The crowds treat me like my last name. When I go onstage people usually stand up, I never ask them to, but they do. They stand up and they don't know how much I appreciate it.

I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed.

It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music.

Water from the white fountain didn't taste any better than from the black fountain.

I guess you can look at me, and tell I'm the old man. My name is BB King.

When you heard Jimi Hendrix, you knew it was Jimi Hendrix. He introduced himself with his instrument. His attack to a guitar man, was, oh, something else! You think of one of the great American ball players, or one of the great fighters of the world, you know, that's the way he would attack any note on his guitar.

If you can't get your songs to people one way, you have to find another.