Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and influential album '' Born Under a Bad Sign'' (1967) and its title track. He, B.B. King, and Freddie King, all unrelated, were known as the "Kings of the Blues". The left-handed King was known for his "deep, dramatic sound that was widely imitated by both blues and rock guitarists." He was once nicknamed "The Velvet Bulldozer" because of his smooth singing and large size–he stood taller than average, with sources reporting or , and weighed –and also because he drove a bulldozer in one of his day jobs early in his career. King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983. He was posthumously inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

in 2013. In 2011, he was ranked number 13 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Early life

Albert King was born on a cotton plantation in

Indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a U.S. city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sunflower County. History In 1891, Minnie M. Cox was appointed postmaster of Indianola, b ...

. During childhood he sang at a church with a family

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

group, in which his father played the guitar. One of 13 children, he grew up picking cotton on plantations near Forrest City, Arkansas, where the family moved when he was eight years old. King's identity was a longtime source of confusion. He stated in interviews that he was born in Indianola on April 25, 1923 (or 1924), and was a half-brother of B.B. King (an Indianola native) but, documentation suggests otherwise. King stated that whenever he performed at Club Ebony in Indianola, the event was celebrated as a homecoming, and he cited the fact that B.B.'s father was named Albert King. However, when he applied for a Social Security card in 1942, he gave his birthplace as "Aboden" (most likely Aberdeen, Mississippi) and signed his name as Albert Nelson, listing his father as Will Nelson. Musicians also knew him as Albert Nelson in the 1940s and early 1950s. He started using the name Albert King in 1953 as an attempt to be associated with B.B King; he was billed as "B.B. King's brother". He also used the same nickname as B.B King, "Blues Boy", and he named his guitar "Lucy" (B.B. King's guitar was named Lucille). B.B. King later said: "He called his guitar 'Lucy,' and for a while he went around saying he was my brother. That bothered me until I got to know him and realized he was right; he wasn't my brother in blood, but he sure was my brother in the blues." According to King, his father left the family when Albert was five, and when he was eight he moved with his mother, Mary Blevins, and two sisters to an area near Forrest City, Arkansas. He said his family had also lived in

Arcola, Mississippi Arcola is a town in Washington County, Mississippi. The population was 361 at the 2010 census. History According to linguist Keith Baca, the name ''Arcola'' may be derived from the Choctaw language meaning "jar". In the 1900s, Leroy Percy owned ...

, for a time. He made his first guitar out of a cigar box, a piece of a bush, and a strand of broom wire. He later bought a real guitar for $1.25. As a left-hander learning guitar on his own, he turned his guitar upside down. He picked cotton, drove a bulldozer, worked in construction, and held other jobs until he was able to support himself as a musician.

Career

King began his professional work as a musician with a group called the Groove Boys in Osceola, Arkansas. During this time he was exposed to the work of many Delta blues artists, including Elmore James and Robert Nighthawk. In 1953, he moved north to

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along th ...

where he briefly played drums in

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

's band and on several of Reed's early recordings. In Gary, he recorded his first single ("Bad Luck Blues" backed with "Be On Your Merry Way"), for Parrot Records. The record sold a few copies, but made no significant impact and Parrot did not request any follow-up records or sign King to a long-term contract. In 1954, he returned to Osceola and re-joined the Groove Boys for two years. In 1956, he moved to Brooklyn, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, and formed a new band. He became a popular attraction around the St. Louis nightclub scene alongside Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

. He signed to Little Milton's

Bobbin A bobbin or spool is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which yarn, thread, wire, tape or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in industrial textile machinery, as well as in sewing machines, fishing reels, tape measu ...

label in 1959, releasing a few singles, but none of them charted. However, he caught the attention of King Records which released the single "

Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong" is a blues song written and recorded by Albert King. The song was first released on Bobbin Records, but it became King's first hit record after its release on King Records in 1961. Recording and release ...

" in November 1961. The recording features musician Ike Turner on piano and became King's first hit; peaking at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. The song was included on his first album '' The Big Blues'' in 1962. King left Bobbin in late 1962 and recorded one session for King Records. In 1963, He signed with jazz artist Leo Gooden's Coun-Tree label and cut two records for them, but these failed to chart. With no apparent career prospects other than touring the club circuit in the South and Midwest, King moved to Memphis, where he signed with the Stax record label. Produced by Al Jackson Jr., King with Booker T. & the MGs recorded dozens of influential sides, such as "

Crosscut Saw A crosscut saw (thwart saw) is any saw designed for cutting wood perpendicular to (across) the wood grain. Crosscut saws may be small or large, with small teeth close together for fine work like woodworking or large for coarse work like log ...

" and "

As the Years Go Passing By "As the Years Go Passing By" is a song penned by Peppermint Harris for Fenton Robinson, who first recorded it in 1959 on Duke Records, Duke #312. Flamboyant pianist James Booker also played on the session. It is credited to have been written by ...

". In 1967, Stax released the album '' Born Under a Bad Sign'', a collection of the singles King recorded at Stax. The title track of that album (written by

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

and William Bell) became King's best-known song and has been covered by several artists (including

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

Paul Rodgers Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...

, and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

). The production of the songs was sparse and clean and maintained a traditional blues sound while also sounding fresh and thoroughly contemporary. The key to King's success at Stax was giving his songs an upbeat, slick R&B feel that made the songs more appealing and radio-friendly than the slow, maudlin traditional blues sound. Albert King 1968

In 1967, King was performing at Ike Turner's Manhattan Club in

East St. Louis East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

when promoter Bill Graham offered him $1,600 to play three nights at the

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Str ...

in San Francisco. He released the album '' Live Wire/Blues Power'' from one of the concerts. In 1969, King performed live with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. That same year, he released the album ''Years Gone By''. In 1970, he released an

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

tribute album, '' Albert King Does the King's Things.'' It was a collection of Presley's 1950s hits reworked and re-imagined in King's musical style, although critics felt the results were mixed. On June 6, 1970, King joined the Doors on stage at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Recordings of this performance were released in 2010 by Rhino Records as '' Live in Vancouver 1970''. In 1971, he released the album ''Lovejoy'' which notably includes a cover of the Rolling Stones' hit " Honky Tonk Women". To retain his popular appeal, King eagerly embraced the new sound of

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

. In 1972, he recorded "I'll Play the Blues for You", which featured accompaniment from the Bar-Kays, the Memphis Horns, and the Movement (

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songw ...

's backing group). He recorded another album with the Bar-Kays, ''I Wanna Get Funky'' (1974). He also made a cameo on an

Albert Brooks Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein ; July 22, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's '' Broadcast News'' and was widely praised for his performance as a ...

' comedy album, ''A Star Is Bought'' (1975). In 1975, King's career took a turn downward when Stax Records filed for bankruptcy, after which he moved to the small Utopia label. His next two albums, ''Albert'' and ''Truckload of Lovin (1976), devolved into generic 1970s pop music. His third album for Utopia, ''King Albert'' (1977), while somewhat more subdued, still lacked any standout material, and King's guitar took a backseat to the background instruments.

Clara McDaniel Clara McDaniel (born November 26, 1948) is an American blues singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, ''Unwanted Child'', in 1997 and has worked with notable blues musicians including Albert King, Tommy Bankhead, Bobby Bland, Little ...

teamed up with King at Ned Love's Club. This led to her touring with King in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the wa ...

in the 1970s. When McDaniel returned home she managed King's fleet of taxicabs. The last recording King made for Utopia was ''Live Blues'' in 1977, from his performance at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

. The track "As the Years Go Passing By" is noteworthy for his duet with the Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher. In 1978, King moved to a new label, Tomato Records, for which he recorded the album ''New Orleans Heat''. The label paired him with the R&B producer

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

, who had been responsible for scores of hits in that genre in the 1960s and 1970s but was a novice at working with blues artists. The album was a mix of new songs (including Toussaint's own " Get Out of My Life, Woman") and re-recordings of old material, such as "Born Under a Bad Sign". King took a four-year break from recording after the disappointing sales of his albums in the late 1970s. During this period, he re-embraced his roots as a blues artist and abandoned any arrangements except straight 12-bar guitar, bass, drums, and piano. In 1983, he released a live album for Fantasy Records, ''San Francisco '83,'' which was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. The same year he recorded a studio television session, more than an hour long, for CHCH Television in Canada, featuring the up-and-coming blues sensation

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

; it was subsequently released as an audio album and later as an audio album plus DVD titled '' In Session''. In 1984, King released the album, ''I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby'', which was nominated for a Grammy Award. The album included a redo of "Truckload of Lovin'" and two old songs by Elmore James, " Dust My Broom" and " The Sky Is Crying". King's health problems led him to consider retirement in the 1980s, but he continued regular tours and appearances at blues festivals, using a customized Greyhound tour bus with "I'll Play The Blues For You" painted on the side. His final album, ''Red House'' (named after the

song) was released in 1991. At the time of his death, he was planning a tour with B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland. Bland told the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

, "there was never any type of jealousy when we three worked together on a package. One just pushed the others."

Death

King died of a heart attack on December 21, 1992, in his Memphis home. His final concert had been in Los Angeles two days earlier. He was given a funeral procession with the Memphis Horns playing " When the Saints Go Marching In" and was buried in Paradise Gardens Cemetery in Edmondson, Arkansas, near his childhood home. King was survived by his wife, Glendle; two daughters, Evelyn Smith and Gloria Randolph; a son, Donald Randolph; a sister, Elvie Wells; eight grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.

Artistry

Instruments

King's first instrument was a diddley bow. Next, he built himself a cigar box guitar, and eventually he bought a

Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometim ...

acoustic guitar. The instrument he is usually associated with is a 1958 Gibson Flying V. In 1974 he began using a Flying V built by Dan Erlewine, and after 1980 he also played one built by Bradley Prokopow. After 1987, Albert played a custom Archtop Flying V, built by Tom Holmes upon commission from

Billy Gibbons William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, ''Flash ...

, it was given to King for his 65th birthday. Around 2017, this guitar was sold by Gruhn Guitars to an unknown collector. King was left-handed, but usually played right-handed guitars flipped over upside-down. He used a dropped

open tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitches to the open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Tunings are described by the particular pitches that are made by notes in Western music. B ...

, possibly more than one, as reports vary: (C#-G#-B-E-G#-C#) or open E-minor (C-B-E-G-B-E) or open F (C-F-C-F-A-D).

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

(who played rhythm guitar on many of King's Stax sessions), told ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and politica ...

'' magazine that King tuned his guitar to C-B-E-F#-B-E (low to high). The luthier Dan Erlewine said King tuned to C-F-C-F-A-D with light-gauge strings (0.050", 0.038", 0.028", 0.024" wound, 0.012", 0.009"). The lighter-gauge strings, and lower string tension of the dropped tuning, were factors in King's string-bending technique. For amplification, King used a solid-state Acoustic amplifier, with a speaker cabinet containing two 15-inch speakers and a horn ("which may or may not have been operative"). Later in his career he also used an MXR Phase 90.

Influence

King influenced other guitarists, including

, Mick Taylor, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Mike Bloomfield and

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr ...

(the

James Gang James Gang is an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass), and ...

guitarist spoke at King's funeral). He also influenced his contemporaries Albert Collins and

Otis Rush Otis Rush Jr. (April 29, 1934 – September 29, 2018) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. His distinctive guitar style featured a slow-burning sound and long bent notes. With qualities similar to the styles of other 1950s art ...

. He was often cited by

as having been his greatest influence.

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

has said that his work on the 1967

hit " Strange Brew" and throughout the album '' Disraeli Gears'' was inspired by King.

Accolades

Over the course of his career, King was nominated for two Grammy awards. In 1983, he was nominated for Best Traditional Blues album for ''San Francisco'' '''83'' and the next year he was also nominated for ''I'm In A Phone Booth, Baby.'' In 1983, King was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. King received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1993. In 2011, King was honored with a marker on the

Mississippi Blues Trail The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) ...

in his hometown Indianola. King was inducted into the

in 2013. At the induction ceremony, Gary Clark Jr. performed King's "Oh, Pretty Woman" and was then joined by

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 wit ...

and

to perform King's "Born Under a Bad Sign". King was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Big Blues'', also known as ''Travelin' to California'' (1962) * '' Born Under a Bad Sign'' (1967) * '' Years Gone By'' (1969) * '' Blues for Elvis – King Does the King's Things'' (1970) * ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'' (1971) * ''

I'll Play the Blues for You ''I'll Play the Blues for You'' is the seventh studio album by Albert King released in 1972. In 2017, the single version of the title track was inducted in to the Blues Hall of Fame. Track listing #"I'll Play the Blues for You, Pts. 1-2" ( Jer ...

'' (1972) * ''

I Wanna Get Funky ''I Wanna Get Funky'' is the eighth studio album by Albert King, covering various blues tunes with heavy funk overtones, by Albert King, recorded in 1972 and released in 1974. With a rhythm section led by the Bar-Kays and horn arrangements by the ...

'' (1974) * ''Albert'' (1976) * ''Truckload of Lovin (1976) * '' King Albert'' (1977) * ''The Pinch'', also known as '' The Blues Don't Change'' (1977) * ''New Orleans Heat'' (1978) * ''San Francisco '83'', also known as ''Crosscut Saw: Albert King in San Francisco'' (1983) * '' I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby'' (1984) * ''The Lost Session'' (1971, released 1986)

Videography

* ''Maintenance Shop Blues'' (VHS), PBS (1981) * ''Godfather of the Blues: His Last European Tour'' (DVD), P-Vine Records (2001) * ''Live in Sweden'', Image Entertainment (2004) * '' In Session... Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan'', Stax, Concord Music Group (2010)

References

Sources

* Bowman, Rob (1997). ''Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records''. Schirmer Books. . *Gordon, Robert (2001). ''It Came from Memphis''. New York: Atria. *Guralnick, Peter. (1986). ''Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom''. New York: Harper Collins. (Back Bay Books, 1999 edition: )

External links

Albert King
at ''

''
The Big Blues
Alan di Perna, ''Guitar Aficionado'', February 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Albert 1923 births 1992 deaths People from Indianola, Mississippi Electric blues musicians Urban blues musicians American blues drummers American rhythm and blues musicians American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Blues musicians from Mississippi African-American guitarists African-American male singer-songwriters Lead guitarists King Records artists Parrot Records (blues label) artists Atlantic Records artists Ace Records (United States) artists Stax Records artists Federal Records artists 20th-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Mississippi People from Osceola, Arkansas People from Brooklyn, Illinois Guitarists from North Carolina Thirsty Ear Recordings artists Mississippi Blues Trail Bobbin Records artists 20th-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from North Carolina