[2011-03-08] B.B. King "Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography Of B.B. King - Reprint Edition" paperback book (It)

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:51 pm

Amazon.com Review
His real name is Riley B. King, but the B.B. stands, as any aficionado knows, for Blues Boy, a nickname he was given in the late 1940s when he was a disk jockey in Memphis, Tenn. Of course, he's best known as the King of the Blues to millions of fans throughout the world. At 70, B.B. King is still singing the blues and this is his story, from his childhood growing up in the Mississippi Delta, to the purchase of his first guitar at age 12, from his first real break after his appearance on Sonny Boy Williamson's King Biscuit Time radio show, to his ascent to international acclaim as America's ambassador of the blues.

From Library Journal
The long-awaited autobiography. Copyright © 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
B.B. King's autobiography is an inspirational story so well told, with the help of coauthor Ritz, that it transcends the genre of pop-music biography. The words flow melodiously as King recalls an early life of hardship and fear as something wonderful that instilled in him lasting values and the ability to deal with life's challenges. Childhood was brief; after being shuttled around a good bit, King left home in his teens. As a child, he enjoyed two quite different bluesmen, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, and when his mother's cousin Bukka White and the local preacher let young Riley (B.B.'s given name) play on their guitars, the budding guitar hero, mightily impressed, noted the sensuous potential of the instrument. A guitar's "rounded shape and lovely curves remind me of the body of a beautiful girl," he says, "I wanna run up and put my arms around [it]." Inspiration like that suggests where King's graceful discipline and proficiency come from and also explains why he calls his guitar Lucille. Although it lacks a full discography (what we get is just "selected"), this is one of the best recent pop-music bios. King speaks straight from the soul, it seems, just like he plays the guitar. Maybe he has another hit on his hands. --Mike Tribby

Review
“King tells his very American success story with the lyricism and leisurely pace of a born storyteller…with warmth and sincerity.” --Rolling Stone

“For almost 50 years, King has let his guitar, Lucille, do the talking. Now the celebrated bluesman tells his own gutsy story.” --Buzz

“A classy book from a classy man…straightforward, frank, unaffected, and breezy, with many funny, insightful stories and anecdotes.” --Seattle Times

“Charming...honest...transcendent...an eloquent autobiography...It reads like a warm and lengthy conversation with a closefriend. Aficionados of the blues will find plenty to pique their interest, but the book truly shines because of the portrait itpaints of a man who has made kindness and respect a lifelong philosophy.” --Billboard

“Excellent...provocative...King comes off in print not unlike he does in his music: warm and polite, down gome and sophisticated, expressive and tasteful.” --Orlando Sentinel

“Candid…heartbreaking…deceptively and disarmingly casual and controversial…King’s book is as self-questioningly honest as any blues song.” --Houston Chronicle

“B.B.’s life and 50-year career is a precious piece of American history that no one could have told better—except maybe Lucille.” --Vibe

“An amazing success story…an eminently entertaining tale of a true American hero.” --Austin American-Statesman

“The thrill is never gone.” --USA Today

“B.B. King is the preeminent living practioner of the blues…Blues All Around Me is a treasure trove of informatino…told with real feeling.” --Washinton Post Book World

“An excellent musical life…dotted with encounters from everyone from Sonny Boy Williamson and Miles Davis to Stevie Ray Vaughn.” --Philadelphia Inquirer

Product Description
B.B. King has the blues running through his blood.

Growing up in the rural poverty of the Mississippi Delta, King first experienced the blues at nine years old, when his mother passed away. The man of the house before the end of his first decade, he used this strife as a source of inspiration and launched one of the most celebrated musical careers in American history.

King has led a remarkable life, and this riveting autobiography dramatizes his whirlwind adventures from the Memphis of the forties to the Moscow of the nineties with unflinching candor and sincerity. But most of all, B.B.'s story is the story of the blues—the evolution from country acoustic to urban electric, the birth and explosion of rock 'n' roll—and B.B.'s own long, but ultimately triumphant, struggle for crossover success, during which he remained unwaveringly true to the music of his heart.

About The Author
B.B. King's numerous honors include an honorary doctorate from Yale University, a Presidential Medal of the Arts, and fifteen Grammy Awards. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, and has more than ninety albums and anthologies to his credit. At age eighty-four, he is still on the road, touring the world.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062061038/?tag=imwan-20

[2011-03-08] B.B. King "Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography Of B.B. King - Reprint Edition" paperback book (It)

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