"KING OF THE BLUES: B.B. KING TURNS 80" ON ABC NEWS' "NIGHTLINE" WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14  

He's the reigning king of the blues, and this Friday B.B. King celebrates his 80th birthday. Ted Koppel joined Mr. King before a concert last weekend at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Northern Virginia for a look back at his 50-year career. The exclusive interview airs tomorrow, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14 at 11:35 p.m., ET on ABC News "Nightline."

On the week of this milestone birthday, the bluesman is also releasing a new CD - "B.B. King and Friends: 80" and a book entitled "Treasures" on his life and career. For "Nightline" he reminisces with Mr. Koppel about his beginnings in Indianola, Mississippi and of growing up the son of a sharecropper and black in the segregated south. Given his home's proximity to the region hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina, Mr. King spoke about the Mississippi being rebuilt better than before: "I believe that when something is destroyed, generally it comes back better than it was before. They either do it or they don't do it. If they do put it back together, it'll be better than it was before."

Other Blues greats including Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy and actor Morgan Freeman were interviewed for this retrospective of B.B. King's life and career.

Ted Koppel is the anchor and managing editor of "Nightline." Tom Bettag is the executive producer. "Nightline airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on the ABC Television Network.