"His Voice Was Like a Sword that Pierced Your Soul": Who Was the Favorite Singer of B.B. King

For decades, B.B. King was much more than a prodigious guitarist: he was the very face of modern blues. With his guitar "Lucille" in his arms and his deep voice, he carried a marginal genre to massivity and redefined the art of playing with feeling. But behind that pedestal built on sweat, blood and tears, King kept a deep admiration for a figure that, according to him, was never surpassed. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine summoned the musician t…