One of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with B.B. King and Freddie King), Albert King stood 6' 4", weighed 250 lbs and was known as "The Velvet Bulldozer". He was born Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. During his childhood he would sing at a family gospel group at a church. One of 13 children, King grew up picking cotton on plantations near Forrest City, Arkansas where the family moved when he was eight years old. He began his professional work as a musician with a group called In The Groove Boys in Osceola, Arkansas. He had also briefly played drums for Jimmy Reed's band and on several early Reed recordings. Influenced by blues musicians Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, but also interestingly Hawaiian music, the electric guitar became his signature instrument, his preference being the Gibson Flying V, which he named "Lucy".
King was a left-handed "upside-down/backwards" guitarist. He was left-handed, but usually played right-handed guitars flipped over upside-down so the low E string was on the bottom. In later years he played a custom-made guitar that was basically left-handed, but had the strings reversed (as he was used to playing). He also used very unorthodox tunings (i.e., tuning as low as C to allow him to make sweeping string bends). Some believe that he was using open E minor tuning (C-B-E-G-B-E) or open F tuning (C-F-C-F-A-D). A "less is more" type blues player, he was known for his expressive "bending" of notes, a technique characteristic of blues guitarists.
He recorded his first record in 1953 for Parrot Records in Chicago, but it had no impact. His first minor hit came in 1959 with Lonely Man written by Bobbin Records A&R man and fellow guitar hero Little Milton, responsible for King's signing with the label. However, it was not until his 1961 release Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong that he had a major hit, reaching number fourteen on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart. In 1966 he signed with the Stax record label. Produced by Al Jackson, Jr., King with Booker T. & the MG's recorded dozens of influential sides, such as Crosscut Saw and As The Years Go Passing By, and in 1967 Stax released the album, Born Under a Bad Sign. The title track of that album (written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell) became King's best known songs and has been covered by many other artists.
Another landmark album followed in Live Wire/Blues Power from one of many dates King played at promoter Bill Graham's Fillmore venues. It had a wide and long-term influence on Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Robbie Robertson, and later Gary Moore and Stevie Ray Vaughan (Criminal World, on David Bowie's 1983 release Let's Dance, features a guitar solo copied note-for-note from his hero Albert King by young session musician Stevie Ray Vaughan).
In the 1970s, King was teamed with members of The Bar-Kays and The Movement (Isaac Hayes's backing group), including bassist James Alexander and drummer Willie Hall adding strong funk elements to his music. Adding strings and multiple rhythm guitarists, producers Allen Jones and Henry Bush created a wall of sound that contrasted the sparse, punchy records King made with Booker T. & the MG's. Among these was another of King's signature tunes with I'll Play the Blues For You in 1972.
Recorded in December 1983, In Session captures an in-concert jam between Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan
As he hit his mid-sixties King began to muse about retirement, not unreasonable given that he had health problems. Nevertheless, when near to death, he was planning yet another overseas tour.
King died on December 21, 1992 from a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee.
Cockroach
Albert King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a big cockroach
Looking up at me
Sleeping on this concrete porch
Ain't no fun at all
But I'm gonna stay right here
With this big cockroach
Looking up at me
Well a big cockroach
he's just laying there
looking up at me
(Spoken) I'm glad it's in the summer cause I couldn't make it through a winter storm without your loving arms to keep me warm
Hey a big cockroach
He's just laying there
lookiing up at me
He's a big brown fella
I tell you he's just laying there
Looking up at me
(Spoken) Get away!
Sure is tiring these cockroaches crawling all up and down my arms and on my legs
Open the door baby
Let me in!
Well a big cockroach...
(Fade out)
Read more at http://www.lyrics.com/cockroach-lyrics-albert-king.html#3F2hAIGje8rkfHr5.99>
The song "Cockroach" by Albert King is a blues song that tells a story of a man who is left sleeping on the concrete porch, in the summer heat, where he's being tormented by a big brown cockroach that is crawling all over his body. The song starts with the man lamenting about sleeping on the porch where his lover, who should be in his arms, is nowhere near him. He then goes on to describe the cockroach that's crawling on him, which is emphasizing his discomfort, and how he wishes his lover would call him back inside. Throughout the song, he keeps repeating the line "Well, a big cockroach, he's just laying there, looking up at me," conveying his anger and annoyance towards the insect.
The song's lyrics provide a vivid picture of a man who is desperate for love and comfort, and the cockroach serves as a metaphor for his loneliness and despair. The fact that he's being tormented by a cockroach, which is often associated with dirt and filth, emphasizes his current state of being. The repetition of the phrase "Looking up at me" makes the song more poignant, and the spoken interludes add another layer to the story being told.
Overall, "Cockroach" is a powerful, soulful blues song that deals with universal themes of loneliness, desire, and the struggle for human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got me sleeping on the Porch
I am sleeping outside on a hard surface because you are not with me.
Laying in my arms, where you ought to be
I wish you were here with me, holding me in your arms.
There's a big cockroach
There is a large insect crawling near me.
Looking up at me
The insect is staring at me.
Sleeping on this concrete porch
I am sleeping on a hard surface outside, which is uncomfortable.
Ain't no fun at all
This sleeping arrangement is not enjoyable.
But I'm gonna stay right here
I will remain outside until you call me inside.
Until I hear you call
I will wait for you to invite me inside.
With this big cockroach
The insect is still near me.
Well a big cockroach
The insect is large.
he's just laying there
The insect is not moving.
looking up at me
The insect is still staring at me.
I'm glad it's in the summer cause I couldn't make it through a winter storm without your loving arms to keep me warm
I am grateful that it is summer because I cannot imagine surviving a winter storm without your comforting embrace to keep me warm.
He's a big brown fella
The insect is a large brown creature.
I tell you he's just laying there
The insect is still motionless.
Get away!
I want the insect to move away from me.
Sure is tiring these cockroaches crawling all up and down my arms and on my legs
It is exhausting to have insects crawling all over my body.
Open the door baby
I am asking you, my loved one, to let me inside.
Let me in!
I want to come inside and be with you.
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.