B.b. King Amp; Friends 80 Rar
Hercules Montero
INDIANOLA, Miss. Club Ebony was once a hopping juke joint, a place where blues masters B.B. King, Little Milton and Howlin' Wolf performed for residents of this humble farming community looking to spice up their Saturday nights with dinner, dancing and maybe some drinks.
On Friday night, the historic club in Indianola became a meeting place for friends and fans of King who talked about his influential music, his friendly personality and his effect on the town where he used to live and returned every year to perform as their own personal guitar hero.
Annise Strong James, 67, used to get into the club as an underage teenager, and was able to see Bobby "Blue" Bland and Little Milton perform. The club was something of a town hall, a locale where folks would gather at football games to eat burgers and fish plates, where the fun would extend until early in the morning. James' brother would drive around in a van, picking up residents and driving them to the club, she said.
"It would get packed. We had a ball," said James, who enjoyed a beverage with a friend as others sat around tables and chatted with King's music playing in the background Friday night. "This was a spot for us to enjoy life."
According to the Mississippi Blues Trail historical marker outside the green wooden building, Club Ebony was built just after the end of World War II by entrepreneur Johnny Jones, opening for business in 1948.
In a memoir, Jones wrote "there were no other clubs for Negroes in Indianola at the time." It was part of the "chitlin' circuit," a collection of juke joints and clubs where blacks could forget their hardscrabble existence and enjoy themselves in the racially divided South.
The club had live music from Thursday through Sunday for a time after King donated it to the museum in 2012, said Dion Brown, the museum's executive director. However, it no longer has regular shows; it only opens for tour groups and special occasions.
The wooden exterior of the club is painted green, and the entrance has a small portico. Interior walls have wood paneling, and they are decorated with posters advertising concerts by King and Rush. Photos of Charles, Bland and Albert King also line the walls.
A wall behind a stage near the front of the club has a painting of a wild juke joint, complete with two men fighting and patrons lining a bar. The rear of the club is a large dance hall, with recessed lighting and a long dance floor. Red light gives the club a sultry feel.
Alphonso Sanders, a musician and educator, said the club was the town's most popular place, an oasis of fun for countless music lovers. But it also was a refuge for neighborhood folks who needed help.
"They took care of you. You could come here and get a meal," said Sanders, who runs the B.B. King Recording studio at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena. "This was a place where people in the community could get away."
King sang in the Baptist church gospel choir as a youngster but was drawn to the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ because he liked the music. The minister accompanied the service on his Sears Roebuck Silvertone guitar. He taught King how to play a few chords, igniting a lifelong passion for the guitar.
After moving to Indianola, Mississippi, as a teenager, King worked at a cotton processing factory. He joined the US Army at the start of World War II, but the government released him because he could drive a tractor, so he was classed as an essential worker on the home front.
His recording contract led to tours across the US at major venues in cities including Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, St Louis and Detroit. He also played smaller gigs at clubs across the southern United States, making his name as a blues singer and musician.
Like King, the young Elvis had a lifelong love of music inspired by a religious childhood, spent at the Assembly of God Church. He always enjoyed a close bond with his mother who was a devout church goer.
His father moved jobs frequently and lacked ambition, so the Presleys were poor, relying on neighbours and government assistance. They lost their home in 1938, when Vernon was jailed for altering a cheque. Gladys and three-year-old Elvis went to live with relatives.
King, speaking to a reporter in 2010 for a feature in the San Antonio Examiner, revealed he had felt a real kinship for Presley. Their mutual struggle to get into the music industry and survive fostered a true friendship. They often chatted about music and how it transcended colour and race.
Presley was fully aware of the bigger problems King faced as a black musician and later helped his friend to get a major gig. In his autobiography, Blues All Around Me, King remembered how Presley organised a live show for him in 1972 at the prestigious Hilton Hotel.
The chance meeting between Elvis Presley and BB King, more than half a century ago, shaped their life for years to come. Those jamming sessions after gigs were inspiring interludes when the two icons got together to play music in a relaxed post-show atmosphere.
President Bush Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients
East Room
President's Remarks
view Citations Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
10:18 A.M. ESTTHE PRESIDENT:Please be seated. Thank you all for coming.Welcome. Mr. Vice President, members of my Cabinet, Laura and I areplease you could join us on this special occasion. We're delighted towelcome our distinguished honorees, as well as their families andfriends to the White House. Thanks for coming.The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our nation's highest civilhonor.The Medal recognizes high achievement in public service,science, the arts, education, athletics, and other fields. Today wehonor 10 exceptional individuals who have gained great admiration andrespect throughout our country.Norman Y. Mineta personifies the terms, public servant and patriot.He served as an Army intelligence officer, the mayor of San Jose,California, 10-term U.S. congressman, and a Cabinet member underPresidents of both parties. He was my Secretary of Transportation. NoSecretary of Transportation ever served longer, or confronted greaterchallenges, than Norm Mineta.On September the 11th, 2001, he led the effort to bring thousandsof commercial and private aircraft swiftly and safely to the ground.Norm was calm and he was decisive in a moment of emergency. He showedthose same qualities in the months and years afterward, ablytransforming his department to face the dangers of a new era.Norman Mineta's whole life has been an extraordinary journey. Atthe age of 10, he was sent with his mom and dad to an internment campfor Japanese-Americans. Such wrongful treatment could have left aperson bitter, but not Norm Mineta. Instead he has given his country alifetime of service, and he's given his fellow citizens an example ofleadership, devotion to duty, and personal character.Mr. Secretary, you're a good friend and a great man, and ourcountry honors you. (Applause.)With us today is Warren O'Neil, who will accept the Medal ofFreedom on behalf of his brother, John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil. BuckO'Neil passed away in October, after a baseball career spanning morethan seven decades. He joined the Negro League in 1938, as a firstbaseman for the Kansas City Monarchs. Buck O'Neil won two battingtitles and played on nine championship teams, and as a manager, guidedthe Monarchs to four league titles. After finishing his playing career,Buck O'Neil joined the Chicago Cubs as a scout, and later as the firstAfrican American coach in the major leagues. He never did slow down.For the rest of his life, he was active in baseball -- not just from thestands or the dugout.In July of this year, he took a turn at bat in a minor-leagueAll-Star game in Kansas City. They wisely pitched around him --(laughter) -- he drew a walk -- at the age of 94 years old. (Laughter.)Buck O'Neil is also remembered as one of the game's best historians andambassadors. He was the driving force behind the Negro Leagues BaseballMuseum; he was proud to be its chairman. But he once said: "It nevershould have been, a Negro League. Shouldn't have been." Buck O'Neillived long enough to see the game of baseball, and America, change forthe better. He's one of the people we can thank for that. Buck O'Neilwas a legend, and he was a beautiful human being. And we honor thememory of Buck O'Neil.(Applause.)One day in 1961, Ruth Colvin of Syracuse, New York, read adisturbing statistic in the morning newspaper.She learned that morethan 11,000 people in her hometown could not read. Ruth wondered, "Whyisn't somebody doing something about it?" Ruth decided that she woulddo something. Working out of her basement, she formed a network ofcitizens willing to donate their time as reading tutors. Before long,that network reached beyond Syracuse, and beyond New York -- and it hada name: Literacy Volunteers of America. Over the years, the volunteershave helped hundreds of thousands of adults learn the reading andlanguage skills they need to build a better life. Ruth rightly says,"The ability to read and write is critical to personal freedom and themaintenance of a democratic society."Ruth's good influence has continued to grow. She travels the worldpromoting literacy with her husband and best friend, Bob. She startedliteracy campaigns on multiple continents. Ruth has also made many dearfriends, including another great crusader for literacy -- my mother.(Laughter.) Ruth's children, Terry and Linda, know what I know -- thatyou better listen to your mother. (Laughter.)Ruth has said, "I am,and always have been, a volunteer." More than that, Ruth Colvin is aperson of intelligence and vision and heart. And she has earned thegratitude of many, and the admiration of us all.Congratulations. (Applause.)Like Ruth, Dr. Norman C. Francis has dedicated his life toeducation. He achieved early distinction as the first African-Americanto graduate from the Loyola University College of Law.In 1968 hebecame president of his alma mater, Xavier University, in New Orleans,and he is today the longest-serving university president in the UnitedStates. Dr. Francis is known across Louisiana, and throughout ourcountry, as a man of deep intellect and compassion and character. He'san Army veteran. He led the United Negro College Fund. He was chairmanof the board of the Educational Testing Service, and he holds 35honorary degrees. (Laughter.)Last year, after Hurricane Katrina did great damage to the Xaviercampus, Dr. Francis vowed the university would overcome and reopen itsdoors by January -- and he kept that pledge. Dr. Francis continues tohelp the people of Southeast Louisiana as the leader of the LouisianaRecovery Authority. As they continue to rebuild from the devastation ofthe hurricanes, the people of the Pelican State will benefit from theleadership of this good man. And all of us admire the good life andremarkable career of Dr. Norman C. Francis. (Applause.)Joshua Lederberg has always seemed ahead of his time. He wasresearching genetics when the field was scarcely understood. He wasstudying the implications of space travel before there were astronauts.And even three decades ago, he was warning of the dangers of biologicalwarfare. All of his life, people have seen something special in thisrabbi's son from Montclair, New Jersey. Someone who knew him in collegesaid, "You could tell that Joshua was in the lab because you could hearthe breaking glass." (Laughter.) "He was so young, bursting withpotential."He earned his Ph.D. in his early 20s. And at the age of 33, he wonthe Nobel Prize. Dr. Lederberg has remained at the top of thescientific field, as a professor, researcher, and writer. As acolumnist, and advisor to many administrations, he brought clear,independent thinking and wisdom to matters of public policy --especially in national security and nonproliferation.For his brilliant career, his high ethical standards, and his manycontributions to our country, the United States thanks Dr. JoshuaLederberg. (Applause.)Americans first came to know Natan Sharansky as a voice for freedominside an empire of tyranny. As a Jew applying to immigrate to Israel,he was refused and harassed by the Soviet regime. Natan Sharanskybecame a leading dissident and advocate for human rights, and after ashow trial he was sentenced to a gulag for 10 years. The authoritiesmay have hoped the world would forget the name Sharansky. Instead,leaders like President Reagan and Ambassador Kirkpatrick spoke often ofhis persecution, and the case of Natan Sharansky became a symbol of themoral emptiness of imperial communism.Today the Soviet Union is history, but the world still knows thename Sharansky. As a free man, he's become a political leader inIsrael, winning four elections to the Knesset and serving more thaneight years in the Cabinet. He remains, above all, an eloquent championfor liberty and democracy. Natan reminds us that every soul carries thedesire to live in freedom, and that freedom has a unique power to liftup nations, transform regions, and secure a future for peace. NatanSharansky is a witness to that power, and his testimony brings hope tothose who still live under oppression.We honor Natan Sharansky for his life of courage and conviction.(Applause.)The struggle between freedom and tyranny has defined the pasthundred years, and few have written of that struggle with greater skillthan Paul Johnson. His book, Modern Times: The World from the Twentiesto the Eighties, is a masterful account of the grievous harm visited onmillions by ideologies of power and coercion. In all his writings, PaulJohnson shows great breadth of knowledge and moral clarity, and a deepunderstanding of the challenges of our time. He's written hundreds ofarticles and dozens of books, including The History of the Jews, TheHistory of Christianity, The Quest for God, and The Birth of the Modern.Obviously, the man is not afraid to take on big subjects. (Laughter.)Eight years ago he published A History of the American People,which, Henry Kissinger said, was "as majestic... in scope as the countryit celebrates." In the preface, Paul Johnson called Americans "the mostremarkable people the world has ever seen." He said, "I love them and Isalute them." That's a high tribute from a man of such learning andwisdom. And America returns the feeling. Our country honors PaulJohnson, and proudly calls him a friend. (Applause.)One of America's unique gifts to the world is a music called theblues.And in that music two names are paramount -- B.B. King, and hisguitar, Lucille. (Laughter.) It has been said that when John Lennonwas asked to name his great ambition, he said, "to play the guitar likeB.B. King." Many musicians have had that same goal, but nobody has everbeen able to match the skill, or copy the sound of The King of theBlues.He came up the hard way in the Deep South; living alone when he wasnine years old; walking miles to school, and picking cotton for 35 centsa day.Barely out of his teens, he made his first trip to Memphis,Tennessee, with his guitar and $2.50 in his pocket. He made his name onBeale Street, and his studio recordings made him a national favorite.B.B. King has sold more than 40 million records. He won 14 Grammys. Hehas a place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He's influenced generationsof musicians from blues to rock, and he's performed in venues fromroadside nightclubs to Carnegie Hall. He's still touring, and he'sstill recording, and he's still singing, and he's still playing theblues better than anybody else. In other words: The thrill is notgone. (Laughter.)America loves the music of B.B. King, and America loves the man,himself. Congratulations. (Applause.)William Safire joined the White House staff nearly 38 years ago, asa speechwriter to the President. President Nixon once introduced Billthis way: "This is Safire, absolutely trustworthy ... But watch whatyou say, he's a writer." (Laughter.) Writing has been at the center ofBill Safire's eventful life, going back to his days in the U.S. Army andas a PR man in New York. As a young speechwriter drafting remarks for aNew York City official, he used the word "indomitable." When they askedBill to find a better speech-word, he suggested "indefatigable."(Laughter.) They fired him. (Laughter.) We're a little more lenientabout speechwriting here. (Laughter.)From the White House, Bill moved to The New York Times, where hespent more than 30 years as a columnist who was often skeptical aboutour government, but never cynical about our country. He always wascommitted to the cause of human freedom. His wit and style and commandof English earned him another spot -- his own page in the Times Magazineevery Sunday. Bill has said that his "On Language" column attracts moremail than any of his other work. People write me letters aboutlanguage, too.(Laughter.) Bill Safire has also written novels and arespected political dictionary. He won the Pulitzer Prize forcommentary. He's a voice of independence and principle, and Americanjournalism is better for the contributions of William Safire.Congratulations. (Applause.)David McCullough has won the Pulitzer Prize, twice -- for Trumanand John Adams, two of the most successful biographies ever published.In person and on the printed page, David McCullough shares the lessonsof history with enthusiasm and insight. He has written definitive workson the Johnstown Flood, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and thedigging of the Panama Canal. His first book came out nearly 40 yearsago; all of his books are still in print. David McCullough is also, formillions of Americans, the voice of history, as the narrator of KenBurns's The Civil War and other films.For those who question the importance of history, David likes toquote Harry Truman, who said, "The only thing new in the world is thehistory you do not know." David McCullough reminds us that "The laws welive by, the freedoms we enjoy, the institutions that we take forgranted ... are all the work of other people who went before us." He'sa passionate man about our responsibility to know America's past, and toshare it with every new generation. He's fulfilled that duty in his owncareer, with splendid results.This chronicler of other times is one of the eminent Americans ofour own time. The nation owes a debt of gratitude to a fine author anda fine man, David McCullough. (Applause.)Now the military aide will read the citations for the PresidentialMedal of Freedom.(The citations are read.)THE PRESIDENT:Thank you all for coming. Congratulations to ourhonorees. Laura and I would like to invite you to a reception here topay tribute to some of the finest citizens the Almighty has everproduced.God bless you all. (Applause.)END 10:50 A.M. EST Printer-Friendly Version Email this page to a friend Issues
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