B.B. KING – The Life Of Riley
aaamusic | On 03, Dec 2012
Legendary Mississippi blues singer and guitarist B.B. King, christened Riley, has had an extraordinary life. The ‘King Of The Blues’ has performed over 15,000 gigs and sold in excess of 40 million records worldwide.
As an oppressed black cotton picker and charming workaholic he fought prejudice and exclusion from white society. But a white employer gave him his first quality guitar and, ultimately, he became hugely admired by America’s white society.
His documentary The Life Of Riley opened in UK Cinemas on October 15th and will be released on DVD by Emperor Media on 3rd December, 2012. It’s narrated by Morgan Freeman and directed and produced by Jon Brewer with scarce archive photographs, footage and personal interviews.
Two years of research for the DVD embraced fellow musicians, friends and family . There are interviews with Slash, Bono, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Peter Green, Bill Wyman, Bruce Willis, Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana.
This is an impressive and captivating biography about a great icon. It’s a revealing , moving and a fascinating insight that’s over two hours in length. It beautifully brings to life the heat and gin drenched plantations where the story began and ultimately takes you to the Whitehouse where B. B. King is seen jamming with Mick Jagger and Barack Obama.
Anthony Weightman
