Blues icon B.B. King, an American treasure who has recorded 150 albums and accepted 14 GRAMMY Awards, will receive the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) Chairman’s Award For Sustained Creative Achievement during the organization’s 50th Annual Convention, which will be held May 4 through May 7 at the San Francisco Marriott. King will accept his Award during the 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner, which will be Wednesday, May 7 2008.

“NARM’s membership — on whose behalf we bestow this prestigious Award — applauds King’s amazing career and the way he has inspired and influenced so many musicians over the years,” said NARM President Jim Donio. “Today King is more popular, more cherished and more relevant than ever. At the age of 82, he is still out on the road, playing for the people, making TV appearances, and cutting tracks for his next album. We are honored to have B.B. King join us as part of NARM’s 50th Anniversary celebration.”

King will become a member of an exclusive and exceptionally talented club of artists who have received the NARM Chairman’s Award. Past recipients include Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Stevie Wonder, The Bee Gees, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Leonard Bernstein, Nat King Cole, Rod Stewart, Garth Brooks, Lena Horne, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Liza Minnelli, Carlos Santana, Quincy Jones, Kool & The Gang, and Chicago. Over his 60-plus year career, King has developed one of the world’s most identifiable guitar styles. King’s sound is his signature, integrating his precise and complex vocal-like string blends and his left hand vibrato, both of which have become indispensable components of Rock guitar vocabulary.

He is still light on his feet, singing and playing the Blues with relentless passion. And, he has no plans for slowing down. Bowing February 19, 2008, is a new “B.B King Live In Tennessee” CD/DVD (Geffen/UMe) a live concert event recorded at his namesake clubs in both Nashville and Memphis. He also just finished recording his 150th album that’s expected to debut in September 2008. Also set to open in September is a museum in King’s honor that is being built in his home state of Mississippi. A decade in the making, the museum is partially located within an existing abandoned cotton gin, Mississippi’s last one, where as a youngster, King once worked.