Blues All Around Me

by King, B. B.; Ritz, David

• ISBN13: 9780062061034
• ISBN10: 0062061038
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-08
• Publisher: It Books

Summary

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.

Author Biography

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. David Ritz is the author, with Jerry Wexler, of Rhythm and the Blues (winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award) and the author of the bestselling biography Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye. He co-wrote the autobiographies of Smokey Robinson, Etta James, and Ray Charles.

Table of Contents

Memory of the Heart	p. 1
Her Words are Music	p. 3
Heavenly Music	p. 15
Dawn	p. 29
"You All Right, Jack?"	p. 45
King Cotton	p. 57
Dream Machine	p. 71
War and Peace	p. 81
A City is Like a Woman	p. 97
Why I Love Arthur Godfrey	p. 109
Faith is Patience	p. 121
Chili, Crackers, and a Big Ol' Belly Washer	p. 133
Doing the "Do"	p. 143
Who Can Explain Love?	p. 155
Lousy Leader	p. 167
Where Was I When Rhythm and Blues Became Rock 'n' Roll?	p. 181
"The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest"	p. 193
Forget Regrets	p. 205
"Did You Read What John Lennon Said?"	p. 215
How Do You Lose a Bus? How Do You Lose a Wife?	p. 227
Vision	p. 235
Someone Asked Me About Oral Sex	p. 245
There's Something About Being in Prison	p. 257
Luck is a Lady	p. 265
Circumcision is No Laughing Matter	p. 275
Indianola Sunset	p. 283
Being with B	p. 299
Selected Discography	p. 315
Awards	p. 319
Index	p. 327
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.