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Bobby King
Birth nameRobert L. King
Born(1941-01-29)January 29, 1941
Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States
DiedJuly 22, 1983(1983-07-22) (aged 42)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres Chicago blues
Occupation(s) Guitarist, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s) Guitar, vocals
Years activeEarly 1960s–1983

Robert L. King (January 29, 1941 – July 22, 1983) was an American Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. [1] King worked with Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, Bobby Bland, Lee "Shot" Williams, Eddy Clearwater, Freddie King, Lonnie Johnson, The Aces and Sonny Thompson. [2] Although he may be better remembered as a session musician, between 1962 and 1975, King recorded four singles and one album.

Following a violent altercation in a Chicago nightclub, King died from his injuries at the age of 42.

Biography

Bobby King was born in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. [1] He was inspired by the work of Fenton Robinson and Larry Davis, before his relocation to Chicago, Illinois, following a short spell in 1959 in St. Louis, Missouri. [3] He became a local favorite largely operating in the West Side, Chicago blues clubs, before his second single, "What a Day, What a Night" (1964), brought him to a larger audience. [4]

King's jazz styled guitar work saw him used as a session musician, recording behind blues musicians such as Lee "Shot" Williams, Eddy Clearwater and Freddie King. He also toured, backing both Bobby Bland and Hank Ballard. [3] His debut single, "Thanks Mr. Postman", an answer song to " Please Mr. Postman", had been released by Federal Records in 1962. Two other singles followed on small local labels, but none attracted tangible sales. [5]

In 1975, his debut album release, Chaser, a live recording, was issued on the French label MCM Records. King wrote two of the songs, including the title track. [6] [7] In 1977, an article on King appeared in the Blues Unlimited magazine. [8]

King planned to undertake a tour of Europe and Japan, but a violent quarrel arose at Louise's, a Chicago club, which left King badly injured and unable to play the guitar. He subsequently died from his wounds on July 22, 1983. [3] An obituary appeared in Living Blues magazine (issue No. 58) later that year. [9]

King's work has appeared on a number of compilation albums. These include King New Breed Rhythm & Blues (2002) which incorporated "Thanks Mr. Postman", [10] R&B Hipshakers Vol. 3: Just a Little Bit of the Jumpin' Bean (2012), [11] and The R & B Singles Collection Volume 2 (2013). [12]

Discography

Singles

Year A-side B-side Record label
1962 "Thanks Mr. Postman" "Two Telephones" Federal Records
1964 "What a Day, What a Night" "W-A-S-T-E-D" Federal Records
1968 "Froggy Bottom Pt. 1" "Froggy Bottom Pt. 2" Weis Records
1973 "Let Me Come on Home" "What Made You Change Your Mind" Sound Plus Records

[5] [13] [14]

Albums

Year Title Record label Notes
1975 Chaser MCM Records A live album recorded at Queen Bee's Lounge, Chicago, on October 9, 1975

[6] [7] [15]

NB. Chaser contained two King compositions, including the title track; otherwise the tracks are mainly covers of blues standards. It was re-released on CD on Storyville Records (1998) [16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Eagle, Bob L.; LeBlanc, Eric S. (May 1, 2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. ABC-CLIO. p. 165. ISBN  9780313344244.
  2. ^ "The Dead Rock Stars Club - The 1980s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Chicago - The Blues Yesterday Vol.7". Theblues-thatjazz.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "Blues & Gospel - Various Artists - Post War Chicago Blues". Rootsandrhythm.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Bobby King". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Chaser - Bobby King | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Illustrated MCM Records discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Blues Unlimited Magazine No 124 March/June 1977 Bobby King Roy Brown Charley Patton Linda Hopkins". Beatchapter.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  9. ^ Ford, Robert (March 31, 2008). A Blues Bibliography. Routledge. pp. 48, 56/7. ISBN  9781135865085.
  10. ^ Records, Ace. "King New Breed Rhythm & Blues". Acerecords.co.uk. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "R&B Hipshakers, Vol. 3: Just a Little Bit of the Jumpin' Bean - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "The R&B Singles Collection, Vol. 2 - Various Artists | User Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "Thanks Mr. Postman / I Want You to Rock Me by Bobby King [blues]". Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "Bobby King [blues] Discography - USA - 45cat". 45cat.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Bobby King (10) - Chaser". Discogs.com. November 8, 1976. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "Chaser - Storyville Records". Storyvillerecords.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.

External links