B.B. King is a legend of the blues, and his soulful rock performances seeped deeply into the worlds of rock and country. And on Monday night (Feb. 15) during the 2016 Grammys, the king got his due with a passionate tribute performance of his hit "The Thrill Is Gone" courtesy of Grammy winners Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt.
After a loving introduction from Raitt, Stapleton and Clark Jr. first took the stage by themselves, trading off soulful vocals and smooth guitar playing skills. But soon, they were eclipsed by Bonnie Raitt, who sauntered on to the stage like the legend that she is.
The three then riffed and gave massively bluesy performances that King would surely be proud of.
Stapleton took over the Grammys early this year with wins for Best Country Solo Performance ("Traveller") and Best Country Album (Traveller). Both Raitt and Clark Jr. have also proven themselves as Grammy icons, each with multiple wins to their name.
Meanwhile, King holds the record for the most Grammy wins in the blue genre, with 15 total.
The tribute to King was one of many tributes at the 2016 Grammys. David Bowie was honored by Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie's tribute was executed by Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, John Legend, Tyrese and Meghan Trainor. The Eagles and Jackson Browne gave a loving send-off to Glenn Frey and The Hollywood Vampires paid tribute to Motorhead's Lemmy.
