Legendary bluesman B.B. King [ tickets ] will start the 81st year of his life by doing the same thing he's done for decades: traveling from concert hall to concert hall.

King, who launches his next leg of U.S. tour dates in late July, has added to his itinerary a string of September shows that surround his 80th birthday, Sept. 16. Also new to his schedule is an early October, two-night stand in Galveston, TX. Details are included below.

The upcoming U.S. shows kick off with a July 30 performance in King's home state of Mississippi. Set at Biloxi's Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and billed as the B.B. King 80th Birthday Benefit, the show will raise money for the planned B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. Deborah Coleman, Bobby Blue Bland, Smokin' Joe Kubek, Jody Williams and Dickey Betts are also scheduled to perform. Tickets hit the box office on Friday (7/1).

Earlier this month, King was on hand for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the museum in Indianola. The $10 million structure--which will be partially located within an existing, abandoned gin mill where King worked as a youngster--will feature "various aspects of King's 60-year career, many narrated and presented thru animation and recordings by King himself," according to a press release, as well as a recording studio and a replica of the WDIA radio studios in Memphis, where King got his start.

In addition to serving as a tribute to King, the museum and its Delta Interpretive Center will also aim to "preserve the Delta blues heritage and encourage and inspire young artists and musicians."

King, who joined the ranks of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, has released more than 50 albums over the course of his recording career. His most recent release is this year's "The Ultimate Collection," which surfaced in March; the best-of set features 21 tracks King originally released between 1951 and 2000.

A new duets album is due out later this year, according to King's website.