PHOTOS BY WILL JACKS

Meek School Adjunct Instructor

B.B. King jokes with Morgan Freeman and others just before playing a concert at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Nearly 60 years after his first hit, the school awarded him an honorary doctorate.

I’ve always loved this photo (and rarely shared it) because it shows such an intimate moment on B.B. King’s tour bus. In 2011, I was hired to document a concert by B.B. and was invited onto the bus while he visited with Morgan and others. The conversation was amazing, and I was most struck at how excited B.B. was to have Morgan at his concert. It was the first time the two had met, and B.B. was as starstruck as any regular person might be. He was effusive and humble, like a teenager meeting his hero. I thought to myself, “I can’t believe this is my job.” It was a great example of why I fell in love with photography — my camera has been like a golden ticket for me to see and experience the world in incredibly amazing ways. My job isn’t to make beautiful photos; it is to remain curious and keep seeking genuine moments, then use my camera to share those experiences with others.

Willie Seaberry, known to most as “Po’ Monkey,” keeps watch on his juke joint in Merigold, Mississippi. He’s run the business for more than 50 years and attracts visitors from around the world.

This is one of my favorite images because it shows Mr. Seaberry the way I’ve come to know him — as a very determined, strong, and observant man. He’s been photographed and written about countless times by worldwide media in the last 25 years, and is often depicted as a jovial, crowd-pleasing ringleader. For the last seven years I’ve been documenting Po’ Monkey’s Lounge, and I’ve certainly seen that side of him as well, but when the tourists leave, and Willie is among friends, his personality is different. To me, that’s what photojournalism and documentary work is all about — getting past the surface of things and into the authenticity of it. This photograph shows the crowd and activity that swarms the juke joint every Thursday night, but also shows the quiet side of Willie Seaberry.