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.
That's What The Blues Is All About
Albert King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To nothin' but the four walls
And then ya find your phone been disconnected
You can't even make no call
Ya hung out for your baby, oh, an'she's not there
You look in the closet, buddy, an'you find it's all bare
Oh, that's what the blues is people
Well that's a hard pill to have to swallow, um!
When you find what the blues is all about
Now listen to this:
I went out to my backyard
Ya know I whistled for my dog [3 whistle sounds]
He ran up under the house, people
Like he didn't even know me at all
Now I hadn't fed him in two or three days
An' he was lookin' kinda thin
Oh, when your dog turn his back on ya, buddy
You know ya haven't even got a friend
That's the blues, people
That's what the blues is all about
Oh it's a hard pill to swallow, um!
When ya find out what the blues is all about
Oh, look out!
Uh!
Oh no!
I think I got 'em!
I went out to my mail box
I got a bunch-a bills that I can't pay
I guess my wife been out shoppin' again
While I been at work all day
I see the man comin' with his tools
Now is he gonna cut off my water?
You know they got my gas yesterday
An' they comin' right back for the lines tomorrow
Ah, that's what the blues is people
That's what the blues is all about
Well that's a hard pill to swallow, buddy
Oh, when you find out what the blues is all about
Albert King's "That's What The Blues Is All About" is a song that depicts the struggles of life that lead to the blues. In the song, King talks about coming home to an empty house, finding out that his phone has been disconnected, and realizing that his baby is gone. The emptiness in his house represents the void in his life, and the disconnection of his phone means that he is unable to connect with his loved ones. In addition, the bare closet is symbolic of his impoverished state, and the lack of love in his life is a major aspect of the blues.
King goes on to talk about his dog, who has been neglected for days and appears to have forgotten about him. The dog, which despite being loyal, has now turned its back on him, representing a sense of betrayal. This portrays the loneliness of blues, and how even the most faithful allies let us down.
King ends the song talking about his bills that he cannot pay, and the imminent disconnection of his utilities, which leads to paranoia and anxiety. This heightened sense of fear represents the overarching theme of the song, which is the inevitability of the blues.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the hardships of life that lead to the blues, such as broken relationships, loneliness, poverty, and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh you come home one eve'nin'
You return home one evening
To nothin' but the four walls
Your home is empty, just four walls
And then ya find your phone been disconnected
Your phone has been disconnected, so you can't make a call
You can't even make no call
You can't make any phone calls
Ya hung out for your baby, oh, an'she's not there
You wait for your loved one but they are not present
You look in the closet, buddy, an'you find it's all bare
You search the closet and find it empty
I went out to my backyard
You go to your backyard
Ya know I whistled for my dog [3 whistle sounds]
You whistle for your dog three times
He ran up under the house, people
Your dog runs under the house
Like he didn't even know me at all
Your dog seems to not recognize you
Now I hadn't fed him in two or three days
You haven't fed your dog in two or three days
An' he was lookin' kinda thin
Your dog looks skinny
Oh, when your dog turn his back on ya, buddy
When your dog turns its back on you, you know you've lost a friend
I went out to my mail box
You go to your mailbox
I got a bunch-a bills that I can't pay
You have received a lot of bills that you cannot afford to pay
I guess my wife been out shoppin' again
Your spouse has been shopping, adding to your expenses
While I been at work all day
While you have been at work all day
I see the man comin' with his tools
You see the utility worker coming with tools
Now is he gonna cut off my water?
You wonder if the utility worker will cut off your water
You know they got my gas yesterday
Your gas supply was cut off yesterday
An' they comin' right back for the lines tomorrow
The utility company is returning tomorrow for additional cuts
Ah, that's what the blues is people
This situation is the essence of the blues
Well that's a hard pill to swallow, buddy
This is a difficult reality to accept
Oh, when you find out what the blues is all about
This is what it truly means to experience the blues
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOBBY C. PATTERSON, JERRY STRICKLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Roosevelt Davis
yes,yes yes. the great Albert king. I got this 8-track tape in my collection.
Curtis Loesch
Hadn't heard this in several years. Damn! good.
Dennis Devine
When your dog turns his back on you, you don't even have a friend. That's what the blues is all about.
Kalai Reed
What about when your cat turn his back on you
Rhys Thomas John
Kalai Reed That’s pretty normal behaviour
Thomas Frank
@Kalai Reed that's what 'em cats is all about.....
Ty Page
too smooth
Kalai Reed
Well my cat run away from me after I went 3 days without feed him.I definitely got the blues
Blues Rain
That's What The Blues Is All About......
RockForever
too cool