Freddie King

Freddie King (September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976) is, unarguably, one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the blues rock genre. Along with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter, his relatively rebellious sound was instrumental in getting the popularity ball rolling with not only Chicago’s famous Chess Records Studio, but also Rock & Roll in general.

King’s down-home, thumb and finger picking style differentiated his sound from other notable blues musicians of the time who, like B.B. King, utilized the single-string approach. Freddie’s style and improvisation, described as “exploratory, more intense and creative than his peers,” garnered attention from record labels early in his career. He recorded his first single, “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” under King Records' subsidiary label, Federal.

In 1976, Freddie started experiencing stomach pains while touring which culminated in bleeding ulcers and heart failure. Despite his untimely death at the age of 42, King’s monumental legacy stands as one of the biggest influences on the progressing sound of Rock & Roll.

Freddie King’s legendary impact is perhaps best articulated by Eric Clapton’s response to the question of when he knew he would become a guitarist:

I think on the early Elvis records and Buddy Holly – when it was clear to me that it was an electric guitar, then I wanted to get near it. I was interested in the white rock ‘n’ rollers until I heard Freddie King – and then I was over the moon. I knew that was where I belonged – finally. That was serious, proper guitar playing and I haven’t changed my mind ever since.I still listen to it and I get the same boost now that I did then.

King was honored by Rolling Stone Magazine, by placing him 15th amongst the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”