"My wife Martha used to call me Ol' Lemon Face because of my facial contortions when I play Lucille. ..." — B. B. King

When people treat you mean, you dislike them for that, but not because of their person, who they are. I was born and raised in a segregated society, but when I left there, I had nobody I disliked other than the people that'd mistreated me, and that only lasted for as long as they were mistreating me.

If you want to be a good blues singer, people are going to be down on you, so dress like you're going to the bank to borrow money.

Growing up on the plantation there in Mississippi, I would work Monday through Saturday noon. I'd go to town on Saturday afternoons, sit on the street corner, and I'd sing and play.

The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille.