Originally Posted by jppe
BB King is still around and performing??? Amazing.
On tour right now.
http://www.bbking.com/events/
But then, Riley B. King has been on tour pretty much ever since he quit driving a tractor in Mississippi.
>>After he was released from the selective service, Riley tried to convince the St. John's Gospel Singers to leave Indianola in search of fame and fortune. It soon became apparent to Riley that if he was going to make his career in music, he would have to make the break alone. The final decision came one night in May of 1946 when Riley had returned from the fields with the tractor. He shut off the tractor, but the engine turned over a couple of extra times and the machine lunged forward, breaking off the exhaust stack. Riley, not wanting to face an angry Johnson Barrett, left town with his guitar and $2.50 in his pocket. He was heading to Memphis on highway 49 in search of his cousin Bukka White ...<<
http://www.worldblues.com/bbking/prairie/begin.html