Freddie King

Name: Frederick Christian King
Born/Died: 3rd September, 1934 (Gilmer, Texas, USA) - 28th December, 1976

Profile: He was an influential Afro-American blues guitarist and singer. He is best known for his recordings such as 1960's "Have You Ever Loved A Woman". King had an intuitive style, often creating guitar parts with vocal nuances. He achieved this by using the open string sound associated with Texas blues and the raw, screaming tones of West Side Chicago blues.

History: King's mother and uncle began teaching Freddie to play guitar at the age of 6 and his first instrument was a Silverstone acoustic. In his early teens he moved on to electric guitar. Before long, he was making trips to Chicago to seek out the guitar players he had heard on record.

In his early years as a young musician, King played with Muddy Waters's sidemen. Although he made recordings under his own name as early as 1956, it was not until 1961 that he had his first major success on record. Until the early 70's King's records was always a 'hit', from "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" and "Hideaway". In 1976, Freddie King suffered a fatal heart attack while playing a gig in Dallas.

Influences: Lingtnin' Hopkins, Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers and B.B. King.

Axology: vintage Gibson Les Paul, Gibson ES-335, Gibson ES-345 and Gibson ES-355.

Link(s):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdPD1rcQlig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqtnNorgQA