Albert King (1923–1992) was an American blues guitarist and singer who was active from the late 1940s to 1992. During the earlier part of his career, he recorded several singles for smaller record labels. In 1966, he began an association with Stax Records, where he enjoyed his greatest commercial success with both singles and albums. His 1967 album, Born Under a Bad Sign, has been acknowledged as one of the most important blues albums.[1][2][3]
| Albert King discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 15 |
| Live albums | 15 |
| Compilation albums | 22+ |
| Singles | 47 |
After Stax's bankruptcy in 1975, King recorded for several smaller labels. Meanwhile, his former record companies issued a number of live recordings, compilations, and re-packaged material. This trend accelerated after King's death in 1992, resulting in some charting releases as well as the inevitable redundancies.
Albums 1962–1992
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Title | Label (Cat. no.) | Chart peak[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&B | US | |||
| 1969 | Years Gone By | Stax (STS-2010) | 133 | |
| Jammed Together (with Steve Cropper & Pops Staples) | Stax (STS-2020) | 171 | ||
| 1970 | Blues for Elvis - King Does the King's Things | Stax (STS-2015) | ||
| 1971 | Lovejoy | Stax (STS-2040) | 29 | 188 |
| 1972 | I'll Play the Blues for You | Stax (STS-3009) | 11 | 140 |
| 1974 | I Wanna Get Funky | Stax (STS-5505) | 37 | |
| 1976 | Truckload of Lovin' | Utopia (BUL 1-1387)[a] | 26 | 166 |
| Albert | Utopia (BUL 1-1731)[b] | 54 | ||
| 1977 | King Albert | Tomato (TOM-6002) | ||
| The Pinch[5] (re-released in 1992 as The Blues Don't Change)[6] | Stax (STX-4101) | |||
| 1978 | New Orleans Heat | Tomato (TOM-7022) | 74 | |
| 1983 | San Francisco '83[c] | Fantasy (F-9627) | ||
| 1984 | I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby | Fantasy (F-9633)[d] | ||
| 1986 | The Lost Session (archive release; recorded 1971; with John Mayall) | Stax (8534) | ||
| A blank space under "Chart peak" indicates a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Live albums
edit| Year | Title | Label (Cat. no.) | Chart peak[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&B | US | |||
| 1968 | Live Wire/Blues Power | Stax (STS-2003) | 40 | 150 |
| 1977 | Albert Live | Utopia (CYL2-2205)[e] | 182 | |
| 1988 | Blues at Sunrise[f] | Stax (8546) | ||
| 1990 | Wednesday Night in San Francisco[g] | Stax (8556) | ||
| 1990 | Thursday Night in San Francisco[h] | Stax (8557) | ||
| A blank space under "Chart peak" indicates a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Compilation albums
edit| Year | Title | Label (Cat. no.) | Chart peak US[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Big Blues (re-released in 1969 as Travelin' To California) | King (852) | ||
| 1967 | Born Under a Bad Sign | Stax (S723) | ||
| 1969 | King of the Blues Guitar | Atlantic (SD8213) | 194 | |
| 1972 | Wattstax: The Living Word (also various Stax performers) | Stax (STS 2-3010) | ||
| 1974 | Montreux Festival (also Chico Hamilton & Little Milton) | Stax (STS-5520) | ||
| 1977 | I'll Play the Blues for You (also John Lee Hooker) | Tomato (2696141) | ||
| 1979 | Chronicle (also Little Milton) | Stax (STX-4123) | ||
| 1982 | Masterworks | Atlantic (AD 2-4002) | ||
| 1986 | The Best of Albert King | Stax/Fantasy (60-005) | ||
| 1989 | Let's Have a Natural Ball | Modern Blues (MB-723) | ||
| 1990 | Door to Door (also Otis Rush) | Chess/MCA (CH-9322) | ||
| 1991 | Red House | Essential (ESSLP 147) | ||
| A blank space under "Chart peak" indicates a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Posthumous albums (since 1993)
editLive albums
edit| Year | Title | Label (Cat. no.) | Chart peak Blues | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Blues at Sunset | Stax (8581) | ||
| 1994 | Chicago 1978 | Charly (754) | ||
| 1998 | Rainin' in California | Wolf (120.500) | ||
| 1999 | In Session (with Stevie Ray Vaughan) | Stax (7501) | 1 | |
| 1999 | Live in Canada | Charly (755) | ||
| 2001 | The Godfather of the Blues: His Last European Tour | P-Vine | ||
| 2003 | Talkin' Blues | Thirsty Ear (THI 57129.2) | ||
| Live 69 | Tomato (TOM 2068) | |||
| Blues from the Road | Fuel 2000 (302 061 318 2) | |||
| 2014 | Live in the '70s | Rockbeat (ROC-CD-3245) | ||
| 2015 | Live at the Fabulous Forum! 1972 | Rockbeat (ROC-CD-3324) | ||
| A blank space under "Chart peak" indicates a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Selected compilation albums
editNumerous Albert King compilation albums issued by a number of record companies have been released over the years (AllMusic shows over 100 compilations).[7] The following lists some of the more notable and current releases:
| Year | Title | Label (Cat. no.) | Chart peak Blues | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Ultimate Collection | Rhino (71268) | ||
| 1994 | The Tomato Years | Rhino (71623) | ||
| Funky London | Stax (8586) | |||
| 1996 | Hard Bargain | Stax (8594) | ||
| 1999 | Blues Masters: The Very Best of Albert King | Rhino (75703) | ||
| 2001 | More Big Blues | Ace (827) | ||
| 2002 | Blue on Blues (also Freddie King) | Fuel 2000 (302 061 186 2) | ||
| 2004 | The Complete King & Bobbin Recordings | Collectables (2887) | ||
| 2006 | Stax Profiles: Albert King | Stax (8622) | ||
| 2007 | The Very Best of Albert King | Stax (30296) | 13 | |
| 2011 | The Definitive Albert King On Stax | Stax (32765) | ||
| 2013 | Roadhouse Blues | Stax (34406) | ||
| A blank space under "Chart peak" indicates a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Singles 1954–1992
edit| Year | Title A-side / B-side | Label (Cat. no.) | Chart peak[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&B | US | |||
| 1954 | "Bad Luck Blues" / "Be on Your Merry Way" | Parrot (798) | ||
| 1959 | "Why Are You So Mean to Me" / "Ooh-Ee Baby" | Bobbin (114) | ||
| 1960 | "Need You By My Side" / "The Time Has Come" | Bobbin (119) | ||
| "Blues at Sunrise" / "Let's Have a Natural Ball" | Bobbin (126) | |||
| 1961 | "I Walked All Night Long" / "I've Made Nights by Myself" | Bobbin (129) | ||
| "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong" / "This Morning" | King (5575)[i] | 14 | ||
| "Travelin' to California" / "Dyna-Flow" | King (5588)[j] | |||
| 1962 | "I Get Evil" / "What Can I Do to Change Your Mind" | Bobbin (135) | ||
| 1963 | "I'll Do Anything for You" / "Got to Be Some Changes Made" | Bobbin (141) | ||
| "How About that Old Blue Ribbon" / "I've Made Nights by Myself" | Bobbin (143) | |||
| "This Funny Feeling" / "Had You Told It Like It Was" | King (5751) | |||
| 1964 | "Worrisome Baby" / "C. O. D." | Coun-Tree (1006) | ||
| "Lonesome" / "You Threw Your Love on Me Too Strong" | Coun-Tree (1007) | |||
| 1966 | "Laundromat Blues" / "Overall Junction" | Stax (190) | 29 | |
| "Oh Pretty Woman" / "Funk Shun" | Stax (197) | |||
| 1967 | "Crosscut Saw" / "Down Don't Bother Me" | Stax (201) | 34 | |
| "Born Under a Bad Sign" / "Personal Manager" | Stax (217) | 49 | ||
| 1968 | "Cold Feet" / "You Sure Drive a Hard Bargain" | Stax (241) | 20 | 67 |
| "(I Love) Lucy" / "You're Gonna Need Me" | Stax (252) | 46 | ||
| "Blues Power" / "Night Stomp" | Stax (0020) | |||
| 1969 | "The Hunter" / "As the Years Go Passing By" | Atlantic (2604) | ||
| "Drowning on Dry Land Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax (0034) | |||
| "Tupelo Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax (0047) | |||
| "Water" / "Opus De Soul" | Stax (0048) | |||
| "Cockroach" / "Wrapped Up in Love Again" | Stax (0058) | |||
| 1970 | "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me" / "Cold Sweat" | Stax (0069) | 50 | 127 |
| 1971 | "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" / "Lovejoy, Ill." | Stax (0101) | 38 | 103 |
| 1972 | "Angel of Mercy" / "Funky London" | Stax (0121) | 42 | |
| "I'll Play the Blues for You Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax (0135) | 31 | ||
| "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" / "Little Brother (Make a Way)" | Stax (0147) | 35 | 91 | |
| 1973 | "Playing on Me" / "High Cost of Living" | Stax (0166) | ||
| 1974 | "That's What the Blues Is All About" / "I Wanna Get Funky" | Stax (0189) | 15 | |
| "Flat Tire" / "I Can't Hear Nothing but the Blues" | Stax (0217) | |||
| "Crosscut Saw" / "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" | Stax (0228) | |||
| "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" / "Don't Burn Down the Bridge" | Stax (0234)[k] | |||
| 1975 | "I'm Doing Fine" / "Ain't It Beautiful" | Stax (0245) | ||
| 1976 | "Cadillac Assembly Line" / "Nobody Wants a Loser" | Utopia (10544) | 40 | |
| "Sensation, Communication Together" / "Gonna Make It Somehow" | Utopia (10682) | 80 | ||
| "Guitar Man" / "Rub My Back" | Utopia (10770) | 79 | ||
| 1977 | "Ain't Nothing You Can Do" /"I Don't Care What My Baby Do" | Utopia (10879) | 95 | |
| 1978 | "Call My Job" / "Love Shock" | Tomato (10001) | 72 | |
| "Chump Change" / "Good Time Charlie" | Tomato (10002) | 72 | ||
| "The Pinch Paid Off Pt. I" / "Pt. II" | Stax (3203) | |||
| 1979 | "The Very Thought of You" / "I Get Evil" | Tomato (10009) | 87 | |
| "Born Under a Bad Sign" / "I've Got the Blues" | Tomato (10012) | |||
| 1983 | "Ask Me No Questions" / "Honey Bee" | Fantasy (940) | ||
| 1986 | "Down the Road I Go" / "Money Lovin' Woman" | Stax (1071) | ||
| A blank space under "Chart peak" indicates a release that did not reach the charts. | ||||
Footnotes
edit- ^ Also issued as Tomato TOM-6003
- ^ Also issued as Tomato TOM-6004
- ^ Also issued as Crosscut Saw: Albert King in San Francisco with two bonus tracks (Stax 8571)
- ^ Also issued as Stax 8560
- ^ Also issued as Tomato TOM2-7005
- ^ Recorded 1973, Erlewine 1996, p. 148
- ^ Recorded 1968, Erlewine 1996, p. 148
- ^ Recorded 1968, Erlewine 1996, p. 148
- ^ Also issued as Bobbin 131
- ^ Also issued as Bobbin 130 and King 6265
- ^ Also issued as Stax 3225
References
edit- ^ "Award Winners and Nominees" (type Albert King in the bar labeled "Nominee Name", then search). Blues Foundation. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
- ^ Schuessler, Jennifer (March 24, 2021). "Janet Jackson and Kermit the Frog Added to National Recording Registry". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Albert King Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ Unterberger, Ritchie. "Albert King: The Pinch – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ Unterberger, Ritchie. "Albert King: The Blues Don't Change – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ "Albert King Discography — compilations". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ^ Whitburn 1988, p. 238.
Bibliography
edit- Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "Albert King". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. pp. 182–185. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- Erlewine, Daniel (1996). "Albert King". In Erlewine, Michael (ed.). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings. All Music Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. pp. 147–149. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.
- Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Albert King". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 238. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
External Links
edit- Albert King discography at Discogs