By Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Blues legend B. B. King, who has played as many 300-plus concerts in a year, never seems to be off the road. In recent years, the octogenarian, who recently performed his 10,000th show, has increased his American touring dates while slowly weaning down on his international appearances, and he has more than 60 concerts slated through June 12, 2008 in Vicksburg, MS. Lately, he has been averaging 140 or so shows a year.
“From major clubs to premier festivals, he is in demand world wide,” King’s manager, Floyd Lieberman, said in a statement. “We keep him down to 125 dates! He’d do more if we let him!”
“Age has its compensations,” King added.
On Feb. 19, “B.B. King Live In Tennessee!” (Geffen/UME) will be released, the first complete DVD of the blues giant in action. Filmed in high definition video with surround sound, the two-hour DVD features 18 songs recorded on location in Nashville and Memphis at the B.B. King Clubs, with King classics and new material plus bonuses, including a personal message from King and a “making of” featurette. Included are never-before-recorded tracks: “Your Are My Sunshine” and “When The Saints Go Marching In,” plus the hits, “The Thrill Is Gone” and “When Love Comes To Town,” among others. A companion, 18 track CD of “B.B. King Live In Tennessee!” will simultaneously be released on the Geffen/UME label.
“We have never before released a complete live B.B. King performance, from start to finish, with B.B.’s between-song comments, very funny, that are an essential element of the B.B. King experience,” Lieberman in a release.
King, who will turn 83 in 2008, is also giving himself a unique birthday present: his very own museum in Indianola, MS, where King was born and raised. The $15 million B.B. King Museum and Delta Interactive Centre is located in an abandoned gin where King once worked, and it will open three days before his birthday on Sept. 16. “Museums ain’t for dead people,” adds King. “This will be a very lively place, where everybody can come and learn and listen and even play the blues from the ground up. The ground where it began for me. Literally.”
B. B. King itinerary:
December
28 – Albuquerque, NM – Route 66 Casino
29 – Sun City West, AZ – Maricopa Events Center
31 – Primm, NV – Star of the Desert Arena
January
3 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
4 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern LG
5 – Indio, CA – Fantasy Springs Casino Special Events Center
6 – Valley Center, CA – Harrah’s Rincon Casino Pavilion
9 – Grants Pass, OR – Rogue Theatre
10 – Oroville, CA – Feather Falls Casino
11- San Rafael, CA – Marin County Civic Center
12 – Davis, CA – Mondavi Performing Arts Center
25 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
26 – Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Performing Arts Center
27 – Eureka Springs, AR – Eureka Springs City Auditorium
29 – Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
31 – South Bend, IN – Morris Performing Arts Center
February
1 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
2 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Centre
5 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino
7 – Iowa City, IA – Hancher Auditorium
8 – University Park, IL – Center for Performing Arts
9 – Waukegan, IL – Genesee Theatre
10 – Altoona, IA – Prairie Meadows
13 – Saint Charles, MO – The Family Arena
15 – Appleton, WI – Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
16 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
28-29 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
March
1 – Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues
3-4 – North Bethesda, MD – Music Center at Strathmore
7 – Poughkeepsie, NY – Mid Hudson Civic Center
8 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre
9 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts
12 – Morgantown, WV – West Virginia Coliseum
14 – Erie, PA – Warner Theater
15 – Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Performing Arts Center
28 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
29 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
30 – Chattanooga, TN – Memorial Auditorium
April
3 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
4 – Bossier City, LA – Horseshoe Casino & Hotel’s Riverdome
5 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas
6 – Austin, TX – Austin Music Hall
9 – Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center
10 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Center for the Arts
11 – Denver, CO – Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
15 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
29 – Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Center
30 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
May
2 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
3 – Sunrise, FL – Sinatra Theatre at BankAtlantic
4 – Fort Myers, FL – Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
5 – Melbourne, FL – King Center for Performing Arts
9 – Greensboro, NC – War Memorial Auditorium
10 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
11 – Richmond, VA – Landmark Theatre
13 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
14 – Utica, NY – Stanley Performing Arts Center
16 – Worcester, MA – Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
17 – Concord, NH – Capitol Center for the Arts
18 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
June
9 – Milwaukee, WI – Potawatomi Bingo Casino
12 – Vicksburg, MS – Vicksburg Convention Center
