B.B. King has been named as Secretary Of State of the Blues by authorities in Mississippi – and the late icon is the first musician to be elevated to such an office of honour in US history.
Governor Phil Bryant has signed the resolution alongside the four surviving previous governors of the state, and the document will be on show at the B.B. King Museum and Interpretive Center in Indianola, where he was buried following his death in May.
Mississippi Blues Commission chairman J Kempf Poole says: “It’s a privilege to honour B.B. King as our Mississippi Secretary of State of the Blues.
“Mr. King is one of Mississippi’s most influential sons – and with this designation I am proud to say that he has taken his rightful place at the head of the blues table.”
Former governor Haley Barbour adds: “He never forgot Mississippi was home, and he graced us often with his presence. He was warm and delightful, but I will never forget how he gave credit to the people that had helped him throughout his career. He had a big heart as well as big talent.”
