Following his first '' Billboard '' Rhythm and Blues charted number one , " 3 O'Clock Blues " ( February 1952 ) , B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s , amassing an impressive list of hits including " You Know I Love You " , " Woke Up This Morning " , " Please Love Me " , " When My Heart Beats like a Hammer " , " Whole Lotta Love " , " You Upset Me Baby " , " Every Day I Have the Blues " , " Sneakin ' Around " , " Ten Long Years " , " Bad Luck " , " Sweet Little Angel " , " On My Word of Honor " , and " Please Accept My Love " . This led to a significant increase in his weekly earnings , from about $ 85 to $ 2,500 , with appearances at major venues such as the Howard Theater in Washington and the Apollo in New York , as well as touring the " Chitlin ' Circuit " . 1956 became a record-breaking year , with 342 concerts booked and three recording sessions . That same year he founded his own record label , Blues Boys Kingdom , with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis . There , among other projects , he was a producer for artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury . In 1962 , King signed to ABC-Paramount Records , which was later absorbed into MCA Records ( which itself was later absorbed into Geffen Records ) . In November 1964 , King recorded the '' Live at the Regal '' album at the Regal Theater . King later said that '' Regal Live '' " is considered by some the best recording I 've ever had . . . that particular day in Chicago everything came together . . . " From the late 1960s , new manager Sid Seidenberg pushed King into a different type of venue as blues-rock performers like Eric Clapton ( once a member of The Yardbirds , as well as Cream ) , and Paul Butterfield were popularizing an appreciation of blues music among white audiences . King gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act on the Rolling Stones ' 1969 American Tour . He won a 1970 Grammy Award for his version of the song " The Thrill Is Gone ; " which was a hit on both the Pop and R&B charts . It also gained the number 183 spot in '' Rolling Stone '' magazine 's '' 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ''
1969 American Tour
The Rolling Stones American Tour 1969
B.B. King