored this bond by creating a custom **BB King Lucille model** in 1980, featuring a unique design that reflected King’s specifications, including the absence of f-holes to prevent feedback during his electrifying performances.
Lucille’s sweet, rich tones helped BB King shape the sound of modern blues. His fluid, expressive playing style—marked by bending strings and sustained notes—became synonymous with the blues genre, and Lucille was key to that signature sound.
For BB King, Lucille was more than just a tool; she was a symbol of his musical soul. The partnership between BB King and Lucille cemented his status as one of the greatest blues musicians of all time, with their story continuing to inspire generations of guitarists.