Event Details

JULIEN'S AUCTIONS IS PROUD TO PRESENT OUR "PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF B.B. KING" AUCTION EVENT TAKING PLACE IN BEVERLY HILLS AND LIVE ONLINE AT JULIEN'S LIVE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST.

Our Property From The Estate of B.B. King auction celebrates the fifteen-time Grammy Award-winning artist, singer and founding father of the electric blues, who inspired a generation of musicians and artists and will feature an unsurpassed collection of his instruments, stage worn jackets, jewelry, awards, personal items and more from the titan's celebrated career spanning six decades. 

Born Riley B. King in Atta Bean, Mississippi, on September 16th, 1925, King began playing gospel music on street corners as a teen. In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, TN, to pursue his music career and studied the blues with his cousin Bukka White, one of the most celebrated blues performers of his time. He landed his first big break on Sonny Boy Williamsonís local radio show which led to other prolific gigs in Memphis, where he was inspired by other blues greats including Louis Jordan and T-Bone Walker. While developing a following in the Beale Street blues scene in the late 1940s/early 1950s, King began crafting his signature electric blues sound. After changing his name to Beale Street Blues Boy and later abbreviating it to B.B. King, the blues legend with his electric guitar was born.  

From the 1980s until his death in 2015, King toured extensively and appeared in numerous television shows and films. He reached further commercial success with his 1988 duet, "When Love Comes to Town," with the supergroup U2 and the double platinum Grammy Award-winning blues album, Riding with the King with Eric Clapton. By 1998, it was estimated that King had played more than 15,000 concerts during his 65 years touring on the road.

King's many honors included inductions into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987; the NARAS' Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1987; honorary doctorates from Tougaloo (MS) College in 1973, Yale University in 1977, Berklee College of Music in 1982, Rhodes College of Memphis in 1990, Mississippi Valley State University in 2002 and Brown University in 2007. 

The most coveted item of the auction will be King's stage played black Gibson ES-345 prototype 1 for 80 limited edition Lucille guitar that was gifted by Gibson to B.B. King on his 80th birthday. This "Lucille" was heavily used by King and served as his primary guitar on tour in his later years. It is estimated at $80,000-$100,000. 

If you can't make it out to Beverly Hills to bid in person, you can still watch all the action as well as bid online at julienslive.com!