B.B. King was an American BLUES singer, songwriter and guitarist who was active for over half a century. His genre of music was the BLUES, which is a style of music that originated in African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States. It is characterized by its use of the BLUES scale, call-and-response patterns, and lyrics that often deal with themes of hardship and sorrow. B.B. King was one of the most influential BLUES musicians of all time and his genre of music has been popular for decades.