King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B. B. King
(Grove Atlantic, 2021)

Saturday, September 24, 2022
8:30 AM
Bethel United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall

About the book
Riley “Blues Boy” King (1925–2015) was born into deep poverty in Jim Crow Mississippi. Music became his emancipation from exhausting toil in the fields. Inspired by a local minister’s guitar and by the records of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker, and encouraged by his cousin, blues man Bukka White, B. B. taught his guitar to sing in the unique solo style that became his trademark. Author de Visé interviewed almost every surviving member of King’s inner circle, and their voices and memories enrich this account of his life.

About the author
Daniel de Visé is a writer and journalist who worked at The Washington Post, Miami Herald, and three other newspapers, sharing a 2001 team Pulitzer Prize and garnering more than two dozen other national and regional journalism awards.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.

About the Festival
With the help of our presenting sponsors—Delaware Humanities and The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices I PenFed Realty—as well as our community partners and volunteers, the 2022 History Book Festival was full of great discussions with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction.

Special thanks to Lewes Public Library, for venue and assistance with event promotion; to Browseabout Books in Rehoboth, our official bookseller; and to the Cape Gazette and Delmarva Public Media, our media partners.

Mark your calendars for the 2023 History Book Festival. Join our authors, interviewers, and other attendees at live events throughout the weekend of September 29, 30, and October 1.