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Blues All Around Me

The Autobiography of B. B. King

B.B. King

David Ritz

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Blues All Around Me
 

B.B. King

B.B. King is the uncontrovertable king of blues. Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, King hit the road in 1951 and has been on it ever since. He is the recipient of uncountable honors and awards, including an honorary doctorate from Yale University, a Presidential Medal of the Arts, and seven Grammy Awards. He is a member of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, and has more than 90 albums and anthologies to his credit. At age 84, he is still on the road, touring the world.


 

David Ritz

David Ritz is the critically acclaimed author of the bestselling biography Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, and co-author of the author of the autobiographies of Smokey Robinson, Etta James, and Ray Charles. His book Rhythm and the Blues, co-written with Jerry Wexler, won the 1993 Ralph J. Gleason First Prize for Best Music Book of the Year. Mr. Ritz has written several novels, including Blues Notes Under a Green Felt Hat; song lyrics, including “Sexual Healing”; and in 1992 he won a Grammy for writing liner notes for Aretha Franklin.
 



 

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"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
“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
"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
"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
"King tells his very American success story with the lyricism and leisurely pace of a born storyteller.with warmth and sincerity."


- Rolling Stone
"This is one of the best recent pop-music bios. King speaks straight from the soul, it seems, just like he plays guitar."


- Booklist
"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
"The thrill is never gone."


- USA Today