Albert King
(April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known professionally as Albert King. He was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing. As one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” (along with B.B. King and Freddie King), he is perhaps best known for the 1967 single “Born Under a Bad Sign”.
In May 2013, King was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Albert was a big man and the Flying V guitar was his weapon of choice. It was like a toy in his huge hands. He eschewed picks, preferring to pluck the strings with his fingers.
His bluesy bends and stinging notes influenced a later generation of players including Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimi Hendrix, among others.
King of the blues guitar
Albert King is the undisputed “king of the blues guitar” and one of the “three kings of the blues” along with B.B. King and Freddie King. He started his legend with a debut album recorded for Stax Records. The greatest influence on King was pre-war bluesman Lonnie Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson, as well as post-war artists such as T-Bone Walker and Howlin ‘Wolf. He himself became a role model for another master – Jimi Hendrix.
Albert quickly began to perform for a wider audience, he played, which was then difficult to comprehend, for white listeners, among others in the Fillmore Auditorium, thanks to which his fans became e.g. Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Gary Moore, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He became an inspiration. It can be safely said that he contributed to the creation of the so-called white blues in the UK.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan was born on October 3, 1954, at the Methodist Hospital in Dallas. Together with his parents and older brother, 3 years old, they led a nomadic lifestyle. It was related to my father’s work. In the end, however, the family settled for longer in Dallas. Stevie Ray Vaughan had contact with music from an early age.
His teaching had an interesting course. He was an opponent of the game lesson. He listened to then great guitarists and played with his ear(even Jimi Hendriks). Then, thanks to his brother, he became interested in blues music, listening to B.B. King or Otis Rush. Once, when Jimmy Vaughan, played a concert with his first band, The Chessmen, Doyle Bramhall appeared on it. He saw Stevie playing the guitar. Doyle was the first who recognize the talent of the future music star. At the age of 17 the “youth rebellion” of Stephen Vaughan began – he dropped out of school and took his first tattoo.
It is worth mentioning that the guitarist started playing very early. Already at the age of 12, he was active in the band A Cast of Thousands. Then he began to play his first concerts. with the brother’s band, and then with Blackbird. In the end, he decided to quit school and move out of the house. At the same time, he took a job in a car wash. He took on a variety of activities before he decided to become a musician. Often you could see him and listen on local bars. In terms of the beginnings of his career, he did not differ from other artists at this time. Many were playing at Soap Creek Saloon or Vulcan Gas Company. Often for the free beer and a roof overhead. One of the club owners, who believe in the talent of a young guitarist, persuaded the famous Albert King to play with him. Later King repeatedly emphasized the positive impression that Vaughan had made on him.
