B.B. King buys club in Miss. hometown

03/24/2008 5:00 AM, AP


B.B. King is the new owner of a juke joint in his Mississippi Delta hometown. Mary Shepard has owned Club Ebony in Indianola for the past three decades. King and other artists have played there throughout the years.

A Mississippi Delta Blues Trail Marker outside Club Ebony says Count Basie, Ray Charles, James Brown, Ike Turner are among the musicians who have played there since 1945.

Shepard says she sold the club to the bluesman because she wants to relax and spend time with her family.

Indianola is about halfway between Jackson and Memphis.