It is a story which far outweighs any of the 'tearjerking' tales of the contestants on the X Factor.
His desperately poor background, tragic home life, survival through the awfulness of segregation, amazing work ethic and staggering success, make BB King one of the most remarkable figures in music.
I knew little about King until Mrs W and I saw Jon Brewer's film at Showcase Cinema De Lux, Derby (is their any cinema more luxurious than the director's hall?) last night.
But, for two hours, we were immersed in the life of the king of the blues.
Brewer has done a very fine job, stringing together interviews and footage going back almost all of King's 87 years.
He was born in a shack next to a cotton field and has gone on to play for royalty and even jam with a president (I was astonished at how well Barack Obama could sing).
In between, he was the first artist who took black blues music to the masses and is revered by some of the world's top music acts.
The likes of Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Bono and Doctor John line up during the film to pay homage to his skill as an entertainer but also his humility as a human being.
Just as interesting are relatives and friends from his youth who relate stories about the early years of Riley King (BB stands for Blues Boy, a nickname which stuck after his stint as a radio DJ).
There are also contemporaneous words from King mixed with a plethora of interviews from the past.
It is an illuminating and touching biopic but it has one flaw - the eulogies at the end are a bit too thick and a bit too long.
I got the message about what a one-off wonderful person and genius guitarist and singer he was long before they began.
However, I don't want to be churlish. What Brewer's movie did was open a new world of music too me and left me in the hope that BB King might return to Glastonbury after his memorable performance in 2011.
I would be at the front to see him, 88 or not.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit; none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7.5/10
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