Brooks Middle School in Oak Park had booked a concert with Shirley King, the daughter of music legend B.B. King, long before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.
So the day after the storm, Tina Reynolds, who scheduled the performance, thought it was a no-brainer to turn it into a benefit for the victims, some of whom are members of King’s own family in Mississippi.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” said Reynolds, the manager of arts and music programs at Brooks. “This is one way that the Brooks community and I can help.”
The concert, which will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, will include a band led by blues guitarist Eddie C. Campbell. King will impart stories of life in Mississippi.
King was touched by the school’s support.
“No one can do enough to help the people get back on their feet. This means a lot to me,” said King, whose father’s family lives between Jackson and Biloxi, Miss.
She said that her father, who turned 80 Friday, was not in the region at the time the hurricane struck, but that other family members have still not been heard from.