Albert King, the Blues, and Rock & Roll, Part II

"King was also the first major blues guitarist to cross over into modem soul; his mid- and late 1960s recordings for the Stax label, cut with the same great session musicians who played on the recordings of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave,Eddie Floyd, and others, appealed to his established black audience while broadening his appeal with rock fans. Along with B.B. King (no relation, though at times Albert suggested otherwise) and Muddy Waters, King helped nurture a white interest in blues when the music needed it most to survive."
--All About Jazz

"Albert King could blow Eddie Van Halen away with his amp on
stand-by."
-- Joe Walsh speaking at Albert King's funeral

So the blues, as it was played on the chitlin circuit by African Americans, was in danger of being surpassed by rock & roll and relegated to a mere note in musical history. Bands associated with the drug scene and San Francisco such as the Jefferson Airplanes, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, plus bands from foreign shores like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Burton and the
Animals combined to put the blues on the ropes and
down for the count.

Stax Records
When Albert King walked into Stax
records, he had a number of things going for him. He had experience playing with all types of musicians. He had experience recording in the studio. He was in a place under the control of black management, which meant that King could record the music he liked and the way he wanted, and not commercial music pushed by white marketers. Most of all, he had at his beck and call, some of the most talented studio musicians: Isaac Hayes, who would become a legendary R&B phenomenon, Booker T Jones of Booker T and the MGS fame (Remember the song "Green onions?"), He was a good organist/pianist who coordinated the music in the studio; Steve Cropper, a fantastic rhythm guitarists, Duck Dunn, an inventive bass player, the Memphis Horns, three guys who could blow their assesses off and another group of good young musicians called The Bar
Kays.

In the making of his first album with Stax, “Born Under
a Bad Sign,” the studio talent at Stax and the experience
and the deceptively effective voice and soulful guitar soloing of King came together. All the studio musicians knew that Albert brought something special to the studio—a strong feel for the blues based on experience. They all knew that he had something special: what blues great Little Walter calls “blues with a feeling;” and he could effectively communicate that feeling in the studio and on record. “Born Under a Bad Sign” represented a union between the old blues from the chitlin circuit with a hip R&B style that was being played on black radio stations by some of the top studio and performing musicians at the time. Thus the songs “Born Under a Bad
Sign,” “Crosscut Saw,”and “Pretty Woman” contained
uptempo, R&B arrangements yet the strong blues feel in Albert's deep, soulful voice and gut-bucket guitar sound.

For rock guitarists especially, “Born Under a Bad Sign” represented teachable moments in time. On the song “Personal Manager” Albert’s showed rockers how to build on a solo, and not just start out screaming. He showed them how to build passion with less notes and more control of the instrument. His solo on the tune “Personal Manager,” where he plays the basic melody before soaring high on the guitar register taking blues lovers to musical heaven, was copied whole by Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, Stevie Ray Vaughn and other rockers.

But to the daddy’s mind, the tune “As the Years Go Passing By” is the best. Combining an almost crying voice with a nodding“Amen” and “ I hear you” from his flying V guitar, this song represents the best in music as art: as controlled emotions concentrated in time, as music played not from notes so much as from the heart. And more than 40 years later, “As the Years Go Passing By” is still played by blues musicians, especially in black blues bars.

“Born Under a Bad Sign” did something else: It demonstrated conclusively that blues can not only be sad but exciting and soulful as well. You can moan and croon with Albert on “As the Years Go Passing By” or rock and nod your head to “Pretty Woman,” “Born Under a Bad Sign,” or “Kansas City.”

Songs from this album was played on black radio stations, FM and progressive stations everywhere. Based on the strength of this album, Albert began touring all over the country, indeed, all over the world. The album resurrected the blues by bringing it into the soul era without sacrificing its essence.

Albert Spoke the truth

Albert went on to make other quality albums for Stax: “Live Wire Blues Power," “I Wanna Get Funky,” “I’ll Play the Blues for You,” “San Francisco,” and “I’m in a Phone Booth,” “The Blues Don’t Change,” among others. All retained a strong blues feel, including strong social content. Listen to “Born Under a Bad Sign,” the signature song of the album:

I can’t read.
I didn't learn how to write.
My whole life has been
One big fight.
Born under a bad sign.
Been down ever since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck
I wouldn’t have no luck at all.

Listen to “Angel of Mercy.”

They cut the lights off this morning.
Threw my furniture outdoors.
I heard on the new tdoay
It's gonna come a rain snow.
I got the pneumonia.
My daughter’s got the flu.
My whole family’s got malnutrition.
I don’t know what I’m gonna do.
I cry “Angel of mercy,
Mercy, look down on me.

Listen to "That's what the blues is."

I went out in my backyard
And whistled for my dog.
You know he ran back under the house, people
Like he didn’t know me at all.
Hadn’t fed him for a few days.
He was looking kind of thin.
Ah, when your dog turns his back on you, buddy,
You don’t even have a friend.

Above all, listen to “Little Brother, Make A Way," Albert’s personal plea to younger African Americans:

You know I had to work everyday.
On my job I didn’t get much pay.
Had to yessuh to the other man.
I was too confused to understand.
I had to do things, yeah, against my will.
If I hadn’t, little brother,
you wouldn’t have lived.
Take it on, little brother.
Take it further.
I said take it on, little brother
And make a way.

Now you got the future in your hands.
Don’t you be no lazy man.
We laid the ground and paved the way for you.
Come on and show us that you’re proud of us.
You have it hard trying to get through.
But keep on pushing.
We’re right behind you.
Take it on, little brother.
Take it further.
I said take it on, little brother And make a way.

By updating the blues without changing its essence, Albert rescued the blues from rock & roll, its derivative, and from historical obscurity. But Albert did more: In both approach and content, he left footsteps on the road of freedom for you to follow. All you have to do is pick up a copy of “Born Under a Bad Sign” and let a blues master play the blues for you.