<P> Following his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart number one, "3 O'Clock Blues" (February 1952), B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s, amassing an impressive list of hits including "You Know I Love You", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me", "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer", "Whole Lotta Love", "You Upset Me Baby", "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around", "Ten Long Years", "Bad Luck", "Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor", and "Please Accept My Love". This led to a significant increase in his weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500, with appearances at major venues such as the Howard Theater in Washington and the Apollo in New York, as well as touring the entire "Chitlin' circuit". 1956 became a record - breaking year, with 342 concerts booked and three recording sessions . That same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis . There, among other projects, he produced artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury . In 1962, King signed to ABC - Paramount Records, which was later absorbed into MCA Records, and which itself was later absorbed into Geffen Records . In November 1964, King recorded the Live at the Regal album at the Regal Theater . King later said that Regal Live "is considered by some the best recording I've ever had...that particular day in Chicago everything came together ..." </P> <P> From the late 1960s, new manager Sid Seidenberg pushed King into a different type of venue as blues - rock performers like Eric Clapton, once a member of The Yardbirds as well as Cream, and Paul Butterfield were popularizing an appreciation of blues music among white audiences . </P> <P> King gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on the Rolling Stones' 1969 American Tour . He won a 1970 Grammy Award for the song "The Thrill Is Gone"; his version became a hit on both the pop and R&B charts . It also gained the number 183 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . </P> <P> King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014 . In 2004, he was awarded the international Polar Music Prize, given to artists "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music ." </P>

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