More Peachez

More of an update than anything else.  Ms. Peachez, the subject of my last post, made three music videos.  The first was the catchy, apparently unintentionally offensive Fry That Chicken.  I have since watched her other two videos, In the Tub, and From da Country. 

In the Tub, from what I understand, was a parody of 50 Cent's In da Club.  This video features Ms. Peachez in a large watering trough (the kind used for cows and horses), singing to her rubber duckie, surrounded by children.  This is odd.  I did notice that she made use of a "catch-phrase" from the Chicken video: "You hear me!", inserting the phrase in falsetto like before, at rhythmically opportune times.  Actually, when she asks if "You hear me!" the video cuts from her in the tub to her popping out of a port-a-pottie, a recycling bin, or standing on a highway. 

From da Country, for better or worse, is, in my opinion, the silliest attempt at a rap video.  But maybe that was the intent.  In addition to our colourful hero, Ms. Peachez, we are serenaded by a short man in a blonde wig (eating a huge slice of watermelon), and a person in a chicken suit.  Country hip-hop, indeed.  "Where you from? I'm from the country, man!"

da Country introduces us to new dance moves called the Neck Bone, the Corn Bread, and the Collard Greens.  Peachez also offers us plates of food, covered in flies.  This image reminds me of Salvador Dali paintings (these are realistic, impossible, and disturbing all at the same time, and usually feature an ant or ten.)

Silliness, but like I said, that may have been the intent. 

Ms. Peachez

Occasionally, I'll go to a bookstore and pick up indie magazines with interesting cover stories.  Sometimes out of boredom, sometimes because a cover story catches my eye, and sometimes I just can't find anything interesting on the mainstream shelf.  A couple of days ago, wandering around Borders before I had to be at a rehearsal, I found a magazine called Utne Reader.  It is sort of a reader's digest, that culls forward thinking articles from many different sources.  After reading some thought-provoking articles on the dangers of patriotism, I came to the arts and media section. 

In this media section, I read an article by Ben Westhoff (from The Oxford American) about a novelty rap act called Ms. Peachez.  (I don't know why these kinds of things intrigue me, they just do.)  The first couple of paragraphs describe a music video from 2006 called Fry That Chicken.  I love Westhoff's comment that the song and video are "so dumb it's genius", because I think he's right.  The video is clearly low-budget, with a mannish-looking woman rapping at the camera about her fried chicken, while a whole crew of kids beat on the table, eat fried chicken, demanding that she "Fry that chicken!"  Naturally, I immediately looked for it on YouTube.

The article discusses the different styles of rap music, and Southern rap music, in particular.  I had no idea this kind of distinction existed, but I suppose that it makes sense.  There is Southern rock and Southern blues.  Ms. Peachez's videos (she made two more, and none since then) are contoversial because they appear to be dripping with stereotypical devices.  However, the author of the article explains how he tried to track down Ms. Peachez to get more information.  He found "her" living in Shreveport, Louisiana, by the name of Nelson Boyd.  The Peachez character was originally made for advertising spots and eventually it was decided that Ms. Peachez should rap, too.  According to Rico Da Body, (who wrote the song and helped to produce it), all he was trying to do was to "show what normal people do in everyday life.  We fry chicken.  The video didn't have no rims, no cars, no lies. Just the truth."  Which means the video was only accidentally offensive, if people chose to be offended by it.

Sometimes, a song is just a song.

The article can be found in the July-August 2011 Utne Reader, No. 166, pages 80-83.  Finger-Licken' Rap.  By Ben Westhoff.

Musical art

In a recent issue of Vanity Fair (or Vogue, I can't remember now), I found an article on a performance/art piece that had a pianist inside of a piano.  The piano is on wheels, and it had been redesigned to allow for a person to stand in the middle of it (where the strings are) and then they walk the piano around the room and play Beethoven.  What's fascinating about this, besides being a unique art concept,  is that the player needs to learn to play the piano backwards.  Because they are situated behind the keyboard, their left hand now needs to play the treble parts and their right hand plays the bass parts.  And they are also playing upside down, because the keyboard is facing away from them.

I was happy to find that there is a video of this on YouTube.  The piece is a performance work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The artists are Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla and the title of the piece is Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for Prepared Piano.  A prepared piano isn't such a new thing, John Cage and other avant garde composers have been throwing things into pianos (placing metal pieces, metal washers, etc., to create different sounds and vibrations) for years.  What I like about this, though, is that the performer is actually part of the prepared piano.  The musician is now part of the modified instrument.  Love it!

Bombarde-ment!

My new instrument arrived today!  A bombarde.  Bombardes are related to shawms, and are still in use today, mostly in the Breton part of France.  Here is a picture of it:

Not the best picture, sorry, but it isn't terribly complicated.  It has six fingerholes, (no thumb hole) and a single key.  The key is to get the note below the pitch of the instrument.  At least, that's what I've read.  I haven't been able to check it to a tuner yet, because I just recently has been able to get a consistent sound.  The bombarde uses a double reed (like oboes and bassoons.)  It looks like this:

It is shorter and broader than an oboe reed.  The reed that came with the bombarde was also ridiculously hard.  I couldn't get a sound right away, so, not having my reed knife with me, I used the sharp edge of a pair of scissors to shave it down to where it would make a good sound.  After some repeated efforts of shaving and testing, I think I've gotten the reed adjusted to the point of being reasonably playable. 

I have, so far, managed to play at least part of a scale and have determined that the key is sealing well enough.  I have also managed to startle and annoy everyone around me with this loud, piercing instrument.  Now I just need to learn some Breton tunes!

Eeek!

I always used to think that The Beatles were saying that they would "pay her back later" in Paperback Writer.  Considering that the lyrics dealt with getting a job, it made sense to me. 

I also used to think that in Penny Lane The Beatles were singing: "And Elaine is in my ears and in my eyes."  I spent years wondering who Elaine was and why she wasn't mentioned anywhere else in the song.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

How to be a good music student:

1.  Get quality equipment.  It doesn't have to be top of the line, or professional grade, but get something that wasn't scrounged up from EBay because it was cheap.  If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Go to a reputable music store or a music-minded friend and get something that you don't need to replace again in six months.  Some well-invested money up front will save time, headache, and repair bills down the line.  Also, quality equipment is just made better, which comes back around to the "you won't need to replace it again in 6 months" rationale.  If you get an instrument from a friend or the attic, take it to a good repair shop to see whether it is still playable and what kind of work you'd need to put into it to make it sound okay for you.

2.  Find a good teacher.  A well-trained, understanding, patient teacher can help in so many ways.  Not only will they help you with the nuts and bolts of the instrument you are trying to learn, they can help to guide you to others who share your interests or goals.  A good teacher will also inspire you to learn things you never thought you'd be interested in, and inspire you to do your best, whatever your goal may be.

3.  Practice.  Remember the old joke: "Excuse me, sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" "Practice!"  There is no substitute for putting the time in on your instrument.  There is the unavoidable awkward first few months that you will sound weird, bad, or unmusical.  Stick with it, though, because, eventually the awkwardness goes away.  Eventually your guitar chords will sound cleaner, shifting will become more automatic, your saxophone reed will start to cooperate, and the notes will begin to look less like dots on a page and more like a language you can now understand.  As I tell my students: There is no shortcut in music. 

4.  Listen.  Borrow CDs from the local library or friends, watch YouTube videos, listen to the radio, attend live concerts.  The best musicians knew how to listen and they listened to everything.  If you play the flute, listen to flute players, but also listen to singers, violinists, and other players.  You can learn phrasing, musicality, and how to use the technique that you are learning.  Listen across genres too.  You can learn stuff from a Baroque dance-form, even if all you do is sit in your garage playing a guitar.  If anything, it will teach you to become a better listener, which is helpful when you start to play with others.  It is irritating to play with someone who can't seem to play outside of their personal bubble.  To be in a band or ensemble means that you need to integrate your sound with other sounds.

5.  Stay curious.  Try to learn the history of your instrument.  Where did the banjo come from?  Who first invented it, who improved it, who makes it the best?  How do other players from around the world play your instrument?  How is the American style of clarinet playing different from the Australian style?  These sort of things will open your ears and mind to what is possible on your instrument.  It may also give you ideas to try something new and innovative that no one else has though of yet.   Whatever instrument you decide to play, commit to it and cultivate a passion. 

Now, go practice.

My dog has fleas

A grab bag of musical tidbits today:

A friend has recently picked up the ukelele.  A ukelele is a four stringed instrument, sort of lute-like.  It has its origins in Hawaii, where it was made as an interpretation of other instruments called the cavaquinho, bruguinha, and rajao.  These instruments were introduced to Hawaiian culture by Portuguese immigrants.  They are also super fun to play!  I have one too, and it's a quiet, soothing kind of instrument to strum on and sing along with.  Go out and get your own!  It's uke-mania!!!

In the background is some blues music by Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield, 1915-1983), an American bluesman, who is considered to be responsible for Chicago style blues.  Chicago blues, generally speaking, is characterized by electric guitar and harmonica, in contrast to the acoustic/bottleneck guitar of the Delta blues.  Some of his popular hits include (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man, They Call Me Muddy Waters, and I Just Want to Make Love to You.  He was influenced by the great Delta bluesmen Son House and Robert Johnson.

I have ordered a new instrument, and recently got a message that it has been shipped.  Can't wait for it to get here, because it is so different than any of my current instruments.  It's another cliff-hanger.  You'll have to tune in again to find out what it is!

Lots of strings

While on my Olde English Faire travels, I came across something that I'd only seen a picture of:  a chromatic harp.  These are neat.  Most harps have just a single line of strings, usually tuned diatonically (like a major scale) with either sharping levers or pedals to change pitch (and get the "in-between" notes, like the black keys on a piano).

The chromatic harp has two rows of strings that are criss-crossed.  One side is the usual set up, and the other side is like the flat/sharp keys on a keyboard (the black keys).  Here is a picture:

They are criss-crossed like that so that both hands can reach both sets of strings.  It also places equal tension on both sides of the soundboard, reducing strain and pull on the neck.  There are no levers on this harp because the player wouldn't need them.  This harp is handmade by Dan Speer of Indiana. 

How I spent my weekend

So much to say.  Let's start with some sad news.  Clarence Clemons, the tenor saxophonist of the E Street Band died this weekend from complications of a stroke.  He was 69 and, though he was not someone I followed closely, he was always on my radar.  He is the big sax sound you hear behind Bruce Springsteen and is responsible for the blazing sax solo in Born To Run.  The world has lost a great musician.

In related saxophone news, I had rediscovered the splendor of Coleman Hawkins.  Hawk was a tenor man too (1904-1969), and is known for his fantastic interpretation of Body and Soul.  Known as Hawk, as a boy he played cello, which may have influenced the rich, full tone of his tenor playing.  Hawk started as a sideman in Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds and eventually became a featured soloist with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.  (Fletcher Henderson would go on to become a primary arranger and pianist for Benny Goodman.)  I love his sound and his soloing is fascinating to listen to.  I may try to transcribe a solo to see what he's doing.  It's incredible to hear a skilled soloist navigate through chord changes that present millions of possibilities and manage to come out the other side with something tuneful and coherant.

Yesterday, with a friend, I took a little trip back to the Rennaissance at the Olde English Faire held at the Wildlife Prairie State Park.  In addition to seeing buffalo and other furry and feathered critters, the Faire offered musical entertainment.  One band that caught my ear was a three-piece minstrel troupe called Wolgemut.  Wolgemut means, in ancient German, "to be in a good mood."  They are a lot of fun to watch and listen to, adept on their instruments, with plenty of comedy thrown in for good measure. 

Here they are.  The man on the right is playing a German bagpipe, the man in the middle is playing a big drum (he had two types of sticks to create different sounds, and you can see the cymbals on the stand to his right), the man on the left is playing a rauschpfeife.  A rauschpfeife is a relative of the shawm.  It has a double reed (like an oboe) encased in a windcap.  The force required to make the reeds vibrate create a very loud sound. 

There are a few other things, but in order to keep this nibble down to bite-sized, I will save them for another time.  ARE YOU WOLGEMUT!?!

Your brain likes what it likes

Okay, through the wonder of Hulu.com, I found a clip from the NOVA program about music and the brain that I wanted to see.  It was only a 5 minute excerpt, but what I learned is interesting.  Basically, your brain can tell apart two different composers even when you can't.

Neurologist, and personal hero of mine, Oliver Sacks goes to a lab to have his brain scanned while listening to some music.  He prefers Bach over Beethoven, and, once he's strapped into an MRI machine (I think it's an fMRI, or a functional MRI, which means that it measures blood flow instead of just structural pictures), he is given a handheld gadget to gauge his emotional response to the music examples he's given to listen to.  When he is told that he is listening to Bach (or he can recognize Bach's music) he signals a strong positive emotional response and the MRI scan shows lots of reaction and response all over his brain.  Many parts of his brain are engaged (neurologists know this because the the MRI scans for blood flow.  Increased blood flow to a part of the brain means that there is increased activity in that part of the brain, i.e. the neurons are engaged and you're thinking or processing something.)  When he hears the Beethoven example, he signals a flat response, or negative emotional reaction and his brain scans shows very little reaction.  Only the frontal lobes lit up.

What was more interesting was when Dr. Sacks was confused as to which composer he was listening to.  He couldn't readily identify the example as Bach or Beethoven, but when they reviewed his brain imaging, the scientists found that his brain could tell when it was "hearing" Bach or Beethoven.  More parts of the brain lit up when Bach was heard.  It is interesting to think about how the neurons in your head can identify something that you consciously can not.  Is it the harmonic or rhythmic patterns or the way Bach concludes a phrase?  Is it note choice or is the argument invalid because Bach and Beethoven are from two different musical eras, Bach is Baroque and Beethoven is Classical-Romantic.  Fascinating.

Musicians make money?

Found an interesting article from Forbes.com about the world's top 25 highest paid musicians.  U2, Bon Jovi, and Elton John round out the top 3, with Lady Gaga coming in 4th.  I was surprised to see Michael Buble edge Sir Paul McCartney out of 5th place. 

Black Eyed Peas at 7th place, followed by The Eagles and *shudder* Justin Bieber.  In 10th place is the Dave Matthews Band (not too shabby for a band who took this summer off from extensive touring, and will tour whether they are promoting a new album or not. ♥)

To get an idea of the money they are making for their art, U2 earned $195 million for the year, and DMB took in $51 million.  These two bands are also philanthropic, giving much of their earnings to selected charities and worthwhile causes.

Compare that to what I earn to be a musician...come to think of it, let's not.  : )

No moon

Still thinking about the Titanic exhibit.  During my last year at college, I was asked to play in the pit orchestra of Titanic -The Musical, which, I admit, sounds ridiculous, but as become one of my favourite soundtracks.  It's an impressive book, with a large cast (lots of passengers on that ship), huge set (it's the Titanic, for Pete's sake), and a wonderful score by Maury Yeston.

The musical opened on Broadway in 1997, and due to its large, complicated (and expensive) set, it wasn't "tried out" in out-of-town audiences.  Initially, it got some lousy reviews, but eventually won over audiences with its endearing treatment of a tragic situation (that everyone already knows the ending to.)  Yeston tried to stay true to the facts, including the details of the ships cargo, construction, passengers, and that fateful night in April, 1912.  One song describes how the absence of a moon and perfectly calm waters made it difficult for the lookout men to see the iceberg before it was too late.  Other details, like how the ship was pressed to nearly full-speed, and how iceberg warnings were ignored are also included. In another song, Mr. Andrews Vision,sung by Thomas Andrews (the Titanic's designer), gives a detailed description of how the ship should have been built, with Andrews redesigning the ship in his mind so that the accident would be survivable.

So, as I walked through the artifact exhibit, snippets of song lyrics came chirping through my mind.  The dialogue between Mrs. and Mr. Straus, and how she refused to board a lifeboat, choosing instead to stay aboard with her husband, was echoed in the exhibit.  "Where you go, I go." 

Wow, interesting

As many of you know by now, I'm a science person trapped in a musician person's body.  So, while reading a chapter in my latest Amazon acquisition: Science and Music, by James Jean, I found a neat bit of info:

The steel frame of a piano must be strong enough to withstand up to 30 tons (that is 60000 pounds) of tension.  The bass strings are thicker than the treble strings because if they were all the same thickness, the bass strings would need to be nearly 150 times longer than the corresponding treble strings.  This is impossible (and impractical) to build, so the thicker gauge of the strings, in addition to the tension, bring the low strings into proper pitch.  Science!  And maths!  Equals music!

I just think that's interesting.

Now, go practice.   :-)

Music for an iceberg

Today, the Momster and I visited the Titanic artifact exhibit at the Putnam Museum in Davenport.  Interesting to walk through, with lots of stuff that was recovered from  the depths of the ocean.  Every visitor is given a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger, and at the end of the exhibit, visitors can see whether their passenger survived or not.  My passenger was a third-class Englishwoman who survived the disaster.  Sadly, her husband did not.  Women and children first onto the too few lifeboats of the doomed ship.

While the story and history of the maiden voyage of this enormous vessel is sad and tragic, as a Music Zombie, I'm always attracted to the musical aspects of history.  Which means I felt especially touched while reading about the musicians aboard the Titanic.  Titanic's privately contracted bandleader, Wallace Hartley, and his orchestra were designated as second-class and were in the unusual position of not being part of the crew or passenger list.  So, they were barred from boarding any lifeboats when the ship started to sink. 

The musicians were contracted to play on the ship by the C.W. and F.N. Black agency of Liverpool.  There were actually two independent ensembles, used at different times in different locations, and it is likely that when the ship began to sink, it was the only time all eight players were assembled together.  Shortly after midnight, on April 14, 1912, all 8 men were assembled to play in the First Class Lounge.  They were later moved to the Boat Deck, as more and more passengers were piled onto the lifeboats.  They were asked (or ordered?) to play to keep the passengers calm.

We don't know for certain what the last melody played by these brave men, or what was going through their minds as the chaos ensued around them.  But they played on, until they couldn't play any more.  I like to think that they were showman to the last, and, as musicians, they felt that if they were to die, they were to die doing what they loved.  I am perhaps over-romanticising, but it's a nice thought.  In any case, my hat goes off to them, with respect. 

Don't feed the trolls

A couple of days ago I read an article about Katy Perry's performance at a concert to her Hot N Cold.  She performed the song while doing one of those quick change wardrobe changes that you see magician's do.  You know, where the woman is wearing one dress, then after being pelted with glitter or walking behind a screen or sheet, she pops out again wearing a different dress.  Quick. Change. Quick change. Get it?

Anyway, what got me thinking was this: I read some of the comments to the article (I know, bad idea, but I can't help myself), and there were some really bizarre (and hateful) things said that had nothing to do with the music.  One comment mentioned that Axl Rose did something similar, another claimed that he goes to concerts to hear the performer sing, not do magic tricks.  And so on.  Your typical "internet-anonymity-means-I-can-say-whatever-moronic-thing-pops-into-my-brain-because-no-one-will-know-who-I-am" routine.  I'm thinking: 1) Who cares if another performer did the same thing once? 2) Why bother to read the article if you dislike or are uninterested in the subject matter? and 3) Do you really go to a concert just to hear someone sing? 

With regards to the third point:  I doubt it.  We go to concerts to see something interesting.  At least I do.  If the performer plays or sings their work exactly like their recording, well, I can just listen to that on my CD player.  While I enjoy being able to sing along word-for-word with the band, at some point I like to be surprised.  To see or hear something really different.  It's exciting to see a band that you really dig stretch their musical wings.  Even more exciting when they manage to pull it off!

Les talk

The Google Doodle yesterday, and today, is a playable guitar.  Very fun to play with and annoy those around you.  The playable Doodle is in honor of what would have been Les Paul's 96th birthday on June 9. 

Lester William Polsfuss (1915-2009) was the guitarist, songwriter and inventor behind the solid-body electric guitar.  He was born in Waukesha, WI (so I'll have to drive through there when I take my upcoming WI roadtrip/vacation) and sometime around 1940, he developed something called The Log.  The Log was a length of lumber with a pickup, a bridge and guitar neck attached to it.  The solid body solved the two problems of feedback and sustain. 

The electronics continued to improve and with the new electrified instrument, that could also be amplified, rock and roll was possible.  It also had the unfortunate side effect of phasing out big swing bands.  Venues could hire fewer musicians and not lose volume. 

Say what?

Misheard lyrics.  You know, when you or someone else hears a song on the radio and either the singer isn't annunciating quite well-enough, or the listener isn't listening quite closely enough and you wind up with something that you only think you heard.  Anyway, here are some of my favourites:

"secret Asian man" = Secret Agent Man, Barri/Sloan, Johnny Rivers

"excuse me while I kiss this guy" = "excuse me while I kiss the sky" Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix

"There's a bathroom on the right" = "There's a bad moon on the rise."  Bad Moon, Creedence Clearwater Revival

"I've got two chickens with parrot eyes/to paralyze!" = Two Tickets to Paradise, Eddie Money

"Cuz I've been bakin' carrot biscuits!" = Takin' Care of Business, Bachman Turner Overdrive

Vintage DMB

I had some driving time yesterday, so I popped in the latest gift from the Dave Matthews Band fan association.  The Warehouse, to the initiated.  This CD, part of the Live Trax series, is a recording from a very early show at the Wetlands Preserve in New York City.

The show was recorded on August 19, 1993, very early in DMB's career, and I was struck by a few things as I listened:

Dave's voice has mellowed a bit from nearly 20 years ago (from age, most likely. Most everyone's voice deepens as they get older).  He's still instantly recognizable (at least to my ears) whenever I hear him, but his younger voice is reedy and a bit tense, almost like he's uncomfortable singing.  His style is still evident, though, and the guitar work is solid.

Boyd Tinsley (violinist) wrote a song called True Reflections, that is well formed, and sounds good, but definitely shows his influences are different from Dave's (Dave writes most of the songs for the band.)  True Reflections has a bar-band rock style, with a standard verse, chorus form and less surprising chord structure.  Dave's songs are sometimes more meandering, structurally and harmonically.

I was mostly impressed with how little their core sound has changed through the years.  The instrumentation, over the course of many years of mega-touring, has been augmented with keyboards, additional singers, guest musicians, and the permanent additions of Tim Reynolds and Rashawn Ross (and Jeff Coffin taking LeRoi Moore's part after Moore's untimely death in 2008.)  However, the sound is still unmistakably DMB.  The violin punctuating and underscoring Dave's vocals and guitar, the jazz-soaked saxophone, and Carter and Stefan's always tasteful drum and bass underpinning the whole thing.

I like the stripped down sound that they had in the early 1990's.  And, as a devoted fan, it is great to hear that they were as solid and well-developed then as they are now.  The best part: I get to see them play again this summer! ♫♥ 

Therapy

Reading Oliver Sack's latest book, The Mind's Eye, and I am reminded of how therapeutic music is to those who have suffered strokes, head injuries, or similar brain damage.  In one of his earlier books, Sacks describes a man who could no longer identify objects, at one point mistaking his wife for a hat.  The man was able to function in his daily life by coming up with melodies or tunes to help him "remember" things.

In The Mind's Eye, there are similar stories.  A woman with right side paralysis and aphasia (caused by a massive stroke) is able to speak through songs and music.  Aphasia is the inability to use language.  But by putting the words to a melody, the person is able to "set the words free."  As I mentioned in an earlier post, music comprehension and creation is global.  The whole brain is involved in music listening and making.  So, it makes sense that those with language difficulties are able to communicate, even after the language portions of their brains are damaged (because language is more localized in the brain).

Stutterers are also able to communicate clearly when singing to music.  Haven't you noticed how incomprehensible Ozzy Osbourne is when he's speaking, but can be completely understood when he's singing?  Interesting stuff.

Lucille

Sitting in the public library, using the free wi-fi (yes, I'm one of those people), looking at a book called American Roots Music, edited by Robert Santelli, Holly George-Warren, and Jim Brown.  Nice, heavy hardcover, with a picture of B. B. King on the cover.  I kind of want to tell you about the Zydeco/Cajun chapter, because I find that kind of music fascinating, but the picture of B.B. on the front reminds of something else.

Several years ago I read King's autobiography, Blues All Around Me.  Truly interesting read, that leaves the reader with not only an appreciation for King (born Riley B. King) himself, but for what many people went through in the early 20th century in the deep South.  One of the more interesting stories he told was how he came to call his guitar Lucille.  There have actually been many Lucilles, as the first one was stolen from King.  A black guitar, that he got for $30, was the original Lucille.  In the winter of 1949, in Twist, Arkansas, while playing a dance, a fire broke out.  Everyone left the building, but King went back into the blaze to save his guitar.  When he later learned that the fire was the result of a fight over a woman named Lucille, he decided to name his guitar (and all of his guitars since) Lucille.

Why is he called B.B.?  As a young man, he worked for a radio station and earned the nickname Beale Street Blues Boy.  This was eventually shortened to B.B.  King still tours the country, playing the blues.