Page 43 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2025 Digital Edition

What’s Happening movement shaped the music of the time. Another photo
Celebrations paying homage to exhibit is planned for September.
B.B. King kicked off on January 14 King’s birthday month in September already has a slew
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at the Mississippi State Capitol, and of events scheduled – mark your calendar! On September
further events throughout the state 6 , folks can join in for Community Day at the Museum. On
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will continue to be announced all September 13 , the public is invited to the B.B. King Birthday
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year. Concert at the historic Club Ebony in Indianola. Over in
In February, the Mississippi Blues Memphis, TN, B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street will
Marathon in Jackson, MS, honored host a Family Parade on September 14 and a concert on
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the centennial birthdays of two of the September 18 .
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state’s legends – B.B. King and civil All year long, the Museum is promoting the free and
right activist Medgar Evers. The race open-to-the-public program “Be SMART and Control Your
started at the State Capitol, gave Diabetes,” meeting every fourth Thursday of the month from
runners a musical tour of the city January to November. The program presents health experts
Riley B. King, age 16. with six bands/blues performers who speak about healthy living, warning signs, preventive
stationed at several locations, and measures and coping with diabetes. Diagnosed with
even included birthday cake! This year’s race medals featured diabetes in 1990, King was a high-profile spokesman in the
King’s likeness and his famous guitar, “Lucille.” The race also fight against the disease.
added a new event to honor Mr. King – the B.B. Kids Half-Mile Of course, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive
Fun Run. Center, located at 400 Second Street in Indianola, MS, also
In March, the B.B. King Museum presented a special hosts year-round exhibits, including curated galleries about
exhibit by photographer/archivist Charlie Sawyer, the Delta in the 1930s – hear a firsthand account of King’s life
chronicling King’s development as a musician touring the on the farm as a sharecropper and tractor driver – as well as
Chitlin’ Circuit in the South, as well as how the Civil Rights about Memphis in the 1950s, taking visitors on an adventure

President Obama sings a few lines of "Sweet Home Chicago" with B.B. King at a 2012 White House event.

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