Itta Bena, MS | Scotty Ray Report

Revisiting a classic we love—Itta Bena 💙 | I Love Memphis

Remembering B.B. King, born on this day in 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Here he is in the film “Give My Poor Heart Ease,” directed by William Ferris in 1975. | Dust-to-Digital

BB King, born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925, in Itta Bena, Mississippi, is one of the most influential figures in the history of blues music. Raised by sharecropper parents, Nora Ella and Albert L. King, he began playing the guitar at a young age, inspired by a gospel music-loving reverend. After losing his mother and grandmother by age ten, King took to playing guitar on street corners to survive. His early musical experiences included singing and playing guitar with The Famous St. John's