On Friday, July 15, New Orleans is invited to celebrate the 82nd birthday of one of the city’s true living legends: bluesman Little Freddie King.

The Louisiana Music Hall of Famer will put on a celebratory performance at BJ’s Lounge (4301 Burgundy St.) beginning at 9 p.m.

King was born on July 19, 1940, in McComb, Mississippi. A cousin of Lightnin’ Hopkins,  King and learned to play the guitar from his father. In 1954, at the age of 14, he moved to New Orleans. He performed in juke joints with his friends Babe Stovall, Slim Harpo, and Champion Jack Dupree, playing both acoustic and electric guitar. King’s most recent album, Jaw jackin’blues, was released in 2020.

King is a charter member of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and has played at the festival for 42 years. He was honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in McComb.