Millard Lee - From the Avenue to B.B. King

March 03, 2024

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue, explore the music of the pianist and bandleader Millard Lee, an unsung Indianapolis music legend. 

Lee was born in Franklin, Indiana in 1909. He began working on Indiana Avenue during the early 1940s, performing at clubs including Sunset Terrace, Cotton Club, and 440 Club. 

Lee is best known for his collaboration with the blues star B.B. King. Lee worked as a keyboardist and bandleader for King from the mid-1950s, until his death in 1961.