published: 25 /
10 /
2023
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.
Article
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
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