B.B. King Museum Unveils Expansion, New Exhibits

By Vickie King

Mississippi Today

Members of the public can now visit the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center’s new exhibits and the newly enhanced pavilion that encloses the site where King is buried.

The 4,500 square foot addition and new exhibits at the museum, which first opened in 2008, showcase the final years of King’s life. Items acquired after King’s death in 2015 that are part of the addition include two of his personal automobiles, a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and a custom painted Chevy El Camino. The largest item inside the new space is King’s tour bus, which was filled with the latest music technology and served as his home on the road.

Other artifacts include King’s most cherished guitar, a Les Paul given to him by Paul himself, as well as the last two Gibson Lucille guitars signed by King, which were carried on a riderless black horse in his funeral procession. There is also a life-sized bronze statue of King holding his guitar near the burial site.

“This addition has been in the works for several years now, and everyone associated with the project is thrilled that it is finally time to welcome B.B. King fans from all over the world to see the new pieces,” said Bill McPherson, museum board president. “It gives people who have formerly visited a good reason to come back, and for those who have never been, I believe they will have the same response we hear over and over and read in the guest book — that this is an extraordinary place that does justice in honoring a special man.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.