(INDIANOLA, MS) – The 39th Annual B.B. King Homecoming Festival will return to Fletcher Park in Indianola on June 1st, and will feature Mr. Sipp “The Mississippi Blues Child,” Lacee, Karen Wolfe, Chris Ivy, Robert Kimbrough Sr., United Male Chorus and the B.B. King Museum Allstars.
Starting February 1st, tickets are on sale for $15 and must be purchased online at Eventbrite B.B. King Homecoming 2019. Youth tickets (ages 6-17) are $5, and children age five and under get in free. Activities begin at noon with food and art vendors in the park, and entertainment will begin at 2pm, with Mr. Sipp taking the stage at 8pm.
In 2014, Mr. Sipp was the International Blues Challenge (Band) winner, the Jus’ Blues Foundation’s Bobby Rush Entertainer of the Year, and the Albert King Gibson Guitar award winner. He won several Jackson Music Awards in 2015, including International Male Blues Artist, Blues Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. In 2016, he received the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist Album and the Spirit of Little Walter Award.
Following the events in Fletcher Park, a concert will be held at historic Club Ebony. Each year B.B. King made this a hot-ticket event by performing at the club at the end of each festival. Club Ebony, which opened in 1948, was the site of performances in its heyday by big names such as Count Basie, Ray Charles, Bobby Bland, Albert King, Ike Turner, James Brown, and many more.
This year’s show is planned to begin around 10pm with performances by Grady Champion and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Mississippi-based, Grammy Award winning songwriter, entertainer, musician, Grady Champion has been captivating audiences for more than two decades. The singer, harp player, guitarist, songwriter, producer signed to Malaco Records in 2013, and his album, Bootleg Whiskey, named for the George Jackson song, established Champion as a torch carrier for authentic Mississippi blues.
Kingfish is cousin to legendary country music great Charlie Pride. His recent awards include the Jus’ Blues Foundation’s “In Honor of B.B. King” King of The Blues Award (2015), R&B Hall of Fame’s Robert Johnson Rising Star Award (2015), and Rising Star Award by the 3rd Annual New Blues Festival (2016).
Tickets for the Club Ebony show are available at Eventbrite or by visiting B.B. King Museum. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on site.
“We encourage all to visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center while they are in Indianola,” said Malika Polk-Lee, executive director of the museum. “Everyone who does comes out with a whole new understanding of who B.B. really was, the things that were important to him, and the circumstances that shaped his life,” she added. “We’re excited with the progress taking place at the Museum, and we hope everyone will pay their respects to our beloved B.B. before going to Club Ebony for what promises to be an outstanding show.”
Other event details will be announced in the coming weeks, so people are encouraged to check the museum’s website.
