Albert King

Albert King with Gibson Flying V electric guitar

Albert King (actually Albert Nelson ; born April 25, 1923 in Indianola , Mississippi , † December 21, 1992 in Memphis , Tennessee ) was an American blues musician and next to B. B. King and Freddie King one of the "three kings of the electric blues".

Life

Albert King was born as one of 13 children under the name Albert Nelson in Indianola . BB King was born in the same region in 1925. Albert King taught himself to play guitar on self-made "guitars" by trying to play pieces by Lonnie Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson .

It wasn't until 1942 that he began to play a real guitar . As a left-handed person, he strung it like a right-handed guitar, i.e. with the highest string on top. During this time he was mainly influenced by Robert Nighthawk and Elmore James . During the 1940s he tried his luck as a musician in St. Louis . He later played in Gary, Indiana with well-known guitarists Jimmy Reed and John Brim , albeit as a drummer.

First recordings

He made his first recording in Chicago on the Parrot label . In 1953 his first single was released with the pieces Bad Luck Blues and Be on Your Merry Way , which was somewhat successful, but brought him little money, so that he returned to the lively blues scene in St. Louis in 1956. At that time, his level of awareness could already be compared with that of Ike Turner or Little Milton Campbell . In St. Louis he bought his Gibson Flying V electric guitar, which he called "Lucy" and which became his trademark. 1961 his single found with So Strong Do not Throw Your Love on Me america wide observance and reached number 14 in the R & B - Charts .

Musical breakthrough

After further local successes in Missouri and Chicago with the Coun-Tree label , he moved to Memphis in 1966 and recorded several successful singles with the emerging soul label Stax Records , including Laundromat Blues and 1967 cover versions of Crosscut Saw and Born Under a Bad Sign (Tommy McClennan ). As an LP with the title Born Under a Bad Sign , a compilation of these singles was released in 1967, which also contained As the Years Go Passing By and The Hunter . It became one of the most influential recordings in blues history , with which the blues also reached the white audience for the first time and brought Albert King himself from the simple dance halls and clubs to the larger rock 'n' roll venues.

On February 1, 1968, he played with Janis Joplin , John Mayall and Jimi Hendrix at the opening concert for the Fillmore West Auditorium in San Francisco , which later became his second home. The albums Live Wire - Blues Power (in Fillmore West) and Years Gone By , recorded shortly afterwards , became the best-selling blues records up to that point.

From the 1970s he toured the world with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as an 87-piece band, but was unable to continue his successes in the 1960s. Despite the again quite successful album San Francisco '83 he only had sporadic guest appearances on albums by aspiring blues musicians such as Chris Cain (Cuttin 'Loose) and Gary Moore (Still Got the Blues) from the mid-1980s . However, he still performed at blues festivals around the world and gave his last concert on December 19, 1992 in Los Angeles .

death

Two days after his concert on December 19, 1992, he died of a heart attack shortly before a planned major European tour. He found his final resting place in the Paradise Gardens Cemetery in Edmondson, Arkansas , which is near the place where he spent his childhood.

Albert King was a tall man, 1.93 m and 120 kg, who was considered capricious in his younger years and was known for always wearing a .45 in his waistband.

perception

Albert King has influenced several generations of great musicians, including Jimi Hendrix , Eric Clapton , Stevie Ray Vaughan (who called him "Daddy") and Robert Cray . He was a favorite guitarist of John Lee Hooker and BB King wrote in his autobiography: "He wasn't my brother in blood, but he sure was my brother in blues." Albert King was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame in 1983 .

In 2011, the Rolling Stone listed King as 13th of the 100 best guitarists of all time .

Discography

Studio albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	R&B
1969	Years Gone By Stax 2010	US133 (4 weeks) US	R&B46 (13 weeks) R&B	First published: May 1969 Producer: Al Jackson
	Jammed Together Stax 2020	US171 (5 weeks) US	R&B23 (4 weeks) R&B	First published: June 1969 with Steve Cropper and Pop Staples instrumental album; Producer: Al Jackson
1971	Lovejoy Stax 2040	US188 (6 weeks) US	R&B29 (14 weeks) R&B	First published: June 1971 Producer: Don Nix
1972	I'll Play the Blues for You Stax 3009	US140 (8 weeks) US	R&B11 (18 weeks) R&B	First published: September 1972 Rhythm section: The Bar-Kays Producers: Allen Jones, Henry Bush
1974	I want to get Funky Stax 5505	-	R&B37 (18 weeks) R&B	First published: April 1974 Producer: Allen Jones
1976	Truckload of Lovin ' Utopia 1387	US166 (6 weeks) US	R&B26 (10 weeks) R&B	First published: March 1976 Producer: Bert de Coteaux
	Albert Utopia 1731	-	R&B54 (2 weeks) R&B	First published: September 1976 Producer: Bert de Coteaux
1979	New Orleans Heat Tomato 7022	-	R&B74 (3 weeks) R&B	First published: March 1979 Producer: Allen Toussaint

More studio albums

• 1963: The Big Blues ( King 852)
• 1967: Born Under a Bad Sign (Stax 723; release: August)
• 1969: King, Does the King's Things (Stax 2015)
• 1969: Travelin 'to California (Lucy and Me) ( Reissue of The Big Blues ; King 1060)
• 1977: The Pinch (Stax 4101)
• 1977: King Albert (Tomato 6002)
• 1983: San Francisco '83 ( Fantasy 9627)
• 1984: I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby (Fantasy 9633)
• 1986: The Lost Session (recorded on August 28, 1971; Stax 8537)

Live albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	R&B
1968	Live Wire / Blues Power Stax 2003	US150 (10 weeks) US	R&B40 (5 weeks) R&B	First published: November 1968 Recording: The Fillmore , San Francisco Producer: Al Jackson
1977	Albert Live Utopia 2205	US182 (3 weeks) US	-	First release: February 1977 Double album producers: Giorgio Gomelsky , Kevin Eggers, Phil Lawrence
2011	In session Stax 7501	US52 (3 weeks) US	-	First published: August 17th, 1999 with Stevie Ray Vaughan Recorded: December 6th, 1983, CHCH Studio, Hamilton (Ontario) Producers: Ian Anderson, Bill Belmont (DE:gold German Jazz Award )

More live albums

• 1988: Blues at Sunrise (Recording: Montreux Jazz Festival , July 1, 1973; Stax 8546)
• 1990: Wednesday Night in San Francisco (Photo: The Fillmore , San Francisco, June 26, 1968; Stax 8556)
• 1990: Thursday Night in San Francisco (Photo: The Fillmore, San Francisco, June 27, 1968; Stax 8557)
• 1993: Blues at Sunset (Photo: Wattstax, August 20, 1972 / Montreux, July 1, 1973; Stax 8581)
• 1994: Chicago 1978 (Charly 754)
• 1995: Live in Canada (Charly 755)
• 2003: Live 69 (Tomato 2068)
• 2003: Talkin 'Blues ( Thirsty Ear THI57129.2)
• 2003: Blues from the Road (double album; Fuel 2000 302 061 318 2)
• 2014: Live in the '70s (RockBeat 3245)
• 2015: Live at the Fabulous Forum! 1972 (RockBeat 3324)

Compilations

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	R&B
1969	King of the Blues Guitar Atlantic 8213	US194 (5 weeks) US	-	First published: February 1969 Producer: The Stax Staff

More compilations

• 1982: Masterworks (2 LPs; Atlantic / Deluxe 4002)
• 1986: The Best of Albert King (Stax 60005)
• 1989: I'll Play the Blues for You ( split album with John Lee Hooker ; Tomato 70396)
• 1989: Let's Have a Natural Ball (Modern Blues Recordings 723)
• 1993: Mean, Mean Blues (King Blues 471)
• 1993: The Ultimate Collection (2 CDs; Rhino Entertainment Company 71268)
• 1994: Funky London (Stax 8586)
• 1999: Blues Masters: The Very Best of Albert King (Rhino 75703)
• 1999: Blues Power (Stax 53317)
• 2006: Stax Profiles (Stax / Universal 0025218862226)
• 2007: The Very Best of Albert King (Stax 30296)
• 2013: I Get Evil (2 LPs; Not Now Music 182)
• 2016: The Big Blues (Soul Jam 600884)
• 2017: Stax Classics (Stax) /
• 2017: On my Merry Way - Singles As & Bs - The Earliest Sessions of the Guitar King 1954–1962 (Jasmine Music)

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		US	R&B
1961	Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong The Big Blues	-	R&B14 (9 weeks) R&B	First published: October 1961 Author: Albert King
1966	Laundromat Blues Born Under a Bad Sign	-	R&B29 (5 weeks) R&B	First published: April 20, 1966 Author: Sandy Jones
1967	Crosscut Saw Born Under a Bad Sign	-	R&B34 (6 weeks) R&B	First published: November 14, 1966 Author: RG Ford
	Born Under a Bad Sign Born Under a Bad Sign	-	R&B49 (2 weeks) R&B	First published: May 25, 1967 Authors: Booker T. Jones , William Bell
1968	Cold Feet King of the Blues Guitar	US67 (4 weeks) US	R&B20 (8 weeks) R&B	First published: December 26, 1967 Authors: Albert King, Al Jackson
	(I Love) Lucy Travelin 'to California (Lucy and Me)	-	R&B46 (3 weeks) R&B	First published: April 18, 1968 Authors: Booker T. Jones, William Bell
1970	Can't You See What You're Doing to Me	-	R&B50 (2 weeks) R&B	First published: May 1970 Author: Albert King
1971	Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven Lovejoy	-	R&B38 (6 weeks) R&B	First published: August 1971 Author: Don Nix
1972	Angel of Mercy I'll Play the Blues for You	-	R&B42 (3 weeks) R&B	First published: March 1972 Authors: Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson
	I'll Play the Blues for You I'll Play the Blues for You	-	R&B31 (8 weeks) R&B	First published: June 1972 Author: Jerry Beach
	Breaking Up Somebody's Home I'll Play the Blues for You	US91 (2 weeks) US	R&B35 (8 weeks) R&B	First published: October 1972 Authors: Timothy Matthews, Al Jackson
1973	That's What the Blues Is All About I Wanna Get Funky	-	R&B15 (12 weeks) R&B	First published: December 1973 Authors: Bobby Patterson, Jerry Strickland
1976	Cadillac Assembly Line Truckload of Lovin '	-	R&B40 (10 weeks) R&B	First published: January 1976 Author: Jimmy Lewis
	Sensation, Communication Together Truckload of Lovin '	-	R&B80 (5 weeks) R&B	First published: June 1976 Authors: Mary Davis, Mack Rise
	Guitar Man Albert	-	R&B79 (4 weeks) R&B	First publication: September 1976 Authors: Norbert de Coteaux, Edith Cherry
1977	Ain't Nothing You Can Do Albert	-	R&B95 (4 weeks) R&B	First published: March 1977 Author: Chuck Brooks
1978	Call My Job King Albert	-	R&B72 (7 weeks) R&B	First published: January 1978 Authors: Detroit Junior, Al Perkins Original: Detroit Junior, 1966
	Chump Change King Albert	-	R&B72 (8 weeks) R&B	First published: April 1978 Authors: Barry Murphy, Eric Morgeson
1979	The Very Thought of You New Orleans Heat	-	R&B87 (3 weeks) R&B	First published: April 1979 Author: Ray Noble Original: Ray Noble Orchestra with Al Bowlly , 1934

More singles

• 1954: Be on Your Merry Way (released March)
• 1959: Ooh-ee baby
• 1960: Need You by My Side (release: March)
• 1960: Let's Have a Natural Ball!
• 1961: I Walked All Night Long (released January)
• 1962: Travelin 'to California (release: February)
• 1962: I Get Evil (released June)
• 1962: I'll Do Anything You Say (released September)
• 1962: Old Blue Ribbon (release: November)
• 1963: This Funny Feeling (released May)
• 1964: Worsome Baby (release: August)
• 1964: Lonsome (release: October)
• 1966: Oh, Pretty Woman (Can't Make You Love Me) (released August 23)
• 1968: Blues Power (release: December)
• 1969: As the Years Go Passing By (release: February)
• 1969: Drowning on Dry Land (release: May)
• 1969: Tupelo (with Steve Cropper and Pop Staples ; release: June)
• 1969: Water (with Steve Cropper and Pop Staples; release: July)
• 1969: Wrapped Up in Love Again (released December)
• 1973: The High Cost of Living (release: June)
• 1974: Flat Tire (release: June)
• 1974: Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin ' (released December)
• 1977: The Pinch Paid Off
• 1979: Born Under a Bad Sign
• 1983: Ask Me No Questions
• 1986: Down the Road I Go
• 1993: I'll Play the Blues for You (JE Morgan feat.Albert King)

Other chart placements

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		UK
1990	Oh, pretty woman still got the blues	UK48 (4 weeks) UK	First release: March 1990 Gary Moore feat. Albert King Author: AC Williams

literature

• Stambler, Irwin: The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul . 3rd Revised Edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 365-367 ISBN 0-312-02573-4 .

swell

1. ↑ 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 18, 2015, accessed August 8, 2017 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Chart sources: Billboard Hot 100 Billboard 200
3. ^ ^{A b c} Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9
4. ↑ Gold / platinum database of the Federal Music Industry Association, accessed June 19, 2016
5. ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot R&B Songs 1942–2010: 6th Edition, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4
6. ↑ Chart data UK

Web links

Commons : Albert King  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Albert King at Allmusic (English)
• Albert King at Discogs (English)
• Albert King at 45cat.com (English)
• Albert King on rollingstone.com
• Albert King at laut.de
• Albert King in the Internet Movie Database (English)