Let's Honor B.B. King on his 100th Birthday

B.B. King would have been 100-years-old on September 16th, 2025.

I’ve said many times over the years what I love about Memphis is the music and music scene. Memphis music changed the world. And it wasn’t just Elvis.

When I came here for a job interview, as I came out of the Commercial Appeal building at 495 Union Ave. a short walk from historic Beale Street, I could hear the blues music wafting through the air. I was already a blues fan.

That was enough for me. I was sold that this was the place I wanted to be.

My instincts were good. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences covering the Memphis Music scene. Being a photojournalist in Memphis has been an amazing experience. I left the newspaper over ten years ago, but I still continue to cover and enjoy the music scene here.

One of my favorite subjects was the great blues entertainer B.B. King, who would have been 100 years old September 16th, 2025.

B.B. King was so personable, so warm and kind. I loved to watch him perform and work the audience. B.B.’s life was on the road; his people were everywhere. He knew people all over the world.

B.B. (born Riley B. King) grew up in the Mississippi Delta, finding his way alone as a young man with little family support. He eventually moved to Memphis where he found success and took on the name “Beale Street Blues Boy” after his DJ days. I’d recommend reading a fascinating biography about B.B. King, “King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King” written in recent years by one of my favorite authors, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Daniel deVise.  B.B.’s life is fascinating.

You can also learn more about B.B. King at his museum in Indianola, Mississippi, at https://bbkingmuseum.org/. I feel honored that a few of my photos are in his museum.

One of the things that stood out to me about B.B. was his gratitude for the life he was given. He was so thankful that he was allowed to follow his dreams and play music for a living.

As Kings 100th birthday crept up, I thought about an interview I had taped with B.B. on his bus around 2010.  I interviewed him for a project I was doing at the time, “What is the Blues and Who gets to do it?” Only a tiny portion of the audio interview was published.  So I decided this would be a nice time to share some of my B.B. King photo archive and that audio interview.

HERE IS THE LINK TO MY INTERVIEW WITH B.B. KING ON HIS BUS JUST OFF BEALE STREET IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 2010.

Harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

One of the world’s great harmonica players, Charlie Musselwhite, (above) reflected on B.B. King when I was chatting with him from his Clarksdale, Mississippi home recently. Charilie remembers listening to B.B. on the radio WDIA. Both were born in Mississippi and both were bluesmen who lived in Memphis for a time. He said “ What stood out to me about B.B. King was as a human being, what a nice person he was, he was like and an example for everybody.  He always had time to talk with you; he was very compassionate and had a lot of heart.” Charlie toured a few times with B.B. and opened for him, he sat in on occasion with B.B. King and he loved to be on B.B.’s tour bus with him and said they talked about all kinds of things, especially women. “He loved the ladies.”

Three time Grammy award winner entertainer Bobby Rush in Memphis at the Overton Park Shell 2025.

Entertainer Bobby Rush, (above) another Mississippi Bluesman, said, “B.B. was the kindest person; he’d give you the shirt off his back. He’d talk to you until YOU are ready to go home, not him. I learned a lot of things from B.B. '“ He reflected on how they both enjoyed being with people and their fans. Bobby says”I shake every hand if I can.”

Bobby Rush was at B.B.’s funeral, marching down Beale Street in Memphis next to the hearse.

I covered B.B. King’s funeral for the Associated Press. His hearse drove down Beale Street and then on down highway 61 into Mississippi to lay his body to rest in Indianola.

B.B. King funeral Here is a link to a short clip of that day on Beale Street.

Karen Pulfer Focht ©2025 All Rights Reserved

Historic Clayborn Temple Burns

We had a tragedy this week in Memphis when Clayborn Temple burned down. I covered the fire for Associated Press.

The historic Clayborn Temple, a landmark from the civil rights movement with ties to Martin Luther King, caught fire Monday, April 28, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee.

As a photojournalist in Memphis, I have had to cover many painful things over the years. There is nothing like hearing the wailing and mournful cries of people in pain at a news scene. It stays with you forever. It can be hard to pick up my camera and document it. But I do. As I explained to someone this week, just as important as showing the burning building, as a storyteller, I need to show that this isn’t just a building; this building meant something to people. Sharing and showing the grief and pain of the people who came to the scene helps people see how important and sacred this place is.

Sadyya Rockett-Miller and her husband Andre LeMoyne Miller prayed their way through their grief and anger outside of the historic Clayborn Temple on Monday. Andre is asking God to help him and give him some peace. Miller’s grandfather had a connection to the Civil Rights Movement and Clayborn Temple. His anger was raging.

The neighborhood folks worshiping at Clayborn Temple over the years.

Carolyn Michael-Banks, founder of A Tour of Possibilities in Memphis, Tn. gives black history-focused tours. I did a story about her and her tours in Memphis Magazine last fall. Clayborn Temple and its history is a highlight of the tour. She reached out to me after the fire and said “ This incident has made me more committed to what I do. If you know the history, fire can’t destroy it. “

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/2024/11/1/a-tour-of-possibilities

The Clayborn Temple has been under renovation for a few years. For more information https://clayborn.org/

CBS NEWS did a nice job covering the story. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tennessee-church-fire-mlk-civil-rights/

Gayle Rose wrote a beautiful column for The Institute For Public Service Reporting about it also. https://www.psrmemphis.org/fire-consumed-clayborn-temple-but-it-cant-destroy-the-dream/

Warren Lewis "Fire Barber" Dies

Warren Lewis, the barber made famous by cutting people’s hair with flames, died earlier this month at age 90.

There are people who have made my time in Memphis really fun, Lewis was one of them.

Memphians are often blessed with unusual characters and entrepreneurs that have made our city famous.

Mr. Lewis has been seen on national TV showing off his talent on late-night TV and all over the world.

 He grew up with very little, in a shack in Mississippi. As a child, he was given the chore of burning the small feathers off chickens that the family was going to eat for dinner. That is what gave him the idea to cut hair with fire.

He had his own shop in North Memphis most of his life. It burned down once. He eventually worked out of another shop in his later years.

 “I ain’t set but one man on fire since I’ve been doing hair, one!” he told me giggling.

 He was cutting hair until three weeks before he died.

Mr. Lewis always liked the job security, saying “Hair will steady grow. I love my job with a passion,”  he said, “I’d do it all over again.”

Below is a gallery of some photos I have taken of him over the years. Including one when he came to one of my photo shows and signed autographs for people.

Rest in Peace my friend.

Below is a link to a story I did about him for the Commercial Appeal when I worked there.

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/2014/7/30/warren-lewis-and-his-flaming-fro

Below is an old video of did of Lewis cutting hair over a decade ago.

By Karen Pulfer Focht ©2023