Winner: B.B. King

None of the finalists in the Most Memphis Musician category, oddly enough, is originally from Memphis. And the winner, B.B. King, hasn’t lived here for decades. But maybe Most Memphis is something that transcends provenance — more a shared spirit than an address. And in King’s case, no one has done more to help define that spirit.

“As a young adult, my nature was still restless,” the Mississippi native wrote in his autobiography, ”Blues All Around Me.” “That’s how I got to Memphis.”

In his 60-year career, the brilliance of Riley “Blues Boy” King has been incontrovertible. His booming voice and single-line, vibrato heavy guitar solos are instantly recognizable the world over from such classics as “the Thrill Is Gone” and “Everyday I Have the Blues.” His playing is so distinctive and influential that Rolling Stone magazine placed him third on its list of the greatest guitarists of all time, making him the highest-rated living player.

Finalists: Crash Kole, Ruby Wilson