June 18 2013 – On September 16th, 1925, on a cotton plantation outside Belclair, in the Mississippi Delta the life of one Riley B. King began. King certainly had a right to sing the blues for his was a life fraught with hardship. Growing up in the grinding poverty of the Mississippi Delta meant starting his formative years working the cotton fields at age seven, suffering the scourge and indignation of blinding racism while being fully mindful of the ever present Ku Klux Klan. This, coupled with the early death of his mother Nora Ella Farr and grandmother, the absence of his father, and never really being accepted by relatives who took him in, stands in stark contrast to the legendary 60 year career of the greatest blues guitarist the world has ever known.
Using a mix of live footage from various concerts, as well as interviews with friends, family, fans, associates, and band members, director Jon Brewer paints a powerful portrait of a man who, despite his iconic status, has never forgotten his roots. With eloquent narration from Morgan Freeman setting the tone, Brewer must have agonized long and hard in the editing suite when deciding the wealth of historical footage that won’t even make it into the final cut. BB King: The Life of Riley is both a preeminent record on a life well lived and a musical anthology of the highest order. The most influential musicians over the last 50 years pay tribute to a man referred simply as, ‘The King of The Blues’.
The Life of Riley masterfully stitches together the formidable path less travelled for Blues Boy King (BB King). From his influential life lessons learned at the Elkhorn School to his early years singing gospel; from Memphis musicians who helped groomed his style to a 5 year disc jockey stint at WDIA, America’s first all-black radio station. It was the endless engagements on the southern Chitlin Circuit that honed BB King’s unmistakable vibrato along with his business acumen. This and many more grounding experiences helped lay the foundation that started the slow and methodical climb to Blues prominence.
When most 80 somethings are gracefully winding down the last chapter of their fruitful lives, this octogenarian who still commands 300 plus dates a year (numbers that would destroy musicians half his age) has a resiliency and respect that commands the most storied venues worldwide. And with this longevity comes the numerous accolades from his peers. The who’s who of Rock and Roll line up to trumpet the praises of BB King always knowing that their respective careers were forever changed by his musical presence. BB King’s crossover to white audiences, partly due to the influx of British bands signified the global reach of his music.
Verdict: 4.5/5 Brewer plays lovingly with King’s voluminous body of work as narration seamlessly transitions into one of many iconic standards moving the storyline with purpose. The Thrill Is Gone and Three O’Clock In The Morning are just two of many that take you back. Brewer’s liberal use of archival footage and first person accounts of early life in the Mississippi Delta help paint a heart wrenching picture of just how far BB King has come. Honesty, civility, and compassion is the foundations Nora Ella Farr instilled in her son and even through the trials and tribulations of being a black man in a white man’s world, BB King rose above his station in life to embrace the world with the uncompromising ether of his sound. It would be difficult to find a fuller, more in-depth look at the life and impact of BB King outside of a trip to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi.
From the Mississippi Delta came a new kind of music – The Blues, and BB King became, ‘The King of The Blues’.
Genre: Documentary
Country: UK
Language: English
Production Year: 2012
Director: Jon Brewer
Producer: Jon Brewer
Runtime: 123 minutes
Cast: BB King, Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Bobby Bland, Aaron Neville, Bill Wyman, Bono, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Ringo Starr and many many more.
Review – John Dash T-Mak World: Toronto’s Site for Music, Movies and Culture www.tmakworld.com | Twitter | Facebook Get the T-Mak World Toolbar below to get all the info you need
