BLUES BOY

Before being crowned King of the Blues, B.B. King (1925-2015) was a Mississippi Delta boy named Riley with a guitar and a dream.

Born in the segregated South, Riley B. King is devastated when his beloved mother dies, but she leaves the 9-year-old with words of wisdom that he carries throughout his life: “When you do good and treat folks right, good things will come to you.” He finds solace in the guitar music played at his grandmother’s church, but his patched-up overalls and stuttering speech are bitter fuel for schoolyard bullies. Riley’s aunt introduces him to the blues, and the melancholy music “rock[s] Riley in the arms of bliss.” When his grandmother dies, he hitches a ride to Memphis, Tennessee, where he slowly makes a name for himself, performing under the moniker Blues Boy. He buys the electric guitar that he famously dubs Lucille; his first hit record in 1951—released under the name B.B. King—launches him into blues stardom. Williams’ oil and acrylic collage illustrations layer emotive portraits atop abstract shapes, intricate landscapes, and found paper like sheet music and newsprint. The stunning imagery evokes stained glass or panels of a divinely glowing triptych. Emphasizing King’s desire to put good into the world—to “[plant] seeds of joyous sounds”—Duncan’s expressive prose echoes the lyrics of a powerful blues song, ensuring its pages will be read (or sung) aloud on repeat.

A moving melody of striking visuals and soulful words.