| Blues guitarist Date of Birth: 25.04.1923 Country: USA |
Albert King, a blues guitarist standing at six feet four inches tall and weighing 250 pounds, towers above countless guitarists who have made their mark in the development of post-war blues. He is instantly recognizable by his height, the ever-present pipe clenched between his teeth, and, of course, his futuristic Gibson "Flying V" guitar. But his music is even more distinctive. The intense, thick sound of his guitar and deceptively simple style have had an immeasurable influence on legions of guitarists.
Little is known about Albert's childhood, and his tendency to embellish the truth only complicates matters. He was born in Indianola, in the heart of the Delta, but even his real name and date of birth, April 25, 1923, have been called into question – many of his acquaintances claimed that Albert was several years older. Albert adopted the popular stage name "King" in the early 1950s, following the success of B.B. King's "Three O'Clock Blues." Albert's father was a wandering preacher who left the family when Albert was five years old. His mother, Mary Blevins, soon remarried to Will Nelson, and the whole family, including a dozen various uncles and cousins, moved to Forrest City, Arkansas. The young boy took his stepfather's last name and became Albert Nelson.
Albert's childhood and youth were relatively normal. Their family made a living from farming, which was common for black residents of the South. Like many other rural children, Albert hardly attended school and learned to read and write as an adult. His first encounter with music came from the legendary "diddley bow" – a wire stretched between two points and played with a bottle. He later built his own guitar. Years later, he recalled, "I made the body out of a cigar box and the neck out of sanded wood. The strings were wound around wooden pegs. I tuned them differently, but all six were made of the same wire." As Albert grew older, he worked as a bulldozer driver. In 1942, he bought a real guitar, a Guild, from a friend for one dollar and twenty-five cents. Inspired by the music of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, and later, T-Bone Walker, Albert spent a lot of time learning to play his guitar, albeit in an unconventional way. Albert was left-handed and held a regular guitar upside down and backwards. At the same time, he sang with the local gospel group, The Harmony Kings.
One of the characteristic features of his style was playing without a pick. "I could never play with a pick," he said in an interview with Guitar Player magazine (September '77). "I tried, but as soon as I warmed up, I threw it away. Finally, I decided – to hell with it. So I play with just my thumb." In 1950, Albert met M.C. Rider by chance and moved to Osceola. Rider owned the famous T-99 club. Osceola was located between Memphis and St. Louis, right on Route 61, and every band traveling from one city to another felt obliged to stop there. The T-99 club was visited by luminaries such as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Rufus Thomas, Rosco Gordon, and Johnny Ace.
Albert also had his own band, The In The Groove Boys, with a rotating lineup that at various times included pianist Eddie Snow, who worked for the famous Sun label, Carl Tate, Clarence Draper, and Walter Jefferson. During rehearsals with The In The Groove Boys, Albert also played the drums. "When I missed a gig, he would sit down at the drums while someone else played the guitar," said Tate.
"We knew only three or four songs back then. And we played them – fast, slow, and medium," Albert himself said. One resident of Osceola confirmed, "Albert was just an average musician when he started playing here."
By 1956, Albert had settled in St. Louis. There was a thriving blues scene in the city, and work for musicians was abundant. But he faced serious competition from the likes of Aike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, Little Milton's band, Roosevelt Marks' band, and Jimmy O'Neil's Hound Dogs.
Initially, King visited numerous clubs scattered throughout the city, getting to know people, and jamming. By October '56, he had formed a band and began playing regularly in clubs. Guitarist Larry Davis, who played with King in the early 60s, recalled, "I met Albert when he first moved to St. Louis. They were playing as a trio in a small bar on Olive Street. I initially noticed him because of his voice. He sang really well, had a strong voice. And then I started playing with him, along with Sam Rhodes."
Albert started gaining attention from the public. Guitarist Bobby King recalls his friend's description as "the biggest, blackest, scariest dude I've ever seen in my life. His guitar looks like a damn spaceship, and he's a lefty with the biggest shoe size you can imagine!" Slowly but surely, Albert transformed from an unknown newcomer to one of the leading bluesmen in St. Louis.
In 1958, Robert Lyons, manager of KATZ radio station, founded Bobbin Records, primarily to release records by Little Milton. Milton's first single became a hit, and Lyons set out to find other local talents. Albert was one of the few "outsiders" on the label.
Albert was accompanied by Leo's Five on this session, with Don James on organ and Kenny Rice on drums. They recorded material for two singles: "Worsome Baby" and "C.O.D." and "Lonesome" and "You Threw Your Love On Me Too Strong." The latter was a reworking of his hit that was released on Bobbin Records. These recordings were direct predecessors to his "golden period" on Stax Records.
These records sold well in St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City. Kenny Rice, who had joined Leo's Five by then, recalls the problem that arose for Gooden: "Leo didn't like rhythm and blues, but Albert's records started selling even better than Gooden's. They really took off, and they were being bought in Kansas City and everywhere, and we had to go on tour with Albert. I remember driving into Kansas City and turning on the radio. 'Big concert tonight! Leo's Five and Albert King are performing!' And they played one of King's songs. I remember that night. Everything was going wrong. Albert got furious and walked off the stage without finishing – he had another falling out with his musicians. And Leo was angry the whole trip because Albert was more popular."
In the end, Gooden resolved the competition by simply terminating his contract with King. Albert had to find a new company, which turned out to be Stax Records.
Since its opening in 1959 as Satellite Records, this independent label soon became one of the pillars of soul music. Artists such as Rufus and Carla Thomas, Booker T & the MGs, Otis Redding, and Sam & Dave recorded for Stax. But prior to King, there were no blues musicians on Stax, and the company's president, Jim Stewart, was skeptical about collaborating with King, believing that blues wouldn't sell. Fortunately, Stewart's sister managed to convince him.
From the very beginning, Albert felt at home on Stax. His band had grown in size, and it usually included two horn players and a pianist, with prominent local musicians joining them at times. The sound had also changed; it was now closer to jump blues. Albert himself became a more confident frontman, and his signature sound – a bright guitar with swinging jazz accompaniment – had already taken shape. "I always loved jazz, especially big bands. The recordings on Bobbin Records were highly orchestrated, with arrangements that blend blues and jazz. They are jazz arrangements around a blues guitar."
Among Albert's fellow musicians, he was known not only for his guitar playing but also for his difficult and unpredictable temperament. His band went through members at an unprecedented rate. Raymond Hill, who played with King in the early 60s, recalled, "I worked with Albert for a long time. He was constantly changing musicians, and I had to fix everything. I rehearsed with newbies, explained what he wanted from them. Yes, Albert was something else! But we understood each other, we got along."
Drummer Eugene Washington described it differently: "Albert was a man with character. The thing is, most guitarists who also sing often change tempos. When they play or sing, the tempo is one thing, but when they stop playing, everything speeds up. And that created constant conflicts. So, he changed drummers like gloves!"
Albert's band members earned good money. "Albert paid more than anyone else: more than Little Milton, Billy Gayles, even Ike Turner. You could make good money with Albert – as long as he didn't fire you. If you tolerated his antics and gave your all on stage, you could learn a lot from him. He was always yelling at his drummers for no reason. He counted the tempo himself, but he played by feel – sometimes faster, sometimes slower. In the end, I could follow him in any way and keep the rhythm exactly as he counted it. But we still argued a lot."
In May '64, Albert found himself in the studio again, this time recording for the small independent label Coun-Tree. Jazz vocalist Leo Gooden, who also owned a club called Gooden's Blue Note Club in East St. Louis, created Coun-Tree to sell records by his own group, Leo's Five. King was one of the few "outsiders" on the label.
Albert was accompanied by Leo's Five on this session, with Don James on organ and Kenny Rice on drums. They recorded material for two singles: "Worsome Baby" and "C.O.D." and "Lonesome" and "You Threw Your Love On Me Too Strong." The latter was a reworking of his hit that was released on Bobbin Records. These recordings were direct predecessors to his "golden period" on Stax Records.
These records sold well in St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City. Kenny Rice, who had joined Leo's Five by then, recalls the problem that arose for Gooden: "Leo didn't like rhythm and blues, but Albert's records started selling even better than Gooden's. They really took off, and they were being bought in Kansas City and everywhere, and we had to go on tour with Albert. I remember driving into Kansas City and turning on the radio. 'Big concert tonight! Leo's Five and Albert King are performing!' And they played one of King's songs. I remember that night. Everything was going wrong. Albert got furious and walked off the stage without finishing – he had another falling out with his musicians. And Leo was angry the whole trip because Albert was more popular."
Eventually, Gooden resolved the competition by simply terminating his contract with King. Albert had to look for a new company, which turned out to be Stax Records.
Since its opening in 1959 as Satellite Records, this independent label soon became one of the pillars of soul music. Artists such as Rufus and Carla Thomas, Booker T & the MGs, Otis Redding, and Sam & Dave recorded for Stax. But prior to King, there were no blues musicians on Stax, and the company's president, Jim Stewart, was skeptical about collaborating with King, believing that blues wouldn't sell. Fortunately, Stewart's sister managed to convince him.
From the very beginning, Albert felt at home on Stax. His band had grown in size, and it usually included two horn players and a pianist, with prominent local musicians joining them at times. The sound had also changed; it was now closer to jump blues. Albert himself became a more confident frontman, and his signature sound – a bright guitar with swinging jazz accompaniment – had already taken shape. "I always loved jazz, especially big bands. The recordings on Bobbin Records were highly orchestrated, with arrangements that blend blues and jazz. They are jazz arrangements around a blues guitar."
Albert's time on Stax Records was marked by success and critical acclaim. He released several albums, including "Born Under a Bad Sign," which remains one of his most iconic works. His powerful guitar playing and soulful vocals captivated audiences around the world, and his influence on future generations of blues guitarists cannot be overstated.
Albert King continued to perform and record until his death in 1992. His legacy as one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time lives on through his music and the countless artists he has inspired.