CLARKSDALE, Miss. — Nowhere is the loss of B.B. King felt more than in the Mississippi Delta where King was born and where his unique “blues” style took root.
Friday, visitors at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale talked about how King’s music touched their hearts and their souls.
“When anyone like this dies it’s a very, very sad moment,” said Robin Storey.
Storey is from Brighton in the UK.
Friday, he and his wife were among dozens of tourists visiting the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale.
The museum traces the birth of the “blues” in the Mississippi Delta, highlighting musicians like B.B. King.
“I had seen him in the UK,” said Storey.
Storey knew King’s health was deteriorating, but being in Clarksdale and only an hour from where King was born, was special even on this sad day.
“And the fact that he died today is a tragedy, but not unexpected. Very poignant, especially as we happened to be here on this particular day,” he told WREG.
Jay Hodge and son, James are from Kansas City.
They are both B.B. King fans and have been to many of his live performances.
“It’s just sad to see him gone, cause every time I saw him I had tears in my eyes. Just because he was a legend,” said James Hodge.
Jay Hodge recalled one occasion when he and his son got the musical treat of their lives.
“About eight years ago we were in Detroit to hear The Rolling Stones on a Saturday night. Well lo and behold, B.B. King was playing there on a Friday night. So that was about the best musical weekend a guy could ever have,” he said.
Shelley Ritter, Executive Director of the Delta Blues Museum, said King’s music touched the hearts and souls of many generations of “blues” lovers.
“Just from that little town of Itta Bena, got off that tractor and made this music. Took Mississippi’s “blues” music all over the world,” she said.
Charles Miller, from Coahoma County, says he’s seen B.B. perform and said he respected the man’s character as much as his music, because king never forgot his roots.
“He went on for bigger and better things, but he never forgot where he was from. And that’s what I liked about him. He would always come back home,” said Miller.