B.B. King, one of the greatest blues musicians of all time, died last month at the age of 89.
He grew up in Mississippi, sang gospel in a church choir and reportedly began playing the guitar at age 12. Early on, he earned spare money by busking (see definition and hear pronunciation below) on the streets.
Within a short time, King began receiving professional recording contracts and started touring. Even late in life, he kept a demanding performance schedule, playing gigs up to 300 nights each year.
King won multiple Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also received an honorary Doctor of Music from Yale University.
B.B. King is truly an American legend!
Cool word question of the day: Do you know of any famous entertainers who began their careers by busking?
Busk: To play music or entertain in a public place for donations.
Click here to hear a pronunciation of busk.
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/busk.mp3
We're looking for the coolest of the cool words! Nominate and vote on words. See which ones your friends like best.
>> Winners Circle
Got something important to say? Send us your essays. Your work may be chosen as a guest blog for this website. 
Vote for your favorite word and see which words your friends think are cool!