Though his 80th birthday is less than two years away, legendary bluesman B.B. King [ tickets ] still isn't ready to take it easy.

King rang in the New Year onstage in Miami Beach, FL, and hasn't stopped since. His current itinerary runs through early May, and--if the past is a guide--he's likely to play well over 100 shows in 2004.

"Reflections," King's latest album, surfaced in June. The set features three songs that Louis Armstrong once recorded, as well as tracks previously recorded by Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson and others.

King has released more than 50 albums over the course of his 60-year recording career. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Plans for a museum honoring King are currently under development in his hometown of Indianola, MS. The 15,000-square-foot, $10 million facility is being designed for "an interactive and educational experience," according to a press release, and is due to open in 2005.

"From bare beginnings, B.B. King has become legendary, performing in over 90 countries and influencing such musical icons as John Lennon and Eric Clapton," museum foundation president Bill McPherson said in a statement. "The B.B. King Museum is the place where we can honor the talent and dreams of a Delta kid who became 'The King of the Blues.'"

The Royal Swedish Academy of Music has named King the winner of the 2004 Polar Music Prize. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the award to King during a ceremony in Stockholm in May.