Blues King Comes Home, The

Jam with B.B. King and the children of the Delta during an annual performance in his hometown.

Indianola, Mississippi, is a little place with clean streets and charming people. But big dreams bring blues legend B.B. King back to his hometown for a magical performance every year.

Let the Music Play

Some 5,000 people bring lawn chairs, kids, and memories to the B.B. King Homecoming celebration held in Fletcher Park the first weekend in June. For a meager $5 (in advance, $10 at the gate) or free if you're under 12, you can sit in on one of the purest music events in the South.

Guests from around the world jam to regional acts before B.B. performs between 9 and 10 p.m. As his black tour bus rolls onto the grounds, fans file around to catch a glimpse. Gray-haired and smiling, Mississippi's music man returns to the stage and commences to play.

Meet the King

Children get a place of honor at the foot of the stage. After an hour of hits such as "When Love Comes to Town" and "Hey, Hey The Blues Is Alright," B.B. turns his attention to the kids. "The highlight of my year is watching these young people dance," he says. And dance they do. Boys and girls ages 4 to 12 boogie without reservation. Whoever continues the longest and strongest wins.

"What I love about this concert," says a fan from Meridian, "is that he's in no hurry. We're on B.B.'s time."

What a grand time it is. -FARRAH AUSTIN

B.B. King Homecoming: toll-free 1-877-816-7581 or www.indianolams.org. Date: June 2.

How It All Began

This 30-plus-year tradition put Indianola on the map and proved B.B. King to be one of the nicest musicians around. In years past, all the money went to fund local parks. A street was named in his honor, murals bear his likeness, and B.B.'s handprints are imprinted in a sidewalk downtown. Proceeds from this year's concert will help fund the B.B. King Museum, scheduled to open in 2007.

Don't Miss These Hot Spots

* Club Ebony, a little hole-in-the-wall where B.B. King often performs after the homecoming concerts. 404 Hanna Street, Indianola, MS 38751; www. dubebony.biz.

* The Crown In Town Restaurant for lunch where they serve delicious catfish entrées and Southern-style desserts. 112 Front Avenue, lndianola, MS 38751; (662) 887-4522.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jun 2006
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