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.
Kansas City
Albert King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
I'll be standing on the corner of 12th Street and Vine
I'll be standing on the corner of 12th Street and Vine
With my Kansas City baby and a bottle of Kansas City wine
But if I have to walk, I'm going there, just the same
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
Hey, look out
Well I may take a plane, I may take a train
But If I have to walk, I'm going there, just the same
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
The lyrics of Albert King's song "Kansas City" paint a picture of a man who is determined to travel to Kansas City to seek out the love of a woman. The repetition of "I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come" emphasizes his eagerness to journey there. He mentions the "crazy lovin' women" of Kansas City, suggesting that they may be wild and exciting. He intends to meet one of these women, as he declares that he is "gonna get me one."
The second verse gives more detail about where he will be waiting with his Kansas City baby; on the corner of 12th Street and Vine with a bottle of Kansas City wine. He is clearly romanticizing the destination, as if it will be a place of wild love and happy memories. He is prepared to go to any lengths to get there, saying he will take a plane, a train, or even walk if he has to.
Overall, the song is a lively and romanticized depiction of the idea of traveling to Kansas City to find love. It highlights the romanticism of spontaneity and adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come
I am excited to go to Kansas City and I am on my way there right now
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
I have heard that the women in Kansas City are wild and I want to find one for myself
I'll be standing on the corner of 12th Street and Vine
I will be waiting for my Kansas City woman at the famous corner of 12th Street and Vine
With my Kansas City baby and a bottle of Kansas City wine
I will enjoy the company of my Kansas City woman while we share a bottle of wine from the city
Well, I may take a plane, I may take a train
I am willing to use any mode of transportation to get to Kansas City
But if I have to walk, I'm going there, just the same
If I have no other option, I am determined to walk to Kansas City
Hey, look out
I am warning everyone to watch out because I am on a mission to find a wild Kansas City woman
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
I cannot wait to experience the passion and excitement of a Kansas City woman for myself
They got some crazy lovin' women there and I'm gonna get me one
I am confident that I will find a woman to match my wild spirit in Kansas City
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beverlyharris9859
I love Albert King! Love Kansas City. That voice and that guitar 🎸!
@randyjones5835
steve cropper killing on those rythm strikes
@beverlyharris9859
Sensational
@JesusReyes-xz4df
Nice