Several years ago, I was driving through the Mississippi cotton fields looking for juke joints. I wanted to hear some true Delta blues.

When I pulled into the teeny town of Indianola, I got a real surprise. Pulling up at the same time was the ultimate bluesman – B.B. King himself. Turns out that Indianola is King’s hometown, the place where he is honored with a fascinating museum. He stops by there every once in a while.

Just happened to be my lucky day to meet him.

What does that have to do with cruising? Well, the beautiful Holland America cruise ship ms Eurodam has been saluting B.B. King in a special way this year. For a first, the Eurodam has transformed the ship’s Queen’s Lounge into B.B. King’s Blues Club for five nights each week on cruises.

All the way from world-famous Beale Street in Memphis, the vibrant blues musical experience features an eight-piece band with two vocalists backed by a drummer, bassist, guitarist, sax player, trumpet player and Hammond B-3 organ player.

To set the atmosphere, the Eurodam’s Queen Lounge is decorated with portraits of the blues legend plus a special stage crafted to resemble a Memphis club with guitars hanging in the backdrop.

In addition, a live stage show “Memphis Sounds” headlines one night on the ship’s Mainstage. Director by Marion Caffey and produced by B.B. King’s Blues Club CEO Tommy Peters, the show salutes the true sounds of the blues. The 45-minute performance also incorporates video production to tell the story of the blues.

This is the first year for the B.B. King’s Blues Club on Holland America. Right now it is only on the ms Eurodam on cruises through June 20, 2013. With its popularity, however, the nifty club might continue on theEurodam and be offered on other Holland America ships as well.

That would be fantastic! I am a big B.B. King fan and hope to make one of those cruises myself.

Until then, I’ll share two delicious tidbits with you. Exclusive specialty cocktails from the land-based B.B. King’s Blues Clubs are being served in the Eurodam club. Here’s the recipe for one of them – the rum-based Lucille.

And here’s the story of why B.B. King names all his guitars “Lucille.” I discovered that answer when I visited Indianola and met the famed musician.

Seems King was playing an Arkansas bar on a winter night in 1949 when punches began flying between two men. In the melee, a barrel of kerosene being burned for heat tumbled over and everyone fled as flames engulfed the road house. But King plunged back inside the inferno to save his guitar.

He later recalled, “I almost lost my life trying to save my guitar.”

To remind himself never to do anything so risky again, he renamed the instrument after the woman whose charms had set off the fight.

Her name, of course, was Lucille.

 

The B.B. King Lucille Cocktail

2 oz. coconut rum

0.5 oz. blue Curacao

1.5 oz. orange juice

1.5 oz. pineapple juice

Mix all ingredients together. Add ice. Shake and pour. Or blend and pour. Garnish with a pineapple wedge. Sip while listening to B.B. King sing the blues.

By Jackie Sheckler Finch