''Indianola Mississippi Seeds'' is B. B. King's eighteenth studio album. It was released in October 1970 on

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

on LP and May 1989 on

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

on CD. On this album B. B. King mixed elements of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

. Producer

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 19 ...

decided to follow up on the success of the hit "

The Thrill Is Gone "The Thrill Is Gone" is a slow minor-key blues song written by West Coast blues musician Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell in 1951. Hawkins's recording of the song reached number six in the Billboard R&B chart in 1951. In 1970, "The Thrill Is Gon ...

" by matching King with a musical all-star cast. The result was one of King's most critically acclaimed albums and one of the most highly regarded blues crossover albums of all time. The album appeared on several of ''

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' album charts in 1970, reaching number 26 on the Pop album chart, number seven on the Jazz album chart and eight on ''Billboard's'' listing for "Black Albums." The album also generated several hit singles, "Chains and Things", King's own "Ask Me No Questions" and

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

's "Hummingbird". King himself, also, views the album as one of his greatest achievements. When asked about his best work, King has said, "I know the critics always mention '' Live & Well'' or ''

Live at the Regal ''Live at the Regal'' is a 1965 live album by American blues guitarist and singer B.B. King. It was recorded on November 21, 1964, at the Regal Theater in Chicago. The album is widely heralded as one of the greatest blues albums ever recorded an ...

'', but I think that ''Indianola Mississippi Seeds'' was the best album that I've done artistically."Jas Obrecht, ''Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists'', Backbeat Books, 2000, p.328 ()

Homage paid to a hometown

The album title is a tribute to King's upbringing near

Indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a U.S. city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sunflower County. History In 1891, Minnie M. Cox was appointed postmaster of Indianola, b ...

. Although King was born on a plantation between two smaller towns,

Itta Bena Itta Bena is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,049 at the 2010 census. The town's name is derived from the Choctaw phrase ''iti bina'', meaning "forest camp". Itta Bena is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi ...

and Berclair, which are actually closer to Greenwood, King has always considered Indianola his hometown.Sebastian Danchin, ''Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B. B. King'', University Press of Mississippi, 1998, p. 1 () The album package — which was itself recognized with a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

— includes what appears to be a copy of B. B. King's

birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuin ...

with official registration in Indianola. The liner notes also contain a note that reads, "Congratulations Albert and Nora on your son Riley, September 16, 1925."Liner notes referenced are from the 1989 remastered CD, ''Indianola Mississippi Seeds'', (

, MCAD-31343) Over time, King's hometown has paid respects back to him. In 2008, the

B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is a museum in Indianola, Mississippi dedicated to the Delta blues and music legend B.B. King. Museum history and purpose The stated mission of the museum is to "empower, unite and heal through m ...

opened in Indianola, with the mission to "preserve and share the legacy and values of B. B. King, to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...

, and to promote pride, hope, and understanding through exhibitions and educated programs."B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
, web site, accessed April 2, 2007

Critical acclaim

''Indianola Mississippi Seeds'' is one of three of B. B. Kings recordings listed in ''The Rough Guide to Blues 100 Essential CDs'' (along with ''Live at the Regal'' and ''Singin' the Blues'').Greg Ward, ''The Rough Guide to Blues 100 Essential CDs'', Rough Guides, November 23, 2000, p. 97–98 ( ) The album was named # 23 on a list of the best "Album Chartmakers by Year" for 1970.Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein, "Top of the Pops: The Best of the Album Chartmakers by Year", ''Book of Rock Lists", Dell Books, 1981 (reissue November 1982 )

Track listing

All songs written by B. B. King, except where noted. # "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother" — 1:26 #* B. B. King — piano & vocal # "You're Still My Woman" (B. B. King, Dave Clark) — 6:04 #* B. B. King — guitar & vocal #*

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

— piano #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #*

Russ Kunkel Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Da ...

— drums # "Ask Me No Questions" — 3:08 #* B. B. King — guitar & vocal #*

– piano #*

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr B ...

– rhythm guitar #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #* Russ Kunkel — drums # "Until I'm Dead and Cold" — 4:45 #* B. B. King — guitar & vocal #* Carole King — piano #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #* Russ Kunkel — drums # "King's Special" — 5:13 #* B. B. King — lead guitar #* Leon Russell – piano #* Joe Walsh – rhythm guitar #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #* Russ Kunkel — drums # " Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore" — 5:18 #* B. B. King — guitar & vocal #* Carole King — piano & electric piano #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #* Russ Kunkel — drums # "Chains and Things" (B. B. King, Dave Clark) — 4:53 #* B.B. King — guitar & vocal #* Carole King — electric piano #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #* Russ Kunkel — drums # "Go Underground" (B. B. King, Dave Clark) — 4:00 #* B. B. King — lead guitar & vocal #* Paul Harris — piano #*

Hugh McCracken Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally ...

— rhythm guitar #*

Jerry Jemmott Gerald Stenhouse Jemmott (born March 22, 1946, in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, New York City) is an American bass guitarist. Jemmott was one of the chief session bass guitarists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, working with many of th ...

— bass #*

Herbie Lovelle Herbie Lovelle (1 June 1924 - April 8, 2009) was an American drummer, who played jazz, R&B, rock, and folk. He was also a studio musician and an actor. Lovelle's uncle was the drummer Arthur Herbert. Lovelle began his career with the trumpeter ...

— drums #* Joe Zagarino — Engineer #: The Hit Factory,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

# "Hummingbird" (

) — 4:36 #* B. B. King — guitar & vocal #* Leon Russell — piano & conductor #* Joe Walsh — rhythm guitar #* Bryan Garofalo — bass #* Russ Kunkel — drums #*

Sherlie Matthews Sherlie Matthews (born November 10, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter and former Motown Records producer, best known as a backing vocalist for pop, R&B and rock groups from the mid-1960s to the present time. Early life Matthews started ...

Merry Clayton Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Sh ...

Clydie King Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness ( ...

Venetta Fields Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble ...

— "Angelic chorus"

Personnel

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

– Guitar, piano, vocals *

– Guitar *

– Piano, Fender Rhodes (2,4,6,7) *

– Piano (3,5,9) * Paul Harris – Piano (8) *Bryan Garofalo,

– Bass guitar *

– Drums *

– producer

Credits

Production

* Produced by

* Strings and Horns arranged by

Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely Da ...

* Recorded at The

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

**Engineers — Bill Szymczyk &

Gary Kellgren Gary Kellgren (April 7, 1939 – July 20, 1977) was an American audio engineer and co-founder of The Record Plant recording studios, along with businessman Chris Stone. Career Engineering Kellgren was a successful and well respected audio en ...

**Assistant Engineers — Llyllianne Douma (Lillian Davis Douma),

Mike D. Stone Mike D. Stone (October 24, 1949 - December 3, 2017) was an American audio engineer, recording engineer and record producer. Stone worked with Frank Zappa (multiple albums), Joe Walsh, B. B. King, Bee Gees (multiple albums), America (band), Amer ...

of the

, & John Henning * Mastering — Bob Macleod — Artisan Sound Recorders

Other

* Cover design — Robert Lockart * Photography — Ivan Nagy * Management — Sidney A. Seidenberg * Leon Russell appears with love from

Shelter Records Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "workshop ...

* Carole King & Merry Clayton appear through the courtesy of Ode 70 Records * Congratulations to Albert and Nora on your son

Riley Riley may refer to: Names * Riley (given name) * Riley (surname) Places * Riley Park–Little Mountain, a neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Riley Creek (Ontario), a tributary of the Black River in Central Ontario, Canada * Ri ...

, September 16, 1925

Charts

Album charts

Singles

Awards

Photographer, Ivan Nagy and cover designer, Robert Lockart won the 1971 Grammy for " Best Album Package - Incl. Album Cover, Graphic Arts, Photography" for ''Indianola Mississippi Seeds''.

Releases

Notes and sources

External links

''Indianola Mississippi Seeds''
discography page from the official B.B. King website {{Authority control 1970 albums B.B. King albums Albums conducted by Leon Russell Albums arranged by Jimmie Haskell Albums produced by Bill Szymczyk Albums recorded at Record Plant (Los Angeles) MCA Records albums ABC Records albums