From the S&S archives:
B.B. King and Lucille: The legend lives on

How heavy is Lucille? B.B. King actually let an interviewer find that out for himself 30 minutes before the blues artist was to perform in Frankfurt, Germany.

Lucille, "the woman" King holds and caresses for at least two hours a night and almost 300 nights a year, has taken on a life of its own through the blues a la King that's celebrated from Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

In reality, Lucille is No. 16 in a series of black Gibson ES-355 guitars specially made for the 68-year-old King. The guitar is as much a part of his musical personality as "Blues Boy," or B. B. is to his identity.

But more than that, over the past 42 years Lucille has been "the only girl I've ever had that didn't argue with me," King said in interview before his concert in Frankfurt, Germany. "I'm a little lazy. I don't practice (with Lucille) as much as l should. But it (the guitar) has always been there for me. Somehow, people still compliment me and say that I still sound good."

Sounding good is something blues fans have expected from King ever since he was discovered during the '50s as a disc jockey at WGRM in Greenwood, Miss. The bluesman has won virtually every music accolade available, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy award.

Along with recording more than 50 of his own albums, King has spent a lot of time collaborating with others. He has performed with everybody in the music business, regardless of style, from jazz with Grover Washington Jr. to country with Barbara Mandrell to the soulful rock 'n' roll of U2.

His latest recording, the 1993 Blues Summit, is the ultimate collaboration for King, bringing together the talents of blues giants such as John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, KoKo Taylor, Etta James, Albert Collins and several others.

"John (Lee Hooker) is a good friend. We've known each other for over 40 years," King said of the chance to finally work with the living blues legend. "But we'd never (recorded) together before."

The opportunity to make such a recording made King feel like a "kid in a candy store. .. It's the top of all the albums I've ever done. .. To have duets with 11 different people on one album was too much."

More than three years ago, King was diagnosed with diabetes. Known for his wicked pace of one-nighters — in 1956 he did 342 alone — King had to, for health's sake, slow down. But performing is a hard habit to break. Besides, King said he has a lot left to learn about the blues.

"To be active keeps you alive," he said. "Once you stop being a part of what's going on, you die. Not necessarily physically, but mentally. As long as a man lives, he learns."

King's musical education started with gospel, recalling the days his mother took him to church. "That's the kind of upbringing that stays with you," he said. "You never lose it. But being a blues singer and a blues guitarist, I was also influenced by various styles of music. .. country, jazz, rhythm and blues, soul and rock."

The blues, King said, has dedicated fans around the world. However, closer to home, the art form may be lost among a young generation of African-Americans, who wouldn't know Lucille the guitar from Lucille Ball.

"I don't think they ever had a connection" with the blues, King said. "When I started out, young blacks, my age and older, liked the blues. As I grew older, so did they. There's never been a great percentage of young blacks liking the blues, with the exception of the college level."

And that means a generation of youngsters may never experience the melodic purrs that King charms from Lucille. Too bad, because as far as King is concerned, "she's priceless. There's no better instrument ever made."