B.B. King Museum Announces Festival and Club Ebony Show set for June 1, 2019

USA - English

• USA - English

INDIANOLA, Miss., Feb. 7, 2019  /PRNewswire-PRWeb/-- The 39th Annual B.B. King Homecoming Festival will return to Fletcher Park in Indianola on June 1, and will feature Mr. Sipp "The Mississippi Blues Child," Lacee, Karen Wolfe, Chris Ivy, Robert Kimbrough Sr., United Male Chorus, and the B.B. King Museum AllStars. The festival will also include the B.B. King Blues Band with NBC's The Voice contestant Michael Lee.

Starting February 1, tickets are on sale for $15.00 and can be purchased online at bbkinghomecoming2019.eventbrite.com or at the gate. Youth tickets (ages 6-17) are $5.00, and children age five and under get in free. Activities begin at noon with food and art vendors in the park, and entertainment will begin at 2 p.m., with Mr. Sipp taking the stage at 8 p.m.

In 2014 Mr. Sipp was named the International Blues Challenge (Band) winner, the Jus' Blues Foundation's Bobby Rush Entertainer of the Year, and the Albert King Gibson Guitar award winner. He won several Jackson Music Awards in 2015, including International Male Blues Artist, Blues Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. In 2016 he received the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist Album and the Spirit of Little Walter Award.

Following the events in Fletcher Park, a concert will be held at historic Club Ebony. For years B.B. King made this a hot-ticket event by performing at the club at the end of each festival. Club Ebony, which opened in 1948, was the site of performances in its heyday by big names such as Count Basie, Ray Charles, Bobby Bland, Albert King, Ike Turner, James Brown, and many more. This year's show is planned to begin around 10 p.m. with performances by Grady Champion and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.

Mississippi native Grady Champion has been captivating audiences for two decades with his charismatic performances. This multi-instrument musician received a Grammy award for the song "Trust Yourself" that he co-wrote with Kevin Bowe. Champion signed to Malaco Records in 2013, and his album Bootleg Whiskey, named for the George Jackson song, established him as a torch carrier for authentic Mississippi blues.

Twenty-one-year-old Kingfish, cousin to country music legend Charlie Pride, made a name for himself early and continues to amaze audiences with his talent. At age six, he was playing drums; by nine, he was playing bass guitar; and at 13 he added lead guitar. His influences began with the gospel sounds he heard growing up in the Mississippi Delta, and he also draws from many of the blues greats who came before him. He has performed at music festivals all over the US as well as some international venues. His recent awards include the Jus' Blues Foundation's "In Honor of B.B. King" King of The Blues Award (2015), R&B Hall of Fame's Robert Johnson Rising Star Award (2015), and Rising Star Award by the 3rd Annual New Blues Festival (2016).

Tickets for the Club Ebony show are available at http://www.clubebony19.eventbrite.com or by visiting B.B. King Museum in Indianola. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on site.

"We encourage everyone to visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center while they are in Indianola," said Malika Polk-Lee, executive director of the museum. "Everyone who does comes out with a whole new understanding of who B.B. really was, the things that were important to him, and the circumstances that shaped his life," she added. "We're excited with the progress taking place at the museum, and we hope everyone will pay their respects to our beloved B.B. before going to Club Ebony for what promises to be an outstanding show," said Polk-Lee.

Other event details will be announced in the coming weeks, so people are encouraged to check the museum's website at https://bbkingmuseum.org/homecoming/.

SOURCE B.B. King Museum

Related Links

https://bbkingmuseum.org/homecoming/