Curtis Montgomery (February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

, jazz, and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

. A bandleader, band member, and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

, he was also a musical director and record producer. A master of the instrument, he played

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

, and

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

saxophone. He played riffs and solos on hit singles such as "

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

" by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

(1967), and "

Yakety Yak "Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the Coasters and released on Atco Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as #1 on List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States), the R&B chart ...

" by

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...

(1958) and his own " Soul Twist" (1962), "Soul Serenade" (1964), and " Memphis Soul Stew" (1967).

Early life

Curtis Montgomery was born in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, the son of Ethel Montgomery, and was adopted, with his sister Josephine Allen (died 2019), by Josie and William Ousley. Curtis attended I.M. Terrell High School, and studied and performed music with schoolmate Ornette Coleman (1930–2015).

Career

Curtis started playing saxophone at the age of twelve in the Fort Worth area. He took interest in many musical genres including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, rhythm and blues, and popular music. As a student pursuing music, he turned down college scholarships in order to join the

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

Band. During his time with Hampton, he was able to write and arrange music and learn guitar. In 1952 Curtis decided to move to New York and became a

, recording for such labels as Prestige, Enjoy, Capitol, and Atco. He recorded with Nat Adderley,

Wynton Kelly Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of 1 ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

, and

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

as well as playing on

Waylon Jennings Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Outlaw country, outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing ...

' first ever recording in 1958. Stylistically, Curtis took inspiration from saxophonists

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

, Illinois Jacquet,

Earl Bostic Eugene Earl Bostic (April25, 1913October28, 1965) was an American alto saxophonist. Bostic's recording career was diverse, his musical output encompassing jazz, swing music, swing, jump blues and the post-war American rhythm and blues style, whi ...

, and

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...

. Known for his syncopated and percussive style, he was both versatile and powerful as a musician. He put together a group during his time as a session musician that included Richard Tee,

Cornell Dupree Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz fusion and Rhythm and blues, R&B guitarist. He worked at various times with Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis, and Steve Gadd, appeared on ''L ...

, Jerry Jemmott, and

Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is known for his precise time-keeping and his signature use of Tuplet, triplets against a half-time backbeat: the P ...

Move into rock

Curtis enjoyed playing both jazz and rhythm and blues but decided he would make more money as a rhythm and blues musician. In a 1971 interview with Charlie Gillett he said: "I love the authentic rhythm and blues more than anything, and I also like to live well." From the 1950s until the mid-1960s, he worked as a

, recording under his own name and with others such as

, with whom he recorded "

" and " Charlie Brown", among others.

hired him for session work, during which they recorded "Reminiscing." Holly wrote this song, but gave Curtis the songwriting credit for flying down to the session. His best-known singles from this period are " Soul Twist"—his highest-charting single, reaching number one on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and number 17 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 advertis ...

'' pop chart—and "Soul Serenade." He provided backing on a number of songs for LaVern Baker, including her 1958 hit single " I Cried a Tear", where his saxophone became "a second voice". In 1965 he moved to

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 the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

and recorded his most successful singles, " Memphis Soul Stew" and " Ode to Billie Joe" (1967). In 1966 Curtis recorded 3 songs with Jimi Hendrix, "Linda Lou", "Baby How About You" and "I Can't Take It". Unissued, the tapes were later destroyed in a fire at Atlantic's master tape library. He worked with

, and led

's backing band the Kingpins. The Kingpins opened for

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

during their 1965 performance at Shea Stadium. Curtis produced records, often working with Jerry Wexler and recorded for Groove Records during this period, including the Joe South song " Games People Play" with guitarist Duane Allman. One unique session came in 1963, when Curtis provided the honking sax backing for '' Mad Magazines novelty burping record, "It's a Gas." In March 1971 he appeared with Aretha Franklin and the Kingpins at the Fillmore West, which resulted in two live albums: '' Aretha Live at Fillmore West'', and Curtis' own '' Live at Fillmore West''. In July 1971, Curtis recorded saxophone solos on " It's So Hard" and "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" from

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's '' Imagine''. Along with the Rimshots, he recorded the original theme song for the 1971 hit television show '' Soul Train,'' titled "Hot Potatoes". On June 17, 1971, Curtis played at the Montreux Jazz Festival, in the Casino Kursaal, with Champion Jack Dupree, backed by Cornell Dupree on guitar, Jerry Jemmott on bass and Oliver Jackson on drums. The recording of the concert was later released as the 1973 album ''King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree – Blues at Montreux'' on the Atlantic label.

Death

Curtis was stabbed late on the night of August 12, 1971, during an argument with Juan Montanez who was loitering on Curtis's front steps with an unidentified female. He was discovered on the stoop outside his

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

apartment at 50 West 86th Street. Curtis was attempting to access the fusebox to the apartment (his central air conditioning system was tripping the breaker) when he confronted Montanez, who refused to move from the entrance. A fight ensued and Montanez stabbed Curtis. Curtis was transferred to Roosevelt Hospital, where he died early on the morning of August 13, 1971. In March 1972, Montanez had his charge reduced from second degree murder to second degree manslaughter in exchange for pleading guilty. He was released on December 5, 1977, from the Wallkill Correctional Facility for good behavior. On the day of Curtis's funeral, Atlantic Records closed their offices. Jesse Jackson administered the service and as the mourners filed in, Curtis's band, the Kingpins, played " Soul Serenade". Among those attending were Ousley's immediate family, including sister Josephine Ousley Allen, other family members,

, Cissy Houston, Brook Benton and Duane Allman. Franklin sang the closing spiritual "Never Grow Old" and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

performed " Abraham, Martin and John and now King Curtis". Allman went on to honor Curtis by interweaving a medley of "Soul Serenade" into the band's rendition of "You Don't Love Me", first in a show at the Academy of Music on East 14th Street in Manhattan on August 15, and later during a live in-studio recording at A&R Studios in Manhattan on August 26, recorded for posterity and released on LP as part of the band's ''Dreams'' compilation in 1989.

Portrayals

In the film '' The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), King Curtis was played by actor Craig White. He appears in the scene at New York's Apollo Theater, which would have taken place between August 16–22, 1957. during Holly's Irvin Feld Tour. In the television series '' Genius: Aretha Franklin'' he is portrayed by actor Marque Richardson. The novelty instrumental " Yakety Sax" by Boots Randolph is based on Curtis's solo in the Coasters' "

Awards

In 1970, a year before his death, Curtis won the Best R&B Instrumental Performance Grammy for " Games People Play". He was posthumously inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

on March 6, 2000.

Discography

Albums

* ''Have Tenor Sax, Will Blow'' (1959) Atco 33-113; CD reissue:

Collectables A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

COL-6418 * ''Azure'' (1960) Everest LPBR-5121/SDBR-1121; CD reissue: Acrobat ACMCD-4230 * ''The New Scene of King Curtis'' (1960) lso released as ''King Soul!'' in 1973 New Jazz NJLP-8237; CD reissue: Prestige 24033 – with Nat Adderley * '' Soul Meeting'' (1960)

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

PRLP-7222; CD reissue: Prestige 24033 – with Nat Adderley * '' Soul Battle'' (1960; rel. 1962) Prestige PRLP-7223; CD reissue: Original Jazz Classics/Fantasy OJC-325 – with

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signi ...

, Jimmy Forrest * ''

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman; April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

's Music for Dancing – The Twist! (Authentic Music by the King Curtis Combo)'' (1961) RCA Victor LSP-2494 * ''Trouble in Mind'' (1961) Tru-Sound TRU-15001; CD reissue: Original Blues Classics/Fantasy OBC-512 * ''Old Gold'' (1961) Tru-Sound TRU-15006; CD reissue: Prestige 24153 as ''Night Train'' * ''It's Party Time with King Curtis'' (1962) Tru-Sound TRU-15008; CD reissue: Prestige 24153 as ''Night Train'' * ''Doing the Dixie Twist'' (1962) Tru-Sound TRU-15009 * ''Soul Twist with King Curtis & the Noble Knights'' (1962) Enjoy ENLP-2001; CD reissue: Collectables COL-5119 * '' The Shirelles and King Curtis Give a Twist Party'' (1962) lso released as ''Eternally, Soul'' in 1968 Scepter SPS-505; CD reissue: Sundazed SC-6013 – with The Shirelles * ''Country Soul'' (1962) Capitol ST-1756 * ''Soul Serenade'' (1964) Capitol ST-2095 * ''Plays the Hits Made Famous by

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

'' (1965) Capitol ST-2341 * ''That Lovin' Feeling'' (1966) Atco 33-189; CD reissue: Collectables COL-6518 * ''Live at Small's Paradise'' (1966) Atco 33-198; CD reissue: Collectables COL-6418 * ''Plays the Great Memphis Hits'' (1967) Atco 33-211; CD reissue: Koch KOC-8015 * ''King Size Soul'' (1967) Atco 33-231; CD reissue: Koch KOC-8015 – with the Kingpins * ''The Best of King Curtis'' (1967) Capitol ST-2858; CD reissue: Collectables COL-5687 (note: CD reissue includes 7 bonus tracks) * ''Sax in Motion'' (1968) RCA Camden CAS-2242 * ''Sweet Soul'' (1968) Atco 33-247; CD reissue: Spy 46006 * ''The Best of King Curtis'' (1968) Atco 33-266; LP reissue: Friday Music 33266 * ''The Best of King Curtis'' (1969) Prestige PR-7709 * ''Instant Groove'' (1969) Atco 33-293; CD reissue: Wounded Bird WOU-6045 – with Duane Allman on 4 tracks llman solos on "Foot Pattin'", "Games People Play", "The Weight", "Hey Jude"* ''Get Ready'' (1970) Atco 33-338; CD reissue: Wounded Bird WOU-6045 * ''Do Your Thing'' (1970) Atlantic Special etherlands("Flash Back" series) 2358 009; CD reissue: Wounded Bird WOU-2358 * '' Live at Fillmore West'' (1971) Atco 33-359; CD reissue: Rhino R2-77632 – with the Kingpins * ''The Best of King Curtis: One More Time'' (1972) Prestige PR-7775 * ''Everybody's Talkin' '' (1970; rel. 1972) Atco 33-385; CD reissue: Spy 46006 * ''King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree – Blues at Montreux'' (1971; rel. 1973) Atlantic SD-1637; CD reissue: Atlantic 81389 – with Champion Jack Dupree * ''Live in New York'' (1985) JSP 1091; CD reissue: JSP 8812 * ''King Curtis: 16 Original Hits (Atlantic Soul Classics)'' (1991) Convoy ermany849 804 * ''Blow Man, Blow!'' (1992, 3CD) Bear Family BCD-15670 (compilation of all Capitol material) * ''Instant Soul: The Legendary King Curtis'' (1994) Razor & Tie RE-2054 * ''King Curtis: The Platinum Collection'' (2007) Warner Platinum/Rhino 8122-79994-5 * ''Wail Man Wail! – The Best of King Curtis 1952–1961'' (2012, 3CD) Fantastic Voyage FVTD-088 * ''Sax Scene'' (2013, 2CD) Not Now Music NOT2CD-510 (reissues/compilation of ''The New Scene of King Curtis'' and ''Soul Meeting'') * ''The Complete Atco Singles'' (2015, 3CD) Real Gone Music 0413 * ''Soul Twistin' with the King!'' (2017) Jasmine JASCD-940 (this compilation concentrates on his twistin' adventures, comprising the subsequent ''Soul Twist'' album, alongside an earlier album, ''Arthur Murray's Music for Dancing – The Twist!'' plus 4 tracks from ''The Shirelles & King Curtis – Give a Twist Party'' album)

Chart singles

* ''Billboard'' did not publish an R&B chart during this period

Album appearances

As sideman

With

* '' I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'' (Atlantic, 1967) * ''

Aretha Arrives ''Aretha Arrives'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on August 4, 1967, by Atlantic Records. Its first single release was " Baby I Love You", a million-selling Gold 45, which hit #1 R&B and #4 on the '' ...

'' (Atlantic, 1967) * '' Lady Soul'' (Atlantic, 1968) * '' Soul '69'' (Atlantic, 1969) * '' Aretha Live at Fillmore West'' (Atlantic, 1971) With others * Ernestine Allen, ''Let It Roll'' (Tru-Sound, 1961) *

, '' Reminiscing '' (Coral, 1963) * Brook Benton, ''Home Style'' (Cotillion, 1970) * Ruth Brown, '' Miss Rhythm'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1959) * Ray Bryant, '' MCMLXX'' (Atlantic, 1970) *

, '' Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963'' (RCA, 1985) * Fats Domino, ''Fats Is Back'' (Reprise, 1968) * Jimmy Forrest, '' Soul Street'' ( New Jazz, 1964) *

, ''The Many Sides of Hamp'' (Glad, 1961) * Eddie Harris, ''The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' (Atlantic, 1968) *

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...

, ''Everything Is Everything'' (ATCO, 1970) * Donny Hathaway, ''Donny Hathaway'' (ATCO, 1971) * Freddie King, ''Freddie King Is a Blues Master'' (Cotillion, 1969) * Freddie King, ''My Feeling for the Blues'' (Cotillion, 1970) *

, ''Imagine'' (Apple, 1971) *

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

, '' Our Mann Flute'' (Atlantic, 1966) * Herbie Mann, '' The Beat Goes On'' (Atlantic, 1967) * Arif Mardin, ''Glass Onion'' (Atlantic, 1969) * Carmen McRae, ''Just a Little Lovin'' (Atlantic, 1970) * NRBQ, ''NRBQ'' (Columbia, 1970) * Esther Phillips, ''Burnin'' (Atlantic, 1970) * The Rascals, ''Once Upon a Dream'' (Atlantic, 1968) * The Rascals, ''Freedom Suite'' (Atlantic, 1969) * Shirley Scott, '' Shirley Scott & the Soul Saxes'' (Atlantic, 1969) * Sunnyland Slim, '' Slim's Shout'' (Prestige Bluesville, 1961) * Lonnie Smith, ''Finger Lickin' Good'' (Columbia, 1967) * Arbee Stidham, '' Tired of Wandering'' (Bluesville, 1961) *

Roosevelt Sykes Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...

, '' The Honeydripper'' (Prestige Bluesville, 1961) * Alex Taylor, ''With Friends and Neighbors'' (Capricorn, 1971) * Gary Wright, ''Footprint'' (A&M, 1971)

References

Bibliography

*Clifford, Mike: Futrell, John and Bonds, Ray. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Black music''. Harmony Books (1982). Digitized December 29, 2006. *Hoover, Timothy R. "Soul Serenade: King Curtis and His Immortal Saxophone." University of North Texas Press (2022). *Kernfield, Barry Dean. ''New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. Grove's Dictionaries (2002). Digitized December 21, 2006. *Shaw, Arnold. ''Honkers and Shouters''. Macmillan Publishing Company (1978). *Poe, Randy and Gibbons, Billy F. ''Sky Dog''. Backbeat Books (2006).

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, King 1934 births 1971 deaths Soul-jazz musicians American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Soul-jazz saxophonists American rock saxophonists American session musicians American soul musicians American bandleaders Musicians from Fort Worth, Texas Murdered African-American people People murdered in New York City Grammy Award winners Delaney & Bonnie & Friends members The Coasters members Groove Records artists Atlantic Records artists Prestige Records artists Atco Records artists Deaths by stabbing in New York (state) 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Texas American male jazz musicians People murdered in 1971