Freddie King (Freddie Christian, 1934-1976)

Freddie King was born and raised in Texas, but he got a lot of his musical education in Chicago where he lived in his twenties and made his first record. Though he was based in Texas for most of his career, there was both Texas and Chicago in him and his music was a bit more relaxed than others of the Chicago West Side players of his generation like Buddy Guy, (listen) yet just as energetic.

Fredie King was for a time the most far reachingly influential of the Gang Of Four who redirected blues guitar traffic in the 50s. While other players copied particular recioes of Buddy Guy, Magic Sam (listen) and Otis Rush and tried to absorb the styleistic flavour of King's playing. Evident in the finger-snapping instrumentals like "Hideaway" (listen) and "San-Ho-Zay"(listen), the powerful "Have you ever loved a woman", "It's Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough" and "The Welfare Turns Its Back On You" (listen).

Freddie King was a fine singer and "Tore Down" (listen) became a standard, though those three minute instrumental 45s made him famous. No one could top Freddie in catchy, memorable guitar riffs and those instrumentals were teriffic for dancing, something the blues was losing sight of at the time.

Between 1960 and 1964 King recorded for the King subsidiary Federal sometimes targeting the teenage market with tunes like "Surf Monkey" (listen) and "The Bossa Nova Watusi Twist"(listen). Federal who went after white buyers issued an LP called "Freddie King Goes Surfin'" - a dozen of Freddie's finest works with surf sound effects added.

In the late 60s King recorded a couple of over-produced albums for Cotillion, and in the 70s for Shelter mixing blues with the compostions of Don Nix ("Same Old Blues")(listen) and Leon Russell. Though they lacked the crispness of his earlier work and had the rock audience in mind they were not negligible at all.

His last work for RSO, put together by suggestion of his admirer Eric Clapton, was even less blues-orientated. Freddie King died 42 years old from a heart disease and hepatitis.

Important recordings

•Let's Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King
•Live at the Electric Ballroom
•Best of Shelter Years
•Freddie King Is a Blues Master
•My Feeling for the Blues
•Woman Across the River
•Burglar
•King of the Blues

Here is a taste of Freddie King: