BB King, Albert King and Freddie King - Three Kings
by Nicky Crewe
published: 25 / 10 / 2023

Label:
Select Label
Format: N/A
intro
Nicky Crewe finds that this double CD compilation of live performances from three of the most influential US blues guitarists. BB King, Albert King and Freddie King, is both a revelation and a reminder of the story of the blues.
Compiled by Pete Macklin, with extensive sleeve notes from Alan Robinson, this double CD set is a timely reminder of an important time in musical history. When I discovered American blues guitar music in the late 60s and early 70s, as a teenager I naively thought that these blues brothers, Albert, B.B. and Freddie King might actually be related. I realise now that there’s a far more complicated story of surnames for anyone of African-American heritage, but these three musicians who share the name King surely are blues royalty. The sleeve notes are an insight into the story of success and acceptance these talented musicians found as their music was heard and appreciated by the Sixties generation of British and American rock and pop guitarists. Bands like the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin were inspired and influenced by them. In the States, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Steve Miller Band were listening and learning. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Gary Moore and Jimmy Page would all acknowledge their impact and their importance to their own development as musicians. There are countless other guitarists in bands and bedrooms who followed their lead. Soul and Tamla Motown releases had already prepared UK audiences, influencing pop music and providing chart-topping cover versions. This version of the blues was closer to the development of rock music, moving the genre on from the folk blues of the Forties and Fifties, when Alan Lomax and others were making their field recordings. These ‘Three Kings’ found fans and recognition as they crossed the segregated divide of American music stations and venues in both this country and the States. It’s a fascinating and important story. The freedom to perform for young white audiences brought success and recognition and influenced a genre and a generation. Two CDs, twenty classic tracks, featuring many of the most iconic songs and performances by these bluesmen. To name a few, ‘Everyday I Have The Blues’, ‘Key to the Highway’, ‘Rock Me Baby’, ‘The Thrill Is Gone’, ‘Let The Good Times Roll’, ‘Stormy Monday’, ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’; the list goes on. For those of us who were there in the Seventies, it’s a wonderful reminder of the power of these musicians and their music. It’s also a brilliant introduction for anyone who missed it
Track Listing:-
Picture Gallery:-



most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Yardbirds - Interview with Jim McCarty
Johnny Cash - Video Vault
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
John Philip Shenale - Interview
Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Loft - Interview
Man From Delmonte - Interview
Vapors - Interview
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPBarrie Barlow - Interview
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Pixies - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Sound - Interview with Bi Marshall Part 1
Paul Clerehugh - Interview
Boomtown Rats - Ten Songs That Made Me Love....
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Allan Clarke - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Bryan Ferry and Amelia Barrett - Loose TalkIvor Game - When Will You Fall Into My Loving Arms?
Gabriel Moreno - Nights in the Belly of Bohemia
Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Big Blue Sky
Brooke Combe - Dancing at the Edge of the World
Bryan Adams - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024
Shaw's Trailer Park - I Thought I Saw You
Ringo Starr - Look Up
FKA twigs - Eusexua
Leon Bridges - Leon
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart