For his fans he never really left us but, get this, a hologram of the King of the Blues as BB comes back to life at 100 in Mississippi.
All thanks to our friends at Visit Mississippi, with whom we shared an unforgettable odyssey along the Blues Trail.
And who are only unveiling a life-size hologram of BB.
Who is set to take the stage at Club Ebony at the BB King Museum in his home town of Indianola.
In a full concert performance on September 13.
Where you can see him sing again his most beloved songs, including The Thrill is Gone.
BB’s Big Birthday
Club Ebony has been renovated in 2023 ahead of BB’s Big Birthday.
All of which gets the thumbs-up from his daughter Karen Williams.
‘I’m absolutely amazed at what the museum is doing with this wonderful tribute to my father,’ she said.
‘I have a two-fold wish – that he had lived to be one hundred so we would still have him.
‘And also that he could see all these celebrations. They are more than what any of us had expected.
‘My Dad was a one-of-a-kind people person, and he loved people almost as much as he loved playing the blues.
Just the ticket
Visit Mississippi and the Mississippi Blues Trail commission recently honoured the B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center.
With the unveiling of a NEW Mississippi Blues Trail marker.
That recognises the museum’s dedication to preserving and celebrating the life, music, and legacy of the Great Man himself.
Of course, for many of us, our first close connection with BB is in Memphis at his iconic Beale Street club.
And while we all, of course, got into the spirit of the Blues band from the balcony above.
And as luck would have it I still have a drinks voucher in the pocket of an old waistcoat I never wear.
Singing the Blues
For the Dutch member of our party (and I’d always recommend at least one) BB King’s was where he got the chance to live out a dream.
And get up on the stage and play trumpet and get paid into the bargain.
Which is how they do it in the Deep South, and as it should be.
Of course, when BB comes back to life at 100 in Mississippi in a hologram that might be one way around it.