--- title: Music and Christianity According to B.B. King description: "I’m awed by his handiwork, the forests and oceans and sky that surrounds us" canonical: https://time.com/3863995/the-gospel-according-to-b-b-king/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-15T20:39:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T07:15:08.632Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Gospel According to B.B. King og:description: "I’m awed by his handiwork, the forests and oceans and sky that surrounds us" og:url: https://time.com/3863995/the-gospel-according-to-b-b-king/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6865e382f349b5c4/6987f3488e0601d9eb45ef19/ap573971555203-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: In this file photo taken Aug. 22, 2012, B.B. King performs at the 32nd annual B.B. King Homecoming, a concert on the grounds of an old cotton gin where he worked as a teenager in Indianola, Miss. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Gospel According to B.B. King twitter:description: "I’m awed by his handiwork, the forests and oceans and sky that surrounds us" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6865e382f349b5c4/6987f3488e0601d9eb45ef19/ap573971555203-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Gospel According to B.B. King > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Paul Asay / Patheos](https://time.com/author/patheos/) ## Paul Asay / Patheos Contributor May 15, 2015 8:39 PM UTC  In this file photo taken Aug. 22, 2012, B.B. King performs at the 32nd annual B.B. King Homecoming, a concert on the grounds of an old cotton gin where he worked as a teenager in Indianola, Miss. In this file photo taken Aug. 22, 2012, B.B. King performs at the 32nd annual B.B. King Homecoming, a concert on the grounds of an old cotton gin where he worked as a teenager in Indianola, Miss. Rogelio V Solis—AP by [Paul Asay / Patheos](https://time.com/author/patheos/) ## Paul Asay / Patheos Contributor May 15, 2015 8:39 PM UTC Legendary blues artist B.B. King died last night at the age of 89. King’s influence on American music can’t be overstated. Through his dirt-road voice and exuberant guitar work (often on his famed favorite Gibson guitar Lucille), King brought the blues to mainstream audiences. You can read The New York _Times_‘ obituary of King [here](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/arts/music/b-b-king-blues-singer-dies-at-89.html?%5Fr=0), but for my money, King might’ve been one of the greatest American musicians ever, ranking alongside the likes of Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Billie Holiday. The blues themselves are, of course, quintessentially American—the yin to gospel music’s yang that, together, undergird jazz and rock. And I think there’s a little gospel in the blues themselves. Few blues songs reference God or Jesus directly, of course: They’re laments of a life or a love gone wrong, a beautiful, primal sigh. But that’s what many Psalms did back in their day, too: They were anguished, pit-of-the-soul cries set to music about heartbreak and angst and despair. The Psalms were painfully honest, just like the blues. And under each, I think, you find an underlying sliver of hope—hope in a brighter, better day. For many blues artists, including King, that hope was pinned on Jesus. King was a Christian who, as a boy, sang in a gospel choir and was inspired by his own pastor to pick up the guitar. “I believe all musical talent comes from God as a way to express beauty and human emotion,” he once said according to [_Christian Today_](http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bb.king.ten.things.the.king.of.blues.said.about.faith/54009.htm). He had a lot to say about God and faith, according to the story. And I loved what he said about God’s creation. “I believe God created everything. I’m awed by his handiwork, the forests and oceans and sky that surrounds us. I believe God made us. But our nature isn’t always godlike.” When I heard about King’s death this morning, my mind didn’t float back to any of King’s classic songs—”Don’t Answer the Door” or “The Thrill is Gone” or “Why I Sing the Blues.” I remembered “When Love Comes to Town,” King’s duet with Bono and U2\. Bono wrote the song specifically for King, and musically, it’s a meeting at the corner of the blues and gospel music. A shout of joy when the chains of sin have fallen away. On the version I have on my iPhone, King growls out these lyrics: I was there when they crucified my Lord I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword I threw the dice when they pierced his side But I’ve seen love conquer the great divide What follows isn’t the version I’m most familiar with. But it’s still pretty cool. _Paul Asay is an author, journalist, and entertainment critic who now serves as a senior associate editor for the popular Christian entertainment review site_ [_Plugged In_](http://pluggedin.com)_. He has been published in a variety of other secular and Christian publications, including The Washington Post, The Gazette in Colorado Springs, YouthWorker Journal and Beliefnet.com. You can follow Paul on Twitter (_[_@AsayPaul_](https://twitter.com/asaypaul)_), visit his_ [_website_](http://www.paulasay.com) _or just think nice, happy thoughts about him in your spare time._ _This_ [_article_](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/watchinggod/2015/05/the-gospel-according-to-b-b-king/) _originally appeared on_ [_Patheos_](http://www.patheos.com/)_._ _More from Patheos:_ * [The Blues as “Secular Spirituals”: James Cone on B.B. King](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unsystematictheology/2015/05/the-blues-as-secular-spirituals-james-cone-on-b-b-king/) * [Why the Apostle Paul Would Listen to Lecrae](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/brandondsmith/2015/05/why-the-apostle-paul-would-listen-to-lecrae/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3863995/the-gospel-according-to-b-b-king/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3863995/the-gospel-according-to-b-b-king/"},"headline":"The Gospel According to B.B. 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