Ed Dwight sculpture

I was visiting Memphis, Tennessee last weekend with some friends and dropped
in on a visitors/tourist center near a big modern pyramid building (which
currently houses an excellent museum exhibit on the Renaissance artists in
Florence, Italy) on the banks of the Mississippi River. The small tourist
center contained two large statues: one of Elvis (naturally), and the other
of B.B. King.

Both statues were larger than life size. They were done by different
sculptors. I don't remember who did the one for Elvis, but I clearly saw
the signature on the base of the B. B. King statue: Ed Dwight.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the Ed Dwight that Chuck Yeager
talks about in his autobiography tried to become America's first black
astronaut, but NASA did not select him; another book said Dwight eventually
became an artist and sculptor. (Living in Colorado?)

If this is the same Ed Dwight, he did a remarkable job. The statue displays
B. B. King playing his famous guitar, "Lucille," both larger than life size.
You can make out the signature easily on the base. If you're in Memphis,
TN, check it out.


Matt J. McCullar

It is one and the same:
http://www.eddwight.com/about_eddwight/