''The Big Blues'' is a compilation album by

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

, released by King Records in 1962. It is his first album and the only one before he signed with

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

, where he would record most albums during his career. The album was later reissued under the title ''Travelin' to California''.

Recording

''The Big Blues'' compiles songs previously released by King Records and

Bobbin Records Bobbin Records was an American, St. Louis-based independent record label, founded by blues musician Little Milton and KATZ-AM disc jockey Bob Lyons in 1958. The label was instrumental in exposing Milton and other local artist to wider audiences. ...

as singles and

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

. King recorded "Blues at Sunrise" and "Let's Have a Natural Ball" for the St. Louis label Bobbin in 1960, which helped to introduce him to a wider audience. In October 1961, King released " Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong", which included

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...

on piano. It did so well locally that King Records leased the record from Bobbin and released it as a single the next month. It became King's first appearance on the charts, peaking at number 14 on the ''Billboard''

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

Track listing

All songs were written by

, except where noted. Side 1 # "Let's Have a Natural Ball" – 2:52 # "What Can I Do to Change Your Mind?" – 2:48 # " I Get Evil" – 2:26 # "Had You Told It Like It Was (It Wouldn't Be Like It Is)" (

Sonny Thompson Sonny Thompson (probably August 23, 1916 – August 11, 1989), born Alfonso Thompson or Hezzie Tompson, was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography There is some uncertainty over Thomps ...

, Gene Redd) – 2:59 # "This Morning"In 1961,

the Mar-Keys The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an United States, American recording studio, studio session musician, session musical ensemble, band for Stax Records, in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing m ...

recorded the similar instrumental " Last Night". – 2:10 # "I Walked All Night Long" – 2:51 Side 2 # "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong" – 2:55 # "Travelin' to California" – 3:00 # "I've Made Nights by Myself" – 2:34 # "This Funny Feeling" (

Rudy Toombs Rudolph Toombs (1914 – November 28, 1962) was an American performer and songwriter. He wrote "Teardrops from My Eyes", Ruth Brown's first number one R&B song, and other hit songs for her, including " 5-10-15 Hours". He also wrote "One Mint ...

) – 2:32 # "Ooh-Ee Baby" – 3:52 # "Dyna Flow" – 2:50

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *

– piano on "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong" * Additional unknown musicians * Pierre Wooten – cover illustration

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Blues 1962 debut albums Albert King albums King Records (United States) albums