Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography Of B.B. King (1996) - Plot & Excerpts
BLUES ALL AROUND ME: The Autobiography of B. B. King. (1996). B. B. King & David Ritz. ***.I have to assume that this book was really written by Ritz, who has an impressive list of autobiographies to his credit. That this was based on a long series of interviews is obvious. It seems as if the stories of blues artists all take the same form: born in the Mississippi Delta, picked cotton as a sharecropper as a youth, heard their first guitar and fell in love with it, and began their career as a young man and worked very hard until they were a success. There…I’ve given away the book. As usual, B. B. had a few personal quirks that he reveals here. First off, he loved women – lots of women. He admits to having fifteen children by fifteen different women. He maintains that he continues to support them all. The problem, according to him, was that he hated using any “protection.” There you go. He also had a penchant for gambling, which he managed to bring under control before it broke him. He didn’t need gambling, he had the IRS. As with most music stars, he didn’t have any idea of how to hold on to money. Suddenly, the government was looking over his shoulder and taking a big piece out of his future earnings. His particular music genre, the blues, came and went, and was replaced by soul and then by rock-and-roll. Although he tried to adapt, his heart wasn’t in it. His music has great appeal to a small but loyal segment of the listening audience. Some of the newer acts claimed him as their greatest influence, but that didn’t seem to help him out any. I personally like his stuff, but I think I’m in the minority. In any event, this autobiography has the ring of truth, but also provides the feeling of sinning by omission. I've always been interested in B.B. King and his life. The fact that he wrote his own biography made me want to read the book even more. The story of his life is one of poverty, sadness, and success. His diction is simple, so his personality comes out throughout the book. He also explains the meaning of blues. It's not just about being sad. It's just pouring out your emotion, plain and simple. This is much like the book, where he explains everything in a fundamental and understandable way.
What do You think about Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography Of B.B. King (1996)?
For an autobiography of a living person it seems fairly honest and open.
—nheza
i have loved this man from a very early age. he is an amazing man.
—ralemany
A lot of information about his life I did'nt know about.
—Rima
Must read for anyone interested in B.B. King.
—Cindy
