Blues Hero

by Freddie King

Overview

This has 24 sides that King did for Federal in the early 1960s, all but two of them from 1961 and 1962, and all but one released on singles. Half of this appears on Rhino's King retrospective Hide Away: The Best of Freddy King, which has a slightly more astute track selection, so if you have that and feel like that's sufficient Freddy King for your library, you'll probably give this a pass. If, however, you want more King from his best period, this is certainly worth checking out. Included is a moderate 1961 R&B hit, "Christmas Tears," that doesn't appear on the Rhino comp, and is slower and more piano-based than much of his output during the era. As for the other items on the disc that are on the obscure side, they tend to be more derivative of non-blues R&B trends, like black vocal groups and New Orleans rock & roll, than King's best and most smoking sides were. On the other hand, cuts like "Takin' Care of Business" and the instrumental "Side Tracked" deliver the stinging King guitar licks that were his best assets, and his blues guitar is in fact present to some degree on everything. "(The Welfare) Turns Its Back on You" is an unusual stride into socially conscious material, and after listening to King's high vocal phrasing on "What About Love," it wouldn't be at all surprising to learn that it might have influenced the young Stevie Winwood. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	03/27/2001
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667145428
Rank:	120668

Tracks

1. Hide Away
2. Lonesome Whistle Blues
3. San-Ho-Zay
4. I'm Tore Down
5. See See Baby
6. Christmas Tears
7. You've Got to Love Her With a Feeling
8. Have You Ever Loved a Woman
9. You Know That You Love Me (But You Never Tell Me So)
10. I Love the Woman
11. It's Too Bad (Things Are Going So Tough)
12. Sen-Sa-Shun
13. If You Believe (In What You Do)
14. Takin' Care of Business
15. The Stumble
16. Sittin' on the Boat Dock
17. Side Tracked
18. What About Love
19. Let the Good Times Roll
20. Just Pickin'
21. I'm on My Way to Atlanta
22. In the Open
23. Welfare (Turns Its Back on You)
24. She Put the Whammy on Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Freddie King   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar

Technical Credits

Freddie King   Composer
Sam Thompson   Composer
Sonny Thompson   Composer
Billy Myles   Composer
Moore   Composer
Adonna M. Teat   Composer
Rudy Toombs   Composer