Chapter 12: Gospel, Blues and R&B
Freddie King
Freddie King (1934–1976), born Fred Christian in Gilmer, Texas, brought a blend of Texas and Chicago blues styles to national attention. Texas blues, rooted in swing and country influences, was characterized by its clean, single-note leads, jazzy phrasing, and a lighter, more melodic approach to guitar playing compared to the grittier Mississippi Delta style. It often features a fluid picking technique and extended improvisation, traits that deeply informed King's early musical vocabulary. After moving to Chicago as a teenager, King immersed himself in the city’s blues scene and formed his first band, the Every Hour Blues Boys. Although he faced early rejections from Chess Records, he eventually signed with Federal Records, where he gained recognition with recordings like “Have You Ever Loved a Woman” and the instrumental “Hide Away,” which became a blues standard.
King’s guitar style combined the sharp, percussive attack and melodic clarity of Texas blues with the heavier, amplified tones of Chicago’s electric tradition. His use of instrumental tracks allowed him to showcase his phrasing and control, particularly through extended melodic runs and dynamic changes in volume and attack. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he frequently alternated between lead lines and rhythm figures within the same song, as heard in “Hide Away.” Vocally, King possessed a gritty and direct delivery that complemented his expressive guitar work. He later collaborated with producers influenced by rhythm and blues and rock, and was one of the first blues artists to perform with a multiracial backing band, a move that helped expand his audience during live performances.
Albert King
Albert King (1923–1992) developed a singular approach to the guitar that distinguished him in the electric blues tradition. Playing left-handed on an upside-down Gibson Flying V guitar strung for right-handed use, he defied conventional technique and crafted a style built around expressive string bends, wide vibrato, and sustained single notes. Because his strings were inverted, King had to bend the strings downward rather than upward, allowing for dramatic, almost vocal-like pitch changes that gave his solos an emotionally raw and forceful quality. His bends were often slow, wide, and deliberately strained, often bending upwards of multiple pitches, creating a sense of tension and release that became his trademark. Rather than relying on fast runs or complex phrasing, he prioritized tone, space, and dynamic control, often repeating short melodic ideas to build intensity.
After early work in gospel and local blues bands, King’s breakthrough came with his 1961 hit “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong.” His career accelerated when he signed with Stax Records in 1966. Backed by the label’s house band, Booker T. & the MG’s, King developed a style that merged Memphis soul grooves with blues phrasing. The track “Born Under a Bad Sign” exemplified this hybrid approach, establishing his appeal to both blues and rock listeners. King later performed at venues traditionally associated with rock, such as the Fillmore West, and collaborated with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, demonstrating his adaptability across genres. His recordings in the 1970s incorporated funk influences, especially in tracks like “I’ll Play the Blues for You,” which reflected the evolving sound of electric blues during that era.
B.B King
B.B. King (1925–2015), born Riley B. King, is probably the most well-known of the major blues players. Although he was not part of the Chicago blues scene, he played a significant role in popularizing electric blues nationwide. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, he learned guitar as a teenager and began his music career as a disc jockey and performer in Memphis, where he adopted the stage name “Blues Boy,” later shortened to B.B. King. Memphis played an important role in shaping King’s sound, as the city’s musical environment combined rural Delta blues with urban R&B and soul influences.
King’s early recording success came with “Three O’Clock Blues” in 1952, and his audience grew during the 1960s, especially with the British blues revival, which brought his music to new international listeners. In 1964, King played an estimated 360 shows, reflecting an intense and consistent touring schedule that extended throughout his career. This rigorous touring, in tandem with his success on the radio and record sales, helped him reach wide and diverse audiences over many decades.
King’s guitar style focused on melodic clarity and emotional expression. Influenced by players like T-Bone Walker, Django Reinhardt, and Charlie Christian, he developed a lead guitar voice centered on vibrato, clean bends, and lyrical phrasing rather than heavy chord-based riffs. His “butterfly” vibrato technique involved a rapid, controlled shaking of the string that produced a smooth, fluttering effect. This technique became a key feature of his sound and helped his guitar “Lucille” produce vocal-like expressiveness. Combined with precise note choices and phrasing, King was able to convey the emotions of the blues with economy and nuance.
During the 1960s and 70s, the blues gained wider acceptance in part due to King’s expressive singing and his approachable demeanor both on and off stage. Throughout this period, he achieved notable commercial success, with many of his recordings charting on the rhythm-and-blues lists. King continued to record and perform actively throughout his life. His 1981 album There Must Be a Better World Somewhere received a Grammy Award, while his 1970 live recording Live at the Cook County Jail remains one of his most acclaimed works.