When you think of B.B. King, the words "music icon" and "blues" come right to mind. In fact, his name is synonymous with the latter — he's not known as the King of Blues for nothing, after all.

Over the course of his multiple decades long career, King's music and unmistakable guitar talents have helped shape many of today's biggest bands and guitar players, even collaborating with a few of them before passing away just a few years ago in 2015.

Born in Mississippi in 1925, B.B. King (real name Riley B. King) was raised by his grandmother after losing his mother at just nine years old — his parents had divorced when he was five. B.B. dropped out of school in 10th grade, and in addition to other jobs, would sing gospel songs on a local street corner to earn money and began to study music. After being a part of a radio show, he began playing at a bar in Memphis six nights a week, and it was here that he heard the electric guitar for the first time.

King's first No. 1 hit happened in 1953 with "3 O'Clock Blues." Fast-forward over 60 years later, and the Blues King has scored numerous accolades for his music, including a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, 15 Grammy Awards (out of 21 nominations), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Blues Hall of Fame Induction, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music, and so much more.

Today, B.B.'s legacy lives on through his music, but also through the inspiration he's given to many of today's biggest rock stars, musicians and guitar players. Take a look at some of them below.

Billy Gibbons

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons once told Rolling Stone of the impact that B.B. King has had on him from a young age, "It's difficult to fathom a world without B.B. King. He's been with me literally since the dawn of my musical consciousness. I first encountered him when I was a small child. My father was a musician and would take me around to studios in Houston. We met B.B. King at ACA Studios when I was, maybe, 7. He made a huge impression on me and that encounter continues to resonate."

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