Earl Silas Johnson IV (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003),
known as Earl King, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, most active in

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

music. A composer of

blues standard Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues s ...

s such as " Come On" (covered by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, Freddie King,

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

) and "

Big Chief "Big Chief" is a song composed by Earl King in the early 1960s. It became a hit in New Orleans for Professor Longhair in 1964,Berry/Foose/Jones, ''Up from the Cradle of Jazz''. University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2009, p. 148. featuring a ...

" (recorded by Professor Longhair), he was an important figure in New Orleans R&B.

Biography

King was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

, United States. His father was a piano player. He died when Earl was still a baby, and Earl was brought up by his mother. With his mother, he started going to church at an early age. In his youth he sang

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is co ...

, but he took the advice of a friend to switch to

to make a better living. King started to play the guitar at the age of 15. Soon he started entering talent contests at local clubs, including the Dew Drop Inn. At one such club he met his idol, Guitar Slim.'' OffBeat'', June 2003, "The Legacy of Earl King". King started imitating Slim, and his presence had a big impact on his musical direction. In 1954, Slim was injured in an automobile accident (right around the time he had the number 1 R&B hit "The Things That I Used To Do"), and King was deputized to continue a tour with Slim's band, representing himself as Slim. After succeeding in this role, King became a regular at the Dew Drop Inn. His first recording was made in 1953. As Earl Johnson, he released a 78-rpm record, "Have You Gone Crazy"/"Begging at Your Mercy", for

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

. The following year, the talent scout Johnny Vincent introduced King to Specialty Records, for which he recorded some sides, including "Mother's Love", which was locally popular. In 1955, King signed with Vincent's label, Ace. His first single for that label, "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights", was a hit, reaching number 7 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...

. He continued to record for Ace for the next five years. During that time, he also he started writing songs for other artists, such as Roland Stone and Jimmy Clanton. In 1960,

Dave Bartholomew David Louis Bartholomew (December 24, 1918 – June 23, 2019) was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century. Originally ...

invited King to record for

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

. In sessions for that label, he was backed by a host of musicians, including Bob French, George French,

James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Booker's unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. J ...

, and Wardell Quezergue. It was at this label he recorded his signature songs " Come On" and " Trick Bag". The former has been a much-covered standard for decades, notably recorded by

and

Anson Funderburgh Anson Funderburgh (born James Anson Funderburgh; November 14, 1954) is an American blues guitar player and bandleader of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets since 1978. Their style incorporates both Chicago blues and Texas blues. Career Funderbur ...

. The latter has also been widely covered, with versions by

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

, the

Meters The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pr ...

and Robert Palmer. King co-wrote a number of songs with Bartholomew, either under his own name or under the pseudonym "E.C. King". King recorded for Imperial until 1963. He went without a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

for the rest of the 1960s. During this time, he mostly concentrated on producing and songwriting for the local labels

NOLA Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wo ...

and

Watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached ...

. His compositions from this era include "

", recorded by Professor Longhair; "Teasin' You", recorded by

Willie Tee Wilson Turbinton (February 6, 1944 – September 11, 2007), professionally known as Willie Tee, was an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer and notable early architect of New Orleans funk and soul, who helped shape the sound of New ...

; and "Do-Re-Mi", recorded by

Lee Dorsey Irving Lee Dorsey (December 24, 1924 – December 1, 1986) was an American pop and R&B singer during the 1960s. His biggest hits were "Ya Ya" (1961) and "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966). Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint, with in ...

. He went to Detroit for an audition with

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

and recorded a few tracks in the mid-1960s. Three tracks from that session are included on the album ''Motown's Blue Evolution'', released in 1996. In 1972, he was joined by

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

and the

to record the album ''Street Parade''.

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

initially showed interest in releasing it but eventually declined. The title track was released as a single on the Kansu label at the time, but the rest was unreleased until 1982, when the album was issued by Charly Records in the UK. In the 1970s, he recorded another album, ''That Good ~~Old~~ New New Orleans Rock 'n Roll'', which was released by Sonet in 1977. He also appeared on the album ''New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1976''. In the early 1980s, King met Hammond Scott, the co-owner of Black Top Records, and started to record for the label. The first album ''Glazed'', on which he was backed by Roomful of Blues, was released in 1986. This particular album was nominated for a Grammy Award. A second album, '' Sexual Telepathy'', released in 1990, featured Snooks Eaglin on two tracks and backing by Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters on some tracks. He recorded his third album for Black Top, ''Hard River to Cross'' (1993), with backing by George Porter Jr., David Torkanowsky, and Herman V. Ernest III. In 2001, King was hospitalized for an illness during a tour of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, but that did not stop him from performing. In December of the same year, he toured Japan. and he continued to perform off and on locally in New Orleans until his death. King died on April 17, 2003, from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

-related complications, just a week before the

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

. His funeral was held on April 30, during the festival, and many musicians attended it, including

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

, Leo Nocentelli and

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

. His Imperial recordings, which had long been out of print, were reissued on CD soon after he died. The June 2003 issue of '' OffBeat'', a local music magazine, paid tribute to King with a series of articles on him.

Discography

Albums

* 1977: ''That Good ~~Old~~ New New Orleans Rock 'n Roll'' (Sonet) * 1982: ''Street Parade'' (Charly, recorded in 1972) * 1986: ''Glazed'' (Black Top) ''with Roomful of Blues'' * 1990: '' Sexual Telepathy'' (Black Top) * 1993: ''Hard River to Cross'' (Black Top)

Compilation albums

* 1982: ''Trick Bag'' (Imperial/Pathe Marconi) ''Imperial'' * 1997: ''Earl's Pearls: The Very Best of Earl King 1955–1960'' (Westside) ''Ace'' * 2003: ''Come On: The Complete Imperial Recordings'' (Okra-Tone) ''Imperial'' * 2005: ''New Orleans Blues'' (Tomato) recorded for ''Atlantic'' in 1972, unreleased * 2006: ''The Chronological Earl King 1953–1955'' (Classics) ''Savoy, Specialty, Ace'' * 2016: ''Come On: 40 Original Rhythm & Blues Classics'' (Not Now Music) * 2019: ''More Than Gold -The Complete 1955-1962 Ace & Imperial Singles-'' (Soul Jam)

References

External links

Live concert recording
of the Radiators with King, from the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Cascade Blues: Earl King by Greg Johnson

Earl King Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Earl 1934 births 2003 deaths African-American guitarists American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singer-songwriters Rhythm and blues musicians from New Orleans Imperial Records artists Ace Records (United States) artists Black Top Records artists Savoy Records artists Charly Records artists Specialty Records artists Deaths from diabetes Blues musicians from New Orleans 20th-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Guitarists from Louisiana American rhythm and blues singers American rhythm and blues guitarists African-American male singer-songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers