see . Indianola’s B. B. King Museum

Last summer, we decided to make a trek into the Mississippi Delta for one of the road trips that have begun to signify our summertime experiences. We made a couple of stops along the way to explore, but our true destination was Indianola, in Sunflower County, the town B.B. King considered home. There, he returned to perform for his namesake festival each year and is now memorialized at the B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center. We wanted to see and learn and experience this legendary Mississippi musician who was so loved by the world – there, where he had been raised. What we found was a world-class experience of music chronicling the part this iconic musician has played in it. Our visit to the B.B. King Museum did not disappoint, and looking back, I’m still enamored by its retelling of the man who’s tonic was the Blues.

The B.B. King Museum was not our first experience of Riley B. King. In October 2011, he performed a concert at Lee Hall Auditorium on the campus of Mississippi State University. It was part of my alma mater’s annual Lyceum Series of performing arts events, a perk of living in a college town that we enjoy each year. Riley B. was then in his 80s, and I knew the iconic Mississippian no longer toured much. Live concert performances were rare, so I jumped at the chance to see him in person. My oldest was a first grader at the time, and I decided to make it a Mommy and son outing. With much excitement, I told him about the origins of the Blues and this larger-than-life music legend who hailed from Berclair, Mississippi in Leflore County.

When we arrived at the concert, we found our seats in the balcony, and admittedly, our neighboring fans were a little surprised to share the experience with a 6-year-old. While we were talking about B.B., the man in front of us turned around and said something like “yeah, but can you tell me the name of his guitar?” Travis proudly said, “Lucille,” and I think, forever solidified that place in his own heart as a B.B. King fan. So, yes, he was young for a concert and began to ask “how much longer?” about midway through. But, we got to experience this intimate and story-filled presentation from a man who had played with and for some of the most widely revered musicians across the globe. With stories of music and heritage along with extemporaneous music renditions with his band members, I felt like we experienced a tangible piece of our home in Mississippi. B.B. King finished the concert with “The Thrill is Gone”, and left us feeling that the thrill was definitely still alive and kicking. Even now, Travis lights up with pride any time he hears the name B.B. King, and wears it like a badge of Mississippi honor that he had the opportunity to see him in person.

Fast forward to our trip to Indianola. Who would have thought that this small Delta town would boast such a world-class interpretive music experience? From its collection of awards and B.B. King memorabilia to the many personal narratives, quotes and videos, it was an immersed and intimate look, not just at Riley B. King, but at the blues genre, the evolution of music, and the realities of life in the Mississippi Delta.

Through the exhibits in the Museum collection, we heard and read stories of where and how B.B. King grew up, the men and women who shaped is early childhood… his grandmother, the land owner who gave him his first guitar and called him “son” instead of “boy,” the juke joint beginnings of his journey into recording. We saw artifacts and photos from key points in his career, like his first California concerts, where a black blues man from the South became a new icon for the counter culture youth audience. My kids enjoyed experimenting with the mock recording studio where they could experience playing a guitar like the one B.B. used. The exhibits featured his work in prison ministry and advocacy, proclaiming that “All people are good. Some just do bad things.” B.B. King’s studio and desk are also reconstructed in the Museum, giving an intimate view of how he worked.

Because of our love for Memphis, we enjoyed the stories and displays about the musician’s popularity on WDIA radio, and of course, his legend-status on Beale Street, where Mississippi’s Riley B. became the B.B. of “Beale Street Boy” fame. When you visit, don’t miss the opening film in the Museum Theatre, which includes old concert and club footage, and very poignant interviews with the man himself. And of course, step outside to visit King’s grave marker and memorial, a fitting tribute to the Delta son whose music and spirit impacted the world.

When in Indianola…

Blues and food always go hand in hand, so during our visit to Indianola, we took a few minutes to visit the Indianola Pecan House to grab a few of the Timbs family’s many varieties of Mississippi pecans – the original praline is my favorite. AND, since most of our road trips involve pizza of some kind, we had lunch at the Mississippi’s own flagship Lost Pizza Co. on US 82!