Blues icon B.B. King will be honored Jan. 17 at the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi’s Crystal Ball gala in Southaven.

Organizers say King will be honored for his contributions to music and his representation of his native state to the world.

Previous honorees at the gala have included U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, actor Morgan Freeman and the North Mississippi All Stars.

The event is the Community Foundation’s only fundraiser. It enables the Foundation to help more than 200 nonprofit organizations and causes with grants in 2008 of more than $1 million.

The foundation, whose priorities are education, health and young people, serves eight counties in Northwest Mississippi.