Hours before thrilling a sold-out audience at the MSU Riley Center Thursday, blues legend B.B. King was honored with a bronze star on the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center's Walk of Fame.
A crowd of hundreds of state and local representatives and fans gathered on a corner of the downtown facility for the unveiling.
"Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center is proud to award B.B. King, a world-renowned musician born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, with a star plaque on our Walk of Fame," said Arts and Entertainment Center Board President Tommy Dulaney.
"B.B. King is truly an ambassador for the blues and for Mississippi."
Connie Gibbons, executive director of the B.B. King Museum, along with museum board members, Jim Abbott and Dr. Edgar Smith, accepted the honor on King's behalf.
"We're really proud to add another honor for B.B. King to our museum," Gibbons said. "I can honestly say that he is as proud of the honors that he gets in Mississippi as any other ones he's received."
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant recognized the witnessing of a performance by the 84-year-old music legend as a "great opportunity."
"The thrill is not gone, the thrill is in the Riley Center," said Bryant, who noted that his daughter was upset that she would not be able to attend the evening's performance.
"B.B. King is a great Mississippi treasure. We should be honored to be able to tell our children and our grandchildren that we saw B.B. King, right here in Meridian, Mississippi."
Other keynote speakers for the unveiling included Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry; Fred Canon, senior vice president, Government Relations, BMI; and Hank Florey, president of the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors.
"It is very fitting to honor B.B. King in this way. He has brought honor to his home state,"Florey said. "His music transcends county lines, as well as continents."
King's star is the second unveiling on Mississippi’s Walk of Fame. The first star, honoring Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music, was unveiled in February. Plans are to honor other outstanding Mississippi artists in the future – each with a bronze star, on a path that leads through downtown Meridian.
King returns to his home state at least once a year, for the homecoming celebration in Indianola, where the world-class museum chronicles his life and his music.
"Having him perform in Meridian on the same day his star is unveiled in the Walk of Fame is an honor for the city that pays him tribute," noted Suzy Johnson, executive director of the Meridian/Lauderdale County Tourism Board.
“B.B. King is truly an artist and entertainer, but most of all, he’s a Mississippian who has never forgotten his state. He is not only the ‘King of the Blues,’ he’s Mississippi’s ‘King.’ Long may his star shine.”
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Walk of Fame
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