Funeral services for Image Helaire Jr., 71, will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Paul Baptist Church Cemetery.Visitation will be from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 at the Winnfield Funeral Home Chapel in Natchitoches. Friends and family are asked to come and share memories and music. Interment will follow services at the St. Paul Baptist Church Cemetery.Mr. Helaire, of Natchitoches, entered his eternal rest Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008, at the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center Long Term Care Unit.Image Helaire Jr., also known as B.B. Major, was born around Cane River near Natchitoches in 1937. As a child, he developed an interest in music from hearing his mother play guitar. B.B. would pretend to play the guitar so his brother-in-law fashioned him one that only consisted of a piece of wood and one string that was a wire off the screen door. Major said,' That was my first guitar.' He soon started sneaking in to local juke joints like the Jungle Bar to see his hero's like Muddy Waters and Little Richard. He was also influenced by the great blues musicians of the time like Jimmy Reed, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf. Oddly enough, music is the one class he skipped in high school. Helaire was quoted as saying, 'A blues player quickly learns to depend on playing by feeling. The musician who feels sad will play sad music, and if he's happy he will play happy music.'Image joined the army in 1961 and served at Ft. Hood before departing for Germany where he served two years. When he returned to the states in 1963, he served in the reserves and started playing with local bands like the Houserockers featuring Chuck Ellis and the late Overton 'Dr. Drip Drop' Owens.Major came back to Natchitoches because, as he said, 'This is home and I can't get away from it.' His friends and fellow musicians called him 'The Blues Boy,' because when called upon to do a number he would always play a blues tune. 'You see, women love the blues,' Major would say with a smile. His associates also started called him 'The Major' short for Image. He combined the two nicknames and came up with B.B. Major.1964 marks the year Helaire began playing professional gigs. In Natchitoches, he played with Owens and Ocie Shields as part of a band called the 'Natchitoches Blues-men.' Later, he helped form a band called 'Phil Davis and the Uniques.'In 1964 he bought his first real guitar from Sears & Roebuck. It was a Silvertone Classic with the amp built into the case. By this time he was working with local bands like the Nighthawks, Curly Davis & the Uniques and the Natchitoches Bluesmen. In 1980, he landed a job at the Cotton Storage Co. in Alexandria. He worked there until his retirement and played music on the weekend. In 1995, Image formed the nucleus of his band, the B.B. Majors Blues Show. He found commercial success. For years, he was sometimes called upon to open for such stars as Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Millie Jackson and even his idol, B.B. King. Band members included his brother and devoted friend, Les Whit, who passed away just a short time ago. Bud Albright, Monty Lamaze, Shane Ward and Leo Cole rounded out the talent. In 1997, at 60, he entered the studio to record 10 original compositions that would become his debut recording title, 'Evil Woman/Evil Ways.' It was well received by critics and fans alike, and made it all the way up to 2 in Dallas on KNON's 'Best of the Blues.'In 1999, he wrote the jingles and starred in several national Folger's Coffee television commercial campaigns seen all over the United States.Major and his band released their second effort titled 'I Ain't Got Nobody' in 2000. The release was widely hailed as his best work to date. Seven stunning originals by Major accompanied by three covers, 'Big Legged Woman,' 'Never Make a Move too Soon' and a remarkable rendition of Otis Redding's, 'I've Got Dreams to Remember.'In 2002, he released 'I Ain't Ashamed' and was featured at the 2002 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 2004, he toured Italy to be a part of the Tristamente Blues Festival.On April 11, 1999, B.B. Major was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame. He called it the highlight of his 36 year career playing blues music for people all over the South. B.B. was honored and elated to be inducted in the company of other Louisiana musicians like Jerry Lee Lewis, John Fred and James Burton.Mr. Helaire was the son of the late Rev. Image Helaire Sr.and Everlena Besant Helaire. He was reared from a baby in a loving, Christian home by his late aunt and uncle, Mary Batiste Besant and John Besant Sr.He was preceded in death by his stepmother, Eltena Balthazar Helaire; sisters, Gertie Helaire Mortoff and Martha Helaire Phinezy; and brothers, Thomas J. Helaire and Stephenson Helaire.He is survived by his wife, Victoria W. Helaire; sons, Ronald Helaire and Adrian Helaire and wife Khinyauda Brooks Helaire and their daughter, Megan; siblings, Cleo Helaire, Elizabeth Helaire Turner, Gracie Helaire McKillian, the Rev. Earnest Helaire Sr., Abraham Helaire, Olivier Helaire, Henry Helaire, Lee Andrew Helaire, Earl Brew, Alice Besant Eli, Barbara Besant McCants and John Besant Jr.; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Under the direction of the Winnfield Funeral Home--Natchitoches. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Image Helaire, please visit our floral store.