In the 60s Freddie King was a complete "unknown" on this side of the pond until Blues Unlimited championed his cause and through their efforts in October 1967 they managed to get him to London for a few club gigs. What follows are the results of a lengthy interview conducted at the time and later published in Soul Music 3, 17 February 1968. There's even mention of The Beat!
THE FREDDY KING STORY
BILL MILLAR
Armed with a copy of "R&B Scene" Vol.1, No.4, October 1964 in which a Mike Leadbitter biography of the above-named appeared, I asked Freddy to amplify the story further. Here we go!
Freddy was born on 30th September, 1934, at Longview, Texas, into highly musical surroundings. His father, Arthur King, a construction worker' played harmonica. When Freddy was about five years old, his father remarried' to Ella Mae Turner. Ella Mae, who played guitar around the house, already had eight children, so Freddy grew up with six brothers, Jerry, Carl, Don, Michael, Benny and Bobby, and two sisters, Gracie and Ella Mae. Gracie, aged eleven. already expects to sing professionally, whilst Benny, aged 29, and Bobby, 23, have their own bands in Chicago. Freddy's uncle, Leon King, taught him the rudiments of the guitar at the age of six, and by the time he was ten Freddy was well on the way to becoming the master of the instrument that he is today. Leon died in 1942, long before Freddy?s efforts showed themselves on record. Whilst attending Lake Providence High and Bruce High in Gilmer, Texas, Freddy also sang in the Lake Providence Baptist Junior-Church choir until he was sixteen years old. In 1950 the whole King-Turner family moved to Chicago where Freddy began work in a box factory. He later took employment as a foundry-worker in n steel mill and shortly afterwards, when an unpleasant accident made a mess of his right leg, he left the mill and began to play music professionally. (Freddy grinned and pulled his trouser leg up to reveal the scars)
In 1953 for a year, he joined the band of Little Sonny Cooper (harmonica and vocal) together with Jimmy Lee Robinson (rhythm guitar), Wiillie D. Warren (bass), Jessie ? (drums), and occasionally a second Jimmy Robinson (drums). He remembers cutting at least one side, "Love Is Like A Riverboat', for Parrot with this line-up before leaving the group to play with Payton and His Bluescats. This group, besides Freddy, included Earl Lee Payton (harmonica and vocal), Robert Elem (bass), and T.J. MacNulty (drums). He again recollects cutting two sides for Parrot, one of which was "Vicksburg Blues". Regrettably, no mention of sides made by Earl Lee Payton or Sonny Cooper appear in "Blues Research's" Parrot listing; were they unissued?
After his work with these units, Freddy's proficiency became known in Chicago, and he continued to be much in demand as a session man. I will mention exactly what Freddy recalled since I ~eel sure it is of interest, if not controversial. In 1959-60 he cut sides with Howlin' Wolf, including "Spoonful" (Chess 1735), and "Howlin' For My Darling" (1762). Could it then be Freddy King and not Hubert Sumlin? Freddy also professed to have made "Tell Me Why" and "Lonesome In My Bedroom" with Muddy Waters in 1961. The former I do not know, but perhaps the latter is Muddy's "Lonesome Room Blues" (1796). Here though, the second guitar has been credited to Matt Murphy! I leave the puzzle to better discographers than I!
"My Little Girl" and "Guitar Cha Cha Cha" were two titles Freddy recalls making with Memphis Slim. The latter appeared on Vee Jay but he was convinced they had used the Chess studios to make the former. More commonly known is the fact that Freddy plays behind the Smokey Brothers on their King LP.
In 1955, Freddy cut "Country Boy"/"That's What You Think" (Elbee 157) for the small John Burton owned Chicago label. With him on both sides were Earl Lee Payton, Robert Elem, and T.J. MacNulty once more, as well as a Margaret Whitfield, who sang along with Freddy. The record was a minor success, but there was no follow-up, and for the next few years Freddy played numerous gigs in Chicago's night clubs, meeting the cream of today's top blues and soul men.
He also concentrated on session work, including that mentioned above. When Robert Elem fell ill, Freddy replaced him with his step-brother, Benny Turner on bass. Benny remained with Freddy for some years, and cut some earlier Federal sides with him. He went on to accompany Dee Clark and later joined the Phil Upchurch Combo. Today he has his own band in Chicago, and has made at least two sides for One-Der-Ful including "Love Me" and "You're Gonna Miss Me". Before joining his brother, Benny played with the Soul Stirrers' featuring Sam Cooke. An interesting point crops up here; around about 1953, Sonny Cooper and Freddy played Chicago's Squeeze Club, along with Vee Jay's oldie group, the Five Echoes. Backed, at that time, by Benny Turner and Baby Face Willette, the group included Major Lance, as well as Johnny Taylor. Johnny also sang with the Soul Stirrers and later, of course, went on to record for Sar, Derby and Stax. He remains Freddy's favourite blues/soul singer to this day.
In 1959, Syl Johnson - now in the charts with "Differen' Strokes" on Twilight - recommended Freddy?s instrumental prowess to Sonny Thompson, A&R director for King of Cincinnati. In a short time, Freddy's records began to appear on the Federal subsidiary. He has had well over 20 releases but nothing has equalled the success of the first tracks: "Have You Ever Loved A Woman"/"You've Got To Love Her With Feeling" (F 12384) or "Hideaway"/"I Love The Woman" (F 12401). Freddy's personal appearances continue to be highlighted by renditions of all four tunes, but others are almost equally well known - "San-Ho-Zay" (F 12428), "I'm Tore Down'' (F 12432), "Stumble" (F 12450), "Bossa Nova Watusi Twist" (F 12482), "Driving Sideways" (F 12521) - and all proved to be steady sellers. The vocals are superb examples of slow, moody but modern Chicago blues on a par with if not better than the best of B.B. King, and many would rate Freddy's instrumental ability as having no equal. The guitar showcases immediately strike one as rocking danceable affairs, but an attentive listen reveals all manner of inventive and interesting rhythms. Further variety occurred when Freddy teamed up with Lulu Reed for "Do The President Twist"/"Your Love Keeps Workin' On Me" (F 12457).
Talk of his favourite guitarists - B.B. King and T-Bone Walker, each of whom is "tough", and the left-handed guys, Albert King, Otis Rush and Albert Collins, "real tough" - prompted Freddy to say that he borrowed the ideas for "Hideaway'' from Hound Dog Taylor!
From 1960 until 1965 Freddy's studio band contained Freddy Jordan (second guitar), Sonny Thompson (piano), Bill Willis (bass), and also on occasion Benny Turner (bass), Philip Paul (drums), Clifford Scott (tenor), and Gene Redd (baritone or alto). Redd also plays vibes. His present road band includes Marvin Clemens (tenor), Robert Whitlow (Drums), I.V. Anderson, the band director (trumpet), R.C. Johnson (guitar), Finas Tasby (bass), and two vocalists, Little Gene and Little Mary. Of late Freddy's recordings have not been selling so well and they rarely receive n plug in the trade magazines. It might come as a surprise to learn that the last two releases have appeared on King itself. For "You Got Me Licked" (a Jimmy McCracklin tune) c/w ''The Girl From Kocka Monga", and "Use What You Got" (the Sugar Pie number) c/w "Double Eyed Whammy", Freddy has used the entire Lonny Mack band, with Lonnie himself on rhythm guitar and Freddy's own drummer, Frank Charles, from Dallas.
Nowadays, Freddy tours for most of the time, returning to Cincinnati for a lengthy recording session about once a year. Very recently he has guested six or seven times on the Atlanta networked TV show ''The Beat'', along with other regulars, Little Milton and Gatemouth Brown. He lives in Dallas (7703 Moreton Street) with his wife, Jessie' and three children, Wanda, 13, Fred, 12, and Larry, 11. Continuing in the family tradition, Fred has been taught to play guitar, and Larry plays piano. Incidentally' Freddie Senior also plays piano and bass. When his contract with King expires next year, he hopes to go to Chess or Stax; undoubtedly he will grab a lot more hits on the latter label.
A last point: there is another Freddy King on Roulette - "Lonesome Old World" (7003) but he has no connection with our man.
