B.B. King Monument to Be Built in Arkansas

Bill's Pre-comment: IT'S ABOUT TIME!

B.B. King Monument to Be Built in Arkansas

4/15/05

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Arkansas Legislature has approved a $5,000 expenditure to build a monument honoring bluesman B.B. King in the tiny Delta town of Twist.


More than 50 years ago, King's famed guitar Lucille earned its name after a dance hall brawl in Twist. King's trademark Gibson guitars have been called Lucille ever since.


"B.B. put Twist, Ark., on the map," Allan Hammons, interim director of the planned B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Miss., said Thursday. "I think it's very important that the state of Arkansas took the opportunity to memorialize that great American story."


State Sen. Steve Bryles said that he pushed the funding through for the monument because too little is known of King's connection to the state. Bryles also hopes the marker will draw tourists to the area.


The Legislature concluded its session Wednesday.


"We want to make sure we do it tastefully," said Bryles, who has some of his own ideas. "You can make it look like the Gibson Lucille model or it could be something really plain that just contains some writing that explains the story."


Hammons said the $10 million museum and Delta cultural center is set to break ground on June 10. He said Arkansas' efforts highlight another part of King's legacy.


"Fate was kind to him," Hammons said of the 79-year-old blues singer.


"The guitar got a name and Twist was known around the world. It is a piece of American history."


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On the Net:


http://www.bbking.com