Albert King (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992) was an American blues guit… Read Full Bio ↴Albert King (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992) was an American blues guitarist and singer.

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.

Cold Feet
Albert King Lyrics

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Keep raisin' saying if I play this chord
They hittin' the B Flat right

I'm gon' make a
Hit if it's the last thing I do

I done come home to you
And you done put your cold feet on me

Get warm your feet, woman

Hanging around the studio
For three days in a row, now
Saying can't nobody get a hit outta here
But Sam and Dave

Rufus Thomas or Carla Thomas
Or Eddie Floyd
They ain't the only one
Know how to play the blues
I can play the blues myself

Yeah

I'ma give every disc jockey
The blues across the country
If he don't dig this
He got a hole in his soul

Yeah
Well
Hey
Ooh wee

If you hear a little fuss
It ain't nobody but us

Overall Meaning

In "Cold Feet," Albert King is expressing his determination to make a hit record. He’s practicing hard and perfecting his chords so that they will be played correctly, and his music will be well-received. He's been spending days in the studio, working hard, and is confident that he will make a hit, even if it's the last thing he does. He dedicates this song to his woman with whom he shares a room. When he comes home tired and wants her love, she puts her cold feet all over him. He's asking her to warm up her cold feet because he needs her warmth and love.

In the second verse, he's challenging the belief held by many that only certain musicians can play the blues well. He is declaring right here that he knows how to play the blues, and he doesn't need anyone else's validation. He plans to spread his music everywhere, and if anyone happens not to like it, then that's their problem because he knows his jams will make them move. He asserts that his music is unique and special to him, and anyone who doesn't appreciate his craft is not a lover of music.

Line by Line Meaning

Keep raisin' saying if I play this chord
I am repeatedly informing my band members that I'll begin playing B flat chord shortly

They hittin' the B Flat right
They are hitting the right pitch of B flat note

I'm gon' make a Hit if it's the last thing I do
I will produce a musical hit single, even if it takes my last breath to do it

I done come home to you
I have returned home to you

And you done put your cold feet on me
But you are giving me an unwelcoming response to my return

Get warm your feet, woman
Please warm your feet up to show some love and passion

Hanging around the studio
I am spending a lot of time at the studio

For three days in a row, now
Continuously for the last three days

Saying can't nobody get a hit outta here
Other people in the studio are claiming that a hit song cannot be made

But Sam and Dave
The only ones that can make a hit are Sam and Dave

Rufus Thomas or Carla Thomas
Other musicians like Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, and Eddie Floyd do not have a monopoly of making great music

Or Eddie Floyd

They ain't the only one

Know how to play the blues
I can also play blues music, and I am good at it

I can play the blues myself

Yeah

I'ma give every disc jockey
I am going to give every DJ in the country

The blues across the country
my music will spread across the nation

If he don't dig this
If he doesn't like my music

He got a hole in his soul
there must be something wrong with him

Hey

Well

Ooh wee

If you hear a little fuss
If you hear us making noise

It ain't nobody but us
It's just us doing what we do

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Albert King, Al Jackson, Jr.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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