The Mississippi Blues Commission memorial sign that marks B.B. KING’s birthplace has been stolen.

The large aluminium plate has gone missing from its location near Berclair in Leflore County – and manufacturer Alan Hammons says there’s no way it happened by accident.

He reports: “It clearly points out the interest some people have in our musical heritage; but we’d obviously prefer they leave the marker in place.”

The blue sign, one of over 120 on the Mississippi Blues Trail, reads:

“The long and remarkable life of B.B. King began near this site, where he was born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925. His parents, Albert and Nora Ella King, were sharecroppers who lived in a simple home southeast of here along Bear Creek. After his parents separated when he was four, King lived in Kilmichael and Lexington before moving as a teen to Indianola, which he referred to as his hometown.”

A new one is to be installed at the cost of about $8000. Trail manager Wanda Clark says one or two signs require replacement every year, but normally through accidental damage.