B.B. King

He started life as Riley B. King in one of America’s most impoverished places, the Mississippi Delta. He had little but the dream in his heart and a destiny that would take him around the world. Now he’s an international music icon, and Blues aficionados from all over the planet want to hear more and know more about B.B. King.

That’s what’s going to happen. With the building of the B.B. King Museum in King’s hometown of Indianola, Mississippi, the artifacts from his 60-year career will be on permanent display.

In B.B. King’s eyes, however, something far more important will take place within the walls of the museum: It’s called the Delta Interpretive Center. And it may be the bridge from abject hopelessness to lives of fulfillment for Delta youth, many of whom have few expectations beyond poverty, unemployment and untimely deaths.