This last King of Memphis was B.B. King- “The King of the Blues” or one of the three Kings of the Blues along with Albert and Freddie King. His real name was Riley B. King. He went from cotton field hand, to radio DJ to Blue’s force over his long life.
A museum celebrating his life and music is in Indianola, MS and is worth the visit. We were there a few months ago:
There is also a very nice Blues Hall of Fame museum across the street from the Civil Rights Museum that was mentioned in the last post. While the museum didn’t have a lot of artifacts beyond loaned ones, it excels at interactive music where you can listen to hundreds of recordings while learning about the history’s of different Blues artists. And finally, a few blocks away is Beale Street where you can find the BB King Blues Bar and Restaurant. When urban renewal came to Memphis the original proponents wanted to erase Beale Street the entertainment heart of historic Black Memphis, but more knowledgeable citizens where able to save this landmark stretch.
Since we are in Memphis and the Blues seems to go hand and hand with BBQ, we have been having our fill and there is one across the street from the Civil Rights museum called Central BBQ and its one of the better ones in town:
