Beale Street Brass Notes Walk of Fame
Memphis TN
2016

http://www.bealestreet.com/brass-notes

Saluting the legends of Beale Street
On the page facing chapter one of Beale Black & Blue by Margaret McKee is a 1973 photograph of Nat D. Williams standing in front of the rubble which was once the Palace Theater. The photo sums up the sense of utter despondence the community experienced as a result of the urban renewal program on Beale Street, which left the street boarded up and abandoned. Not only had the booming establishments of the past disappeared, so had a sense of place and pride. The early, failed efforts to redevelop Beale Street gave every reason to believe the once-enlivened community was gone forever.

The key to the street’s successful redevelopment began in the mind of developer, John Elkington, who envisioned attractions and amenities that would connect the street’s rich past with the future. Elkington’s idea for the Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame offered this connection, as visitors from all over the world can read the names of the talented people who put Memphis music and Beale Street on the map. Below are brief biographies of the honorees, which offer a glimpse into the lives of the musicians, composers, disc jockeys, promoters, and music supporters whose names grace the sidewalks of Beale Street.


10 – B.B. King
(1925 – 2015)
Riley B. King, born in 1925 in Indianola, Mississippi, has become better known as B.B. King. As a child, King sang in a local gospel group and at twelve years old, he was given his first guitar by his older cousin, “Bukka” White. Making his way to Memphis, King worked at radio station WDIA as a singer and disc jockey. This is where he was given the nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy,” which he later shortened to “B.B.” In 1949, King began recording with Los Angeles-based RPM Records. Many of his earliest singles were produced by Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records. King opened for The Rolling Stones on their 1969 American tour. He won a Grammy Award for “The Thrill Is Gone,” which was later marked number 183 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. He has recorded many albums of his own and collaborated with artists ranging from U2 to Eric Clapton.