Hear B.B. King’s Granddaughter’s Tribute to Blues Legend
Nine months after the death of blues legend B.B. King, his granddaughter Val B. King has released a new song that pays tribute to her grandfather’s legacy as well as deals with her feelings since his passing. “I recorded this song to get some of my emotions out with missing him so much,” Val B. King told Rolling Stone of “The Legacy Goes On.”
The R&B-influenced track, which opens up with a clip of B.B. talking about his career hopes in a 1968 interview, “is what I would say to my grandfather now about how much he impacted my life,” Val continued. He left an amazing legacy to carry on. My song is a way to honor my grandfather for all he did for me, his family, and the world. Watching my grandfather perform on stage literally showed me how to dream. He inspired me and many other aspiring artists.”
Val also shared an anecdote about singing Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time” to her grandfather when she was 12. “He referred to me as his ‘star’ after that,” she said. “I absolutely loved that… His rise to fame, coupled with his longevity, is so inspiring to me and artists around the world.”
On that track, King sings “With your guitar / You showed us how to dream / You went so far / And carved a sound that’s respected all around.” “My grandfather’s legacy is an inspiring one of him giving so much to help others, being a champion for education, giving of himself countless nights on stage, teaching us how to be humble, greeting his fans with a smile, and having sheer determination to make the world know about blues music,” King added. “He created a sound that truly made him the King of the Blues.”