King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B. B. King

Description

'Without a doubt the most important artist the blues has ever produced' - Eric Clapton'No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues' - President Barack Obama 'One part of me says, "Yes, of course I can play." But the other part of me says,"Well, I wish I could just do it like B.B. King."' - John Lennon Riley 'Blues Boy' King (1925-2015) was born into deep poverty in Mississippi. Wrenched awayfrom his sharecropper father, B.B. lost his mother at age ten, leaving him more or less alone.Music became his emancipation from exhausting toil in the fields. Inspired by a local minister'sguitar and by the records of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker, B.B. taught his guitarto sing in the unique solo style that, along with his relentless work ethic and humanity, becamehis trademark. In turn, generations of artists claimed him as inspiration, from Jimi Hendrix andEric Clapton to Carlos Santana and the Edge. King of the Blues presents the vibrant life and times of a trailblazing giant. Witness to darkprejudice and lynching in his youth, B.B. performed incessantly (more than fifteen thousandconcerts in ninety countries over nearly sixty years) - in some real way his means of escapinghis past. His career roller-coasted between adulation and relegation, but he always rose backup. At the same time, his story reveals the many ways record companies took advantage ofartists, especially those of colour. Daniel de Vis has interviewed almost every surviving member of B.B. King's inner circle -family, band members, retainers, managers and more - and their voices and memories enrichand enliven the life of this Mississippi blues titan, whom his contemporary Bobby 'Blue' Blandsimply called 'the man.'

Daniel de Vis is an author and journalist who has worked at the Washington Post and Miami Herald, among other newspapers. He shared a 2001 Pulitzer Prize and has garnered more than two dozen national and regional journalism awards. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Andy and Don and The Comeback, and coauthor of I Forgot To Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children.

'As someone who has written about Black music history and repeatedly bumped into B.B., I understand the challenge of an accurate chronology of King's life and development as a unique guitar stylist and singular vocalist, and appreciate seeing the work done so well...There's tons of great stuff here that TMZ won't pick up but that readers who crave a great story of American culture will devour.' - Preston Lauterbach, Wall Street Journal 'King of the Blues . . . tracks B.B. King's multifarious career with such efficiency and clarity that surely little of biographical significance remains to be said. . . . [T]he evaluations of King's recordings are comprehensive and almost always judicious.' - Mojo '[De Vis] has an eye for a good story, tells a tale well, and likes a lively quote. . . It's clear that he has done his investigative legwork, both in revisiting the vast range of printed and archival sources and carrying out his own interviews, in person and by correspondence. King's early days require a bit of care and caution for any writer, and it's encouraging that this one carefully unpicks seemingly contradictory accounts pulls together as much documented evidence as we're likely to find at this stage.' - Blues & Rhythm 'Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist De Vise...amply demonstrates his masterful storytelling and research skills in this definitive look at legendary blues musician B.B. King (1925-2015). Informed by his conversations with "dozens of surviving friends and relatives, bandmates and producers," De Vise provides an intimate portrait of a cultural luminary "whose achievements transcended his genre." ...Even readers who aren't fans of the blues will be engrossed by this nuanced look at an American icon.' - Publishers Weekly (starred review)