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.

Personal Manager
Albert King Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to be your personal manager babe
I want to do everything I can for you
I want to be your personal manager babe
I want to do everything I can for you
Yes I want to be right there beside you little girl
When all of your so called friends are through

If you sign my contract baby

You know all your worries is over for you
If you sign my contract baby
You know all your worries is over for you
Yeah I want to be your milkman every mornin'
Your ice cream man when the day is through

I'll take care of all of your business
So you can stay at home
You can rest assured little girl
That I won't let nothing go down wrong

I want to be your personal manager baby
I want to do everything I can for you

Yes I want to be your milkman every morning
Your ice cream man when the days are through

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Albert King's song "Personal Manager" speak of a desire to take care of someone's needs and be their personal manager. The singer is offering a solution to all of the worries and stresses of the person they are addressing. They want to be by their side when their supposed friends leave them and provide them with comfort and support. The singer is promising to take care of every aspect of their life, from their business needs to their everyday pleasures like milk and ice cream. They want to be the one that can make the person they are addressing happy and fulfilled.

The song can also be interpreted as a love song. The singer is expressing their desire to take care of the person they love and make their life better. They want to prove their love by being supportive and taking on the responsibilities that come with managing someone's life. The lyrics also suggest that the singer will make sure that nothing goes wrong and that the person they love can relax and trust that they are in good hands.

Overall, "Personal Manager" is a song about taking care of someone and being there for them in every way possible. It is about the desire to take on the role of a personal manager, both in business and in love.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to be your personal manager babe
I desire to be your trusted professional advisor and take control of your career

I want to do everything I can for you
I am willing to put in all my efforts to ensure your success

Yes I want to be right there beside you little girl
I am willing to be by your side at all times to support and guide you

When all of your so called friends are through
I'll be there even when your fair-weather friends abandon you

If you sign my contract baby
If you sign the document I prepared, you will have a business agreement with me

You know all your worries is over for you
You need not worry about anything because I will take care of all your affairs

Yeah I want to be your milkman every mornin'
I'll be reliable and punctual for you every day just like your milkman

Your ice cream man when the day is through
I'll make sure you enjoy the rewards of your hard work, just like when you treat yourself to ice cream

I'll take care of all of your business
I'll handle all the details related to your career or profession

So you can stay at home
You can have the comfort and ease of remaining in your place of domestic residence

You can rest assured little girl
You can have complete confidence in me, despite my casual reference to you as a child

That I won't let nothing go down wrong
I'll make sure that nothing goes wrong in your career or life under my guidance

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALBERT KING, DAVID PORTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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