These are 3 places in MS that will soon celebrate BB King’s 100th birthday. Here are their plans
About a decade after the death of Mississippi-born blues legend B.B. King, music lovers across the South will celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday — showing just how impactful his music continues to be.
Born September 16, 1925 on a plantation near Indianola, Riley B. King became “one of the most influential blues musicians of all time,” releasing more than 50 albums and winning 15 Grammy Awards, according to the B.B. King Museum and bbking.com.
He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, according to the B.B. King Museum.
“(King) transformed the genre and shaped American music with his unique guitar style and soulful performances,” Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a Jan. 16 post kicking off the centennial celebration of the musician’s birth.
Here are three Mississippi spots where you can celebrate the King of Blues’ legacy.
Indianola, Mississippi
Known as B.B. King’s hometown and final resting place, Indianola is one of the best spots to celebrate his legacy. The town includes the BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, where visitors can learn more about King’s life and contributions to music along with stories of the Delta, including racial discrimination faced by B.B. King and other African Americans in the region.
The museum is celebrating King’s birthday Sep. 16 by handing out cake and souvenirs from 12 to 6 p.m. with a candle blowout at 12:30 p.m., according to the museum’s website.
Clarksdale, Mississippi
The small town of Clarksdale is considered “ground zero for blues” and is rich with blues culture.
Visitors can learn about B.B. King and his contemporaries at the Delta Blues Museum and visit the Ground Zero Blues Club to hear the continuing tradition of blues music.
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson hosted a kick off of the centennial celebration of the birth of B.B. King and civil rights activist Medgar Evers.
The year-long festivities will come to a close at the National Folk Festival, taking place Nov. 7-9. The free festival brings together an estimated 300 artists, musicians, dancers and storytellers to honor and showcase blues, bluegrass, go-go music and more, according to Visit Jackson.
Here’s a map of more spots along the Mississippi Blues Trail that honor B.B. King.
