Little Freddie King | |
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![]() King at the
French Quarter Festival, 2012 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Fread Eugene Martin |
Born | McComb, Mississippi, United States | July 19, 1940
Genres | Electric blues, Texas blues [1] |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, vocalist |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | Mid 1950s–present |
Website | http://www.littlefreddieking.com/?cp=1 |
Little Freddie King (born Fread Eugene Martin, [2] [3] July 19, 1940) is an American Delta blues guitarist. His style is based on that of Freddie King, but his approach to country blues is original. [1]
King, a cousin of Lightnin' Hopkins, was born in McComb, Mississippi, and learned to play the guitar from his father. In 1954, at the age of 14, he moved to New Orleans. [1] [3] He performed in juke joints with his friends Babe Stovall, Slim Harpo, and Champion Jack Dupree, playing both acoustic and electric guitar. [4]
He recorded the first electric blues album in New Orleans with Harmonica Williams in 1969. In 1976, King undertook a European tour with Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker. [5] His next recording opportunity came in 1996, twenty-seven years after his first, with the release of Swamp Boogie. King's Sing Sang Sung (2000) was recorded live at the Dream Palace in Faubourg Marigny. [1]
King is a charter member of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and has played at the festival for 42 years. [1] He is a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He was selected three times as Blues Performer of the Year in New Orleans. He was honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in McComb, Mississippi. [6] In 2007, King co-contributed to the Alabama Slim album, The Mighty Flood. [7]
His 2012 album, Chasing tha Blues, won Best Blues Album at the 12th Annual Independent Music Awards. [8] He appeared in the 2015 documentary film I Am the Blues. [9]
King's most recent album, Jaw Jackin' Blues, was released in 2020. [10]