Google honors blues legend B.B. King with new Doodle

Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Google is celebrating what would have been the 94th birthday of blues legend B.B. King with a Doodle.

King, who is nicknamed "The King of Blues," was born in 1925 near Berclair, Miss. The singer and guitarist grew up performing gospel music in church and on street corners before he hitchhiked to Memphis and got a job at a radio station.

First called the "Beale Street Blues Boy" by Memphis locals followed by "Bee Bee" and lastly "B.B.," King earned his first hit in 1949 with "Three O'Clock Blues."

Other hit songs released by King include "The Thrill is Gone," and "Every Day I Have the Blues."

King, throughout his career, was internationally acclaimed, won 15 Grammys, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and has performed at the White House.

He died at the age of 89 in May 2015.

Google's homepage features animated artwork of a young King performing in front of a glowing Google sign. The Doodle was illustrated by Steve Spencer and animated by Nayeli Lavanderos.