Bob posted a picture of Freddie King and I thought he'd be a good'n to feature. I had the opportunity to see him a number of times in Austin. Last time was at Thanksgiving in Dallas with EC in 1976. One of my most memorable shows. Bugs came out and helped out on "Farther On Up the Road." Epic.
Sorry about last week. They were having an election and I kept going in the other room to check the score. We know who won.
Still not much going on about town. Kudos to those of you who have gigs,
And BE SAFE!! those of you who venture out to show your support.
Happy New Year!!
Sorry about last week. I was wor
Sincerely,
Jim Crawford - PBS
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King of Texas By Eric Westervelt , who is being inducted to the hall this year for his early influence on rock music. Among the "Three Kings" of electric blues - along with B.B. and Albert (no relation) - Freddie King is the last to be inducted into the rock hall. But in some ways, his late induction mirrors his career. Freddie is probably the least well-known of the Kings, but he has arguably had the most influence on rock guitarists. Born and raised in Texas, Freddie King learned guitar basics from his mother and uncle. At first, he soaked up acoustic blues and Texas country, but in late 1949, at the age of 15, he moved to Chicago with his family. It was there that King learned from such electric Chicago blues greats as Jimmie Rodgers and Muddy Waters and eventually came up with his signature sound. Key to the Highway," "I'm Tore Down" and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" have become part of the blues-rock pantheon. "We owe a debt of gratitude to Freddie and other original bluesmen for, basically, the songbook they gave us," blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa King's blues style was fluid, but with biting power that was arguably more forceful than that of many other bluesmen of his day (with the notable exception of living legend Buddy Guy). King used thumb and finger picks and would just dig into his Gibson 355 - hung precariously over just his right shoulder - creating what are now classic, deeply influential and riveting solos. King's versions of blues classics such as " says. "Freddie was more of a rock guitar player. Freddie always had a dry, immediate sound." While B.B. and Albert King are known for their exquisite, minimalist solos with sinewy bends and telltale vibrato, Freddie King was a little more rock 'n' roll. "I can easily identify his sound and his style," Bonamassa says. "The attack and the intensity - you can tell who he is in three notes, you know?" Fittingly, Bonamassa will help posthumously induct King Saturday with another member of the younger generation of blues-rock virtuoso guitarists: Derek Trucks of The Allman Brothers Band . They'll be joined by Freddie King's fellow Texans Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top for a rock hall jam in Freddie's honor. Wanda King, his eldest daughter, will represent the family at the induction. "Freddie King set the standard of a black bluesman doing rock blues," Wanda King says. "Clapton, [John] Mayall, Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes - the list goes on and on. Many of these guys really jump-started their careers off of my father's music. He definitely has a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." King's classic instrumental "Hide Away" became a gateway tune for many guitar players: You had to show your chops with a version of "Hide Away." Named after a Chicago bar and, King admitted, stolen in part from a Hound Dog Taylor tune, "Hide Away" became King's trademark song in 1961. That year, he had an incredible series of six hits in the R&B Top 30 and three Top 10 hits. Like many musicians and fans, Bonamassa came to Freddie King via the British Invasion guitar greats Clapton, Beck and Jimmy Page, who reignited interest in American blues. He then made his way to King's later recordings on Leon Russell's legendary Shelter label and got hooked on the sound. "My first introduction to 'Hide Away' was on the John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers album with Eric Clapton," Bonamassa says. "Same thing with 'Please Accept My Love' and 'Going Down.' It's part of the playbook, the songbook we all use." King died in 1976 at just 42. Constant touring - immortalized in the Grand Funk Railroad line, 'Up all night with Freddie King / Man I gotta tell you, poker's his thing' - as well as a poor diet (Bloody Marys were reputedly a favorite meal) hammered his health. "He left us way too soon, but his legend will live forever," Wanda King says. "Some people are put here for one thing and then move on." Wanda King says she's heartened by the thought that kids today know you have to go through Freddie if you want to get to blues-rock. She says she gets emails all the time from around the world. "I read one from a 14-year-old from Brazil, and he just got his first Freddie King CD and his first guitar. That's awesome," she says. "Young kids are into Freddie King if they are into the guitar." Maybe the next blues-rock great is practicing those pentatonic blues scales right now in Brazil, or Bratislava, or Baltimore - up all night with Freddie King.
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| GOT BLUES? If you are a Blues musician, a group, or a club that features Blues music, and would like to be listed, please send your info to info@phoenixblues.org and we'll be happy to list your event in our weekly Out & About section of the newsletter
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Moved? Changed email addresses? Please let us know of any changes in your address, email, or phone number so we can keep you informed about the Blues community in Arizona. Email us at: info@phoenixblues.org or write to: Phoenix Blues Society P.O. Box 36874 Phoenix, Arizona 85067 |
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| Out & About
Tuesday, December 15
Waiting out the virus: Cold Shott & The Hurricane Horns The Sugar Thieves Gary Zak & The Outbacks Hans Olson Rocket 88s JC& The Rockers Carvin Jones Hoodoo Casters Rhythm Room ÂÂÂwww.rhythmroom.com ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ
Nina Curri Paris James Mother Road Trio Blues Review Band Reverbnationbluesmanmike Mike Eldred www.mikeeldredtrio.com Big Daddy D & The Dynamites Facebook Cadillac Assembly Line Facebook Innocent Joe and the Hostile Witnesses Facebook Chuck Hall Facebook Pop Top Facebook
Wednesday, January 13 Thursday, January 14 Mike Eldred Trio, 8 p.m., Kazimerz, Scottsdale Friday, January 15 Innocent Joe & The Histile Witnesses, 7 p.m., Handlebar, Apache Junction Blues Review Band, 8 p.m, Fire Rock Country Club, Fountain Hills Carvin Jones, 7 p.m., Perch Brewery, Chandler Harry McGraw Band, 7:30 p.m., Blue Adobe. Scottsdale Saturday, January 16 Cadillc Assembly Line, 7 p.m., Desert Ridge Marketplace, Phoenix Carvin Jones, 7 p.m., Tim Finnegan's, Glendale Innocebnt Joe (solo), 6 p.m., Divided Vine, Gilbert BluZone Duo, 6 p.m., Founding Fathers' Kitchen, Chandler Monday, January 18
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| Jams
MONDAY
Hooter's Blues Jam, 7 p.m., Starlite Lounge, Phoenix
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
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