Albert King
The Velvet Bulldozer whose bends could flatten a room
Albert King was born Albert Nelson in 1923, most sources say in Indianola, Mississippi, and grew up in a large family that later moved to Arkansas. As a boy he built his own cigar box guitar, and he taught himself to play left-handed on instruments strung for right-handers. He worked hard jobs, including operating bulldozers, which later helped inspire his nickname, the Velvet Bulldozer. Towering well over six feet tall, he also spent time on the Midwestern scene around Gary, Indiana, and St. Louis before his recording career took hold.
His early records in the 1950s made little impression, but his time in St. Louis sharpened his sound. In 1961 Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong reached the R&B top 15, and The Big Blues followed in 1962. The real turning point came in 1966 when he signed with Stax in Memphis. Backed by Booker T. and the MG's and the Memphis Horns, he cut a string of singles that were gathered on Born Under a Bad Sign (1967), one of the most influential blues albums ever made.
Stax placed him in front of a new audience. In June 1968 he recorded Live Wire/Blues Power at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and rock fans who had heard his licks echoed by Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix now heard the source. In 1969 he performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and in 1972 he released I'll Play the Blues for You, which blended his stinging guitar with a funkier Memphis soul groove. He named his Flying V Lucy, in a friendly nod to B.B. King's Lucille.
After Stax collapsed in the mid-1970s he recorded for Utopia, Tomato and Fantasy, and the albums San Francisco '83 and I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby both earned Grammy nominations. In 1983 he shared a memorable television session with Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of his most devoted disciples. He kept touring into the 1990s, and his final album was Red House (1991). He died of a heart attack in Memphis in December 1992, two days after his last concert. He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
The 10 greatest Albert King solos
- 1Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
- 2Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1968
- 3Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1972
- 4Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
- 5Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
- 6Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
- 7Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1968
- 8Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
- 9Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
- 10Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1961
The sound
Albert King played left-handed with the guitar flipped upside down, so the low strings were closest to the floor, and he tuned to an unusual dropped open tuning with light strings. That setup let him pull strings downward in huge, slow bends, sometimes a step and a half or more, that seem to cry and sing. He picked with the flesh of his thumb and favoured few notes placed with devastating timing, leaving space around each phrase. The result was a fat, piercing, instantly recognisable voice that countless rock and blues players have tried to imitate.
- Gibson Flying V (1958) (guitar) His principal guitar in the Stax years, which he named Lucy.
- Custom Flying V (Dan Erlewine and others) (guitar) Later V-shaped guitars built for him by luthiers including Dan Erlewine.
- Homemade cigar box guitar (guitar) The instrument he built and learned on as a boy.
- Acoustic solid-state amplifier (2x15) (amp) A powerful solid-state rig with two 15-inch speakers that suited his clean, loud attack.
- Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (amp) Used from the 1980s onward.
- MXR Phase 90 (effect) A phaser that added a subtle swirl to his tone in later years.
Covers
- Watermelon Man, originally by Herbie Hancock He turned a jazz tune into a funky blues instrumental opener.
- Please Love Me, originally by B.B. King A nod to his namesake, delivered with his own heavier, bent-note attack.
- The Very Thought of You, originally by Ray Noble A pop standard handled with surprising tenderness amid the tough Stax blues.
- Hound Dog, originally by Big Mama Thornton Part of his tribute to Elvis Presley, reshaped into Memphis soul-blues.
- Jailhouse Rock, originally by Elvis Presley A playful, horn-driven reworking of the rock and roll classic.
- Red House, originally by Jimi Hendrix A fitting circle closed, as the player who shaped Hendrix's blues took on Hendrix's own slow blues.
Timeline
- 1923 Born Albert Nelson on 25 April, most likely in Indianola, Mississippi
- 1961 Scores his first hit with Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong
- 1966 Signs with Stax Records in Memphis
- 1967 Releases Born Under a Bad Sign
- 1968 Records Live Wire/Blues Power at the Fillmore Auditorium
- 1969 Performs with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
- 1972 Releases I'll Play the Blues for You
- 1983 Films a TV session with Stevie Ray Vaughan; enters the Blues Hall of Fame
- 1992 Dies in Memphis on 21 December, two days after his last concert
- 2013 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Facts
- He played left-handed on a right-handed guitar turned upside down, without restringing it.
- His nickname, the Velvet Bulldozer, referred to his smooth voice, huge frame and early work driving bulldozers.
- He named his Flying V guitar Lucy, echoing B.B. King's Lucille.
- His birth name was Albert Nelson.
- He often claimed to be B.B. King's half-brother, though they were not related by blood.
- At one point he managed a fleet of taxicabs in Memphis.
- He performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1969.
- He appeared on a 1975 comedy album by Albert Brooks.
- Born Under a Bad Sign was written for him by Booker T. Jones and William Bell.
- Rolling Stone ranked him 22nd in its 2023 list of the 250 greatest guitarists.