Ed King

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edward Calhoun "Ed" King (born September 14, 1949 in Glendale , California - † August 22, 2018 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was an American musician . He was best known as the guitarist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd .

Life

In the USA, the band Strawberry Alarm Clock , co-founded by King in the mid-1960s, had commercial success as early as 1967 with the song Incense and Peppermints , which he co-wrote, for which he was not originally named as a co-author. During a few joint appearances by Strawberry Alarm Clock and Lynyrd Skynyrd, King got to know the band in February 1970, to which he did not change until 1972. After he was only supposed to replace the retired bassist Leon Wilkeson at the beginning , King returned to the guitar after his return, and so the line-up with three guitarists typical of Lynyrd Skynyrd was born. In order to be heard alongside the other two guitars from the band's sound, he switched to a Fender Stratocaster . He played this type of guitar to the last and almost exclusively.

King wrote some of the band's well-known songs with singer Ronnie Van Zant , including the song Sweet Home Alabama , which was composed with the help of Gary Rossington and appeared on the second album, Second Helping . He also took part in the debut album Pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd and the third studio album by the band Nuthin 'Fancy . All three albums achieved gold status in the USA in 1974 and 1975 respectively. On the debut album, King only plays bass except for the song Mississippi Kid , and almost exclusively guitar on the other two albums. In June 1975, King decided to leave the band due to increasing drug, alcohol and personal problems in the group. King blamed the negative changes in the band on the new engagement of Peter Rudge as manager, who was also responsible for the British rock band The Who . Regardless of this, he escaped the plane crash on October 20, 1977, in which two band members were killed.

At the reunion of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987, King was there again, but had to take a break in 1996 due to heart problems. King's request to rejoin the band after his recovery was not complied with by the group, although according to King, such an agreement should have been made. There was a legal battle. In 2006, King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with all of the other band members from before the plane crash .

In spring 2012 he had a heart transplant. King lived with his wife in Nashville, where he died in August 2018 at the age of 68.

Discography

Strawberry Alarm Clock

  • 1967: Incense and Peppermints
  • 1968: Wake Up ... It's Tomorrow
  • 1968: The World in a Sea Shell
  • 1969: Good Morning Starshine

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gary James: Interview With The Guitarist for Strawberry Alarm Clock and Lynyrd Skynyrd - Ed King. In: classicbands.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Ed King Biography - vetted by Ed himself! “Ed King was a guitar player from the South… well, sort of !! ”… Charlie Daniels. In: btinternet.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012 ; accessed on August 23, 2018 (English).
  3. ^ Ed King: Gretsch Discussion Pages: Miscellaneous Rumbles: Ed King: Curt. In: gretschpages.com. March 2012, archived from the original on January 25, 2013 ; accessed on August 23, 2018 (English).
  4. ↑ Mourning the rock legend: Lynyrd Skynyrd star Ed King is dead! In: Promiflash.de. August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME King, Ed
ALTERNATIVE NAMES King, Edward C. (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH September 14, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Glendale , California
DATE OF DEATH 22nd August 2018
Place of death Nashville , Tennessee