K
Freddie
King
b: Sep. 3, 1934,
Gilmer, TX
d: Dec. 28, 1976, Dallas, TX
Guitarist Freddie King rode to fame in
the early 60's with a spate of catchy instrumentals which became instant
bandstand fodder for fellow bluesmen and White rock bands alike. Employing
a more down home (thumb and finger picks) approach to the B. B. King single
string style of playing, King enjoyed success on a variety of different record
labels. Furthermore, he was one of the first bluesmen to employ a racially
integrated group on stage behind him. Influenced by Eddie Taylor, Jimmy
Rogers, and Robert Jr. Lockwood, King went on to influence the likes of Eric
Clapton, Mick Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Lonnie Mack, among many
others.
Freddie King was born and
raised in Gilmer, Texas where he learned how to play guitar as a child;
his mother and uncle taught him the instrument. Initially, King played
rural acoustic blues, in the vein of Lightin' Hopkins. By the time
he was a teenager, he had grown to love the rough electrified sound of Chicago
blues. In 1950, when he was 16 years old his family moved to Chicago,
where he began frequenting local blues clubs, listening to musicians like Muddy
Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Little Walter, and Eddie
Taylor. Soon, the young guitarist formed his own band, The Every Hour
Blues Boys, and was performing himself.
In the
mid-50's, King began playing on sessions for Parrott and Chess Records, as well
as playing with Earlee Payton's Blues Cats and the Little Sonny Cooper
Band. Freddie King didn't cut his own record until 1957, when he recorded
"Country Boy" for the small independent label El-Bee. The single failed to
gain much attention.
Three years later, King
signed with Federal Records, a subsidiary of King Records and recorded his first
single for the label, "You've Got to Love Her with a Feeling", in August of
1960. the single appeared the following month and became a minor hit,
scraping the bottom of the pop charts in early 1961. "You've Got to Love
her With a Feeling" was followed by "Hide Away" the song that would become
Freddie King's signature tune and most influential recording. "Hide Away"
was adapted by King and Magic Sam from a Hound Dog Taylor instrumental and named
after one of the most popular bars in Chicago. The single was released as
the B-side of "I Love the Woman" (his single featured a vocal A-side and
an instrumental B-side) in the fall of 1961 and it became a major hit, reaching
number 5 on the R&B charts and number 29 on the pop charts. Throughout
the 60's, "Hide Away" was one of the necessary songs blues and rock 'n' roll bar
bands across America and England had to play during their gigs.
King's first album, Freddie King
Sings, appeared in 1961 and it was followed later that year by Let's Hide
Away and Dance Away with Freddie 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 Edmonds
and Peter Green covered King's material. "Lonesome Whistle Blues",
"San-Ho-Zay" , and "I'm Tore Down" all became top ten R&B hits that
year.
Freddie King continued to record for
King Records until 1968, with a second instrumental album (Freddie King gives
you a bonanza of instrumentals) appearing in 1965, although none of the singles
became a hit. Never the less, his influence was heard throughout blues and
rock guitarists throughout the 60's. Eric Clapton made "Hide Away" his
showcase number in 1965. King signed with Atlantic/Cotillion in late 1968
releasing Freddie King is a Blues Master the following year and My
Feeling for the Blues in 1970; both collections were produced by King
Curtis. After their release, King and Atlantic/Cotillion parted
ways.
King landed a new record contract with
Leon Russell's Shelter Records in the fall of 1970. King recorded three
albums for Shelter in the early 70's, all of which sold well. In addition
to respectable sales, his concerts were also quite popular with both blues and
rock audiences. In 1974, he signed a contract with RSO Records - which was
also Eric Clapton's record label - and he released Burglar, which was
produced and recorded with Clapton. Following the release of
Burglar, King toured America, Europe, and Australia. In 1975, he
released his second RSO album, Larger Than
Life.
Throughout 1976, Freddie King toured
America, even though his health was beginning to decline. On December 29,
1976 King died of heart failure. Although his passing was premature - he
was only 42 years old - Freddie King's influence could still be heard in blues
and rock guitarists 20 years after his death.
Smokin' Joe
Kubek
b:
Texas
Another young Texas axeman from the old school, Smokin' Joe Kubek issued his
bands debut disc in 1991 on Bullseye Blues, Steppin' Out Texas
Style. Kubek was already playing his smokin' guitar on the Lone State
Chitlin circuit at age 14, supporting such musicians as Freddie King.
Soon, he formed his own band and began playing a number of bars across
Dallas. In the late 80's he met guitarist/vocalist B'nois King, a native
of Monroe, LA, and the duo formed the first edition of the Smokin' Joe Kubek
Band. The Smokin' Joe Kubek Band began playing the rest of the southwest
in the late 80's. In 1991 they signed to Bullseye Blues, releasing their
debut Steppin' Out Texas Style the same year. Following it's
release, the band launched their first national tour. For the rest of the
90's, the Smokin' Joe Kubek Band toured the United States and toured frequently
and issued records like 1993's Texas Cadillac and 1996's Got My Mind
Back. Also included are Cryin' For the Moon and Chain
Smokin' Texas
Style.