The Mississippi Delta recently took a giant step toward preserving and uplifting its rich blues tradition. Two weeks ago, the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center held its grand opening, and thus far the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Located in King’s hometown of Indianola, Miss., the museum tells the story of the blues ― via photos, artifacts, and interactive technology ― through the prism of the 83-year-old legend's life.
“It’s going to be educational to people, young and old, because it’s going to talk about the origins of the blues,” King told the Associated Press, in an article published this past weekend. “I’m just one who carried the baton because it was started long before me.”
Indeed, while the museum emphasizes King’s life and work, it also pays tribute to the blues culture at large. As reported by the A.P., the 20,000-square-foot facility houses rare photos of Elvis Presley, yellowing contracts signed by near-forgotten blues artists, and vinyl blues records by such legends as Blind Lemon Jefferson.
There's an admission fee of $8.00, and organizers anticipate that at least 40,000 people will visit the museum each year. The executive director, Connie S. Gibbons, told the Associated Press that fund-raisers will be held to supplement the budget.
“Our mission is education,” Gibbons said. “What we’ve done is use B.B. King’s life and his experiences to talk about life in the Delta. It’s his values, it’s his work ethic, it’s his commitment to work excellence that provide the inspiration for the message and the story we want to tell.” ―Russell Hall
Photo Credit: Jérôme Brunet