A king's tale.

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A distinct crescent-shaped area can be seen on maps of Mississippi, bounded by the Mississippi River to the west and rolling hills to the east. Created by regular flooding over thousands of years, it contains some of the most fertile soil in the world. It is also fertile ground for the original music form it spawned, and for the art of storytelling.

It's the land of cotton, catfish, and the blues--the Mississippi Delta.

The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is not your typical museum in which one walks around and simply looks at things. Allan Hammons, marketing director for the museum says, "It is an interpretation of the world King came from and a celebration of his life and times, as well as the people and events that shaped his life." It explores King's legacy and the Delta legacy that fathered him and produced the original music form known as the blues.

Interpretive centers use various means of communication, such as computers and films, to enhance the understanding of culture and heritage. Presentation strategies are user-friendly and interactive. The Delta's interwoven tales of agriculture, race, and music make it particularly suited for this type of museum.

The 20,000-square-foot facility has been an ambitious undertaking with strong financial support from the community as a driving force in attracting major corporate and private donors, as well as a bond from the State of Mississippi. The setting for telling this uniquely Mississippi story is built around a cotton gin where King once worked.

Hammons says when the museum was in the planning stages, "It became apparent that we needed to give the museum a broader appeal. We began to see that it's about more than just the man--it's about the region from which he came."

The center will tell the story of King's life, his career, and stories of the Delta--its history, music, agriculture, economy, social structure, and race relations--and how it has changed over the course of King's life. Oral histories collected from King and others are used in short films to be shown throughout the exhibits.

As Connie Gibson, the museum's executive director, describes it, "Films, interactive computer exhibits, historical photographs, and bigger-than-life panels build an experiential space that creates a sense of place and time. It tells of life in the Mississippi Delta through the life of B.B. King." Visitors get the full spectrum, from the history of the blues to cotton to civil rights.

Gibson was Founding Director for the Buddy Holly Center for Art and Music in Lubbock and also opened the River Music Experience Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Her knowledge of American roots music and the history of rock and roll make her a perfect fit for the King Museum. She believes that the best way to tell King's story is through the music. "One of the most exciting things about this project is the opportunity to work with a living artist," she explains.

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And what an artist. King was born into poverty in tiny Itta Bena, outside Indianola, and orphaned when very young. Today he is one of the world's most revered musicians, having performed in 92 countries. In September he turns 83, and he still performs regularly. As Hammons says, "His story is moving and emotional, how a man with his beginnings found his way in life and became an iconic symbol of American music. Yet he remains one of the most humble people you ever hope to meet."

A series of galleries takes the visitor through the phases of King's life, beginning with what it was like growing up in the Delta. There's a gallery exploring King's time in Memphis, where he got his start as a radio DJ, intertwined with the history of black radio and the shaping of the Memphis blues sound. Another exhibit, a space that resembles the inside of a bus, examines King's life on the road. Visitors can watch a film with conversations of King and band members. You can even see the footings from the cabin that King lived in alone from age nine to fourteen after his mother died. And there's a re-creation of an entire room from his current Las Vegas home.

Interactive computer exhibits allow visitors to choose subjects of interest. "For instance," says Hammons, "You can select differences or the parallels between gospel and blues music, or King's musical influences, or listen to music interpreted in different ways by different artists." The computer exhibits allow you to customize your museum experience by your choice of topics.

A blues studio is featured where visitors are offered hands-on experience at mixing an actual recording. The heart of the center is about pursuing dreams and making them happen, no matter what kind of start you have.

"Our whole mission is centered around education," Gibbons says. "We're working on programs that let us reach into the community and across the state."

Connected by a breezeway to the museum, the AT&T Learning Center will partner with Mississippi Valley State and Delta State University to offer classes and provide opportunities to kids who might not otherwise have access. Education, cultural experiences, character development classes, and mentoring will be offered. Kids can also learn how to play music and how to make music in the digital world with the goal to provide outreach and education to impoverished youngsters in the Delta region, stimulating a new generation of musicians.

King returns each year for a free homecoming concert and reconnects with his Delta roots. He has often commented on his homeland's powerful sense of place and the spirit that he carries with him wherever he goes. Geographic boundaries notwithstanding, the Delta is a state of mind.

Says Hammons, "One of our overarching goals is the ability of this project to act as a beacon of hope to children born into poverty. The center shares B.B. King's vision and hope for the future."

The Grand Opening for the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is scheduled for September 13, 2008. For further details, call 662.887.3009 or visit www.bbkingmuseum.org.