B.B. Cunningham Jr. was killed in a shootout in Memphis early Sunday while working as a security guard at an apartment complex.
The body of the 70-year-old, a longtime member of the backup band for Jerry Lee Lewis, was discovered by police. An unidentified 16-year-old was also dead at the scene.
Following the shooting, a woman from the neighborhood said, “He’d take care of the old people and the Spanish kids. He was a good person. We don’t feel good at this moment.”
Blake Baker Cunningham Jr., the brother of Box Tops guitarist Bill Cunningham, gained fame in 1966 with The Hombres as a keyboardist and singer. The group scored a hit with ‘Let It All Hang Out’ in 1967.
B.B.’s career spanned half a century as a musician, frontman, songwriter, session player, engineer and producer.
He hooked up as a rocker with Lewis in 1997 and continued in that capacity until his death. In 2003 he released a solo album, Hangin‘.
Check out the video featuring Cunningham performing ‘Let It All Hang Out’ during a 2009 gig below:
Photo: WENN