Blues guitar with fedora

Freddie King is one of the blues guitar greats that inspired generations of guitarists with his music. While there is no relation to Albert King or B.B. King, he is definitely considered to be a "King of the blues." I thought it would be cool to do some digging on the web and find some lessons in the style of Freddie King that you can use in your own playing. I also came across a profile feature and discography of Mr. Freddie King that you should enjoy.

The first video lesson comes to us from Guitar World and features Mr. Keith Wyatt from Musician's Institute performing a tribute to blues legend, Freddie King. See the video here at http://www.guitarworld.com/video-lick-day-tribute-blues-great-freddie-king.

Today's Lick of the Day by Keith Wyatt at the Musicians Institute is a tribute to blues great Freddie King.

A 12-bar blues progression consists of three four-bar phrases that correspond to the three-line AAB lyric structure. A consistent challenge for soloists is what to play over the final four bars, when the chords move quickly toward the turnaround and the conclusion of the chorus. There are as many solutions as there are players, but among the most influential architects of blues phrasing is Freddie King.

Today's lick is an example of a King-style approach to the final four bars that artfully outlines the harmony while moving along the length of the neck. Begin with the B7 arpeggio in seventh position (based initially off of a B chord shape), then move rapidly through fifth and third positions before sliding down the third string to open position and concluding with a classic open-string turnaround.

UPDATE: I tabbed out the lick from the Freddie's Final Four video:

The second video lesson featuring the playing style of Freddie King comes to us from Anthony at StevieSnacks. Anthony put together a great video that reviews a Freddie King Texas Guitar Boogie. Check out the lesson here at http://www.steviesnacks.com/free-lessons/freddie-king-texas-guitar-boogie.html.

Learn the boogie rhythm featured in one of the most popular Freddie King videos on YouTube. No picks, just your fingers. A simple rhythm, but very difficult to play.

Now that we have gotten to hear and learn a few guitar lessons in the style of Freddie King, let's learn about the man behind the music. About.com created a great feature and discography of Freddie King at http://blues.about.com/od/artistprofile1/p/FreddieKing.htm.

Born: September 3, 1934 in Gilmer TX

Died: December 28, 1976 in Dallas TX

Blues guitarist Freddie King came up through the ranks of Chicago blues players during the 1950s, but it was during the '60s that King's inspired blend of electric blues, roots rock, and R&B would allow him to outgrow the West Side scene. King's classic instrumental "Hide Away" would be a de facto standard for fledgling blues players for decades. An innovative instrumentalist and underrated singer, King would move beyond blues and soul to make commercial inroads into funk and even soul music. Along the way, he would influence string-benders like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and George Thorogood, among others.

The Texas Cannonball

Freddie King (also known as "Freddy" early in his career) was born in Gilmer, a rural town near Longview and east of Dallas, Texas. No relation to either B.B. or Albert King, Freddie was taught the guitar by his mother and an Uncle while he was still a child. Originally an acoustic, country blues-styled guitarist in the style of Lightnin' Hopkins and Blind Lemon Jefferson, King became enamored of the electrified Chicago blues sound of artists like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf as a teen.

In 1950, King moved with his family to Chicago, where he began hanging around clubs and absorbing the sounds of popular bluesmen like Elmore James and Sonny Boy Williamson. King was married in 1952, and worked in a steel mill during the day while playing with notable sidemen like Jimmy Rogers and Robert Junior Lockwood at night.

The Federal Years

During the mid-1950s, King played around the Chicago area with bands like The Sonny Cooper Band and Earlee Payton's Blues Cats while also playing recording sessions for labels like Parrot and Chess Records. King formed his first band, the Every Hour Blues Boys, with guitarist Jimmy Lee Robinson and drummer Sonny Scott. King recorded his first single, "Country Boy," for the little independent El-Bee Records label in 1957, with Robert Junior Lockwood adding guitar to King's duet with Margaret Whitfield.

King's breakthrough came after he signed with Federal Records, a subsidiary of Cincinnati's King Records label, in 1960. Working with the label's A&R genius Sonny Thompson, King recorded a string of well-received songs like "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" and "Hide Away," which hit number five on the R&B chart and #29 on the pop chart.

After the success of "Hide Away," King and Thompson reeled off thirty instrumentals to capitalize on the guitarist's newfound popularity. Songs like "San-Ho-Zay," "The Stumble," "Surf Monkey," and "I'm Tore Down" found various levels of success with record buyers as King explored blues, R&B, rock and surf music sounds.

The Houserockin' Blues

During the mid-to-late-1960s, King toured with some of the monster R&B acts of the era, opening for legends like James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson, among others. By the end of the decade, however, his influence on a generation of rock and blues-rock guitarists led to his growing popularity with young, white rock audiences. King played the 1969 Texas Pop Festival alongside Led Zeppelin, and also toured during this period with Eric Clapton.

From the end of his contract with Federal/King in 1968 until his death in 1976, King recorded for the Atlantic Records subsidiary Cotillion, Leon Russell's Shelter Records label, and RSO Records, also Clapton's label. These relationships resulted in a number of critically-acclaimed albums, including two produced by saxophonist King Curtis; three albums for Shelter that mixed blues standards with soulful originals penned by Russell and Memphis soul legend Don Nix; and a pair of albums for RSO. King died in 1976 of heart failure.

Recommended Albums: Like too many blues artists from the 1950s and '60s, Freddie King's back catalog is scattered and sadly much is out-of-print. The Best of Freddie King: The Shelter Records Years is an eighteen-track collection that document's the guitarist's 1970s-era recordings. If you can find a copy, Hip-O's Ultimate Collection is a cross-label compilation that features eighteen tracks ranging from across the 20 years of King's short, but sweet career.

Freddie King - Select Discography

Freddie King Sings (Federal Records, 1961)

Let's Hide Away and Dance Away With (Federal Records, 1961)

Bossa Nova and Blues (Federal Records, 1962)

Freddie King Goes Surfin' (Federal Records, 1963)

Gives You A Bonanza of Instrumentals (Federal Records, 1965)

Freddie King Sings Again (Federal Records, 1965)

Freddie King Is A Blues Master (Cotillion Records, 1969)

My Feeling For The Blues (Cotillion Records, 1970)

Getting Ready (Shelter Records, 1971)

The Texas Cannonball (Shelter Records, 1972)

Woman Across The River (Shelter Records, 1973)

Burglar (RSO Records, 1974)

Larger Than Life (RSO Records, 1975)

Hide Away: The Best of Freddie King (Rhino Records, 1993)

Blues Guitar Hero: The Early Years (Ace Records, import, 1993)

The Best of Freddie King: The Shelter Records Years (The Right Stuff, 2000)

Ultimate Collection (Hip-O Records, 2001)

Freddie King has been an inspiration to guitarists worldwide for decades. We can all use a few lessons from this blues legend. I hope you enjoyed the feature.

Thanks,

Griff