Books about Mississippi Musicians

Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of B.B. King “A treasure trove of information…told with real feeling.” —Washington Post Book World “Charming…honest…transcendent…. It reads like a warm and lengthy conversation with a close friend.” —Billboard The undisputed king of the blues, B.B. King puts his life into words in a story that spans tragedy, triumph,…

Trombone Shorty – A Picture Book by Troy Andrews

Trombone Shorty Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews Illustrated by Bryan Collier Abrams Books for Young Readers “Hailing from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this…

Rent Party Jazz – A Picture Book by William Miller

Rent Party Jazz William Miller Illustrated by Charlotte Riley-Webb Lee & Low Books, 2001 “In New Orleans in the 1930s, young Sonny Comeaux has to work before school to help his mother make ends meet. When Mama loses her job, Sonny is worried. Rent day is coming soon, and if they miss paying by just…

Duke Ellington – A Picture Book Biography about a Great Jazz Legend

Duke Ellington Andrea Pinkney Illustrated by Brian Pinkney 1999 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers “Years later, on a steamy summer night, Duke heard that umpy-dump played in a whole new way. Folks called the music ragtime–piano that turned umpy-dump into a soul-rousing romp.” . . . “Duke’s Creole Love Call was spicier than a…