BB KING: KING OF THE BLUES, DANIEL DE VISE

Here is the most vibrant and complete portrait of the great pioneer—and the last to depart from a whole generation of prophets—of the blues. Riley “Blues Boy” King (1925-2015), better known as B.B. King, was born into abject poverty in the heart of Mississippi, a region of African American descent subjugated by Jim Crow America. His early fascination with liturgical music—and, specifically, with the guitar used by some preachers—became his path to emancipation, allowing him to leave behind sharecropping and dedicate himself to music for the rest of his life. Inspired and captivated by the records of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker, B.B. taught his guitar to sing in the unique solo style that became the most distinctive and recognizable hallmark of his art. Throughout his long career, he traveled the roads of half the world with hardly any rest —more than fifteen thousand concerts in ninety countries over sixty years— and several of his performances, including the legendary Chicago concert (given in the Cook County Jail), remain among the great feats in the annals of the blues.
Daniel de Visé interviewed almost all the surviving members of BB King's inner circle. Their voices and memories fill these pages and reflect the life of this titan of Mississippi blues who inspired generations of artists, from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to Carlos Santana and The Edge.
“De Visé meticulously delves into why and how young Riley, who came to this planet from a world of extreme complicity, was able, thanks to his talent, his relentless drive, and his humility, to rise to the well-deserved title of ‘King of the Blues.’ Dust off your records and enjoy the read. I did.” —Robert Cray, five-time Grammy winner, blues guitarist and singer-songwriter

• Number of pages: 640
• Dimensions: 130 x 210 mm.
• Weight: 1000 gr
• Binding : Paperback