The Blues Kings Part 2

Albert

Albert King was born on  April 25, 1923, in Indianola, Mississippi, the same location known as B.B. King, and though the two were not related,  Albert would often kid people that B.B was his half brother. Albert was influenced by people such as Elmore James and Blind Lemon Jefferson and decided the blues was to be his calling.

Albert stood 6-foot-4-inches and at around 250 pounds was not a guy to be argued with. He was left handed and at first played the right hand guitar Jimi Hendrix style, that is upside down. He was not a particularly likeable guy and was often known to carry around a .45.   He also suffered a somewhat inferiority complex when good musicians were around  and ensured he had sole command of the stage at all times

In 1966, he signed for the famous soul label Stax and forged a great partnership with the house band, Booker T & The MGs.  This led to great success in the guise of such songs such as "Crosscut Saw" and "Born Under A Bad Sign", both released in 1967.

His style was somewhat more aggressive than B.B and he was a great influence on such players as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray. Eric Clapton also admitted that his famous hit “Layla” was lifted fro Albert’s “As years Go Passing By”

King continued to record with Stax until it folded in the mid-1970s. He gave up recording altogether in the 80s but still played live and was a regular participant at blues festivals worldwide. He played his last concert in Los Angeles on December 19, 1992 and died two days later after suffering a sudden heart attack.

He was given a true New Orleans-style funeral with the famous Memphis Horns playing "When The Saints Go Marching In" as he was laid to rest not far from where he spent his childhood. Both "Born Under A Bad Sign" and "Live wire" are honoured as classics of blues recordings and are indeed a legacy that will always remain.

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Freddie

Freddie King was born and raised in Gilmer, TX, where he learned how to play guitar as a child. At first King played acoustic blues, but by the time he was a teenager, he had grown to love the sounds of Chicago blues. When  he was 16 his family moved to Chicago, where he began frequenting local blues clubs, and soon formed his own band at an early age.

In 1961an instrumental B side,"Hide Away,"  became one of the greatest blues classics ever and Freddie’s fame grew from that point on. This was followed by another instrumental classic called ”The Stumble” and both these songs became anthems for all blues bands throughout the land.

Musically Freddy never stood still, he was always open to new ideas and throughout his recording career has played with many of the world’s top artists most of whom played him the compliment of covering his songs.
King's first album, Freddy King Sings, appeared in 1961, and it was followed later that year by Let's Hide Away and Dance Away With Freddy King: Strictly Instrumental. Throughout 1961, he turned out a series of instrumentals -- including "San-Ho-Zay," "The Stumble," and "I'm Tore Down" -- which became blues classics; everyone from Magic Sam and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Dave Edmunds and Peter Green covered King's material. "Lonesome Whistle Blues," "San-Ho-Zay," and "I'm Tore Down" all became Top Ten RB hits that year.

Freddie King continued to record for King Records until 1968, with a second instrumental album (Freddy King Gives You a Bonanza of Instrumentals) appearing in 1965, although none of his singles became hits. Nevertheless, his influence was heard throughout blues and rock guitarists throughout the '60s -- Eric Clapton made "Hide Away" his showcase number in 1965. King signed with Atlantic/Cotillion in late 1968, releasing Freddie King Is a Blues Masters the following year and My Feeling for the Blues in 1970; both collections were produced by King Curtis. After their release, Freddie King and Atlantic/Cotillion parted ways.

In 1974, he signed for RSO Records --Eric Clapton's label -- and released his most successful album, Burglar, featuring Clapton.  Following that King toured America, Europe, and Australia and then went on to release his second RSO album, Larger Than Life.

By 1976, Freddie’s health was failing but he still toured America but on December 29, 1976, he died of heart failure at the young age of 42. Like his namesake Albert Freddie King still left behind a musical legacy that will not be forgotten