King's mother, Ella May King, and her brother, who both played the guitar, began teaching him to play at the age of six. He liked and imitated the music of Lightnin' Sam Hopkins and saxophonist Louis Jordan. He moved with his family from Texas to the southside of Chicago in 1950. There, at age 16 he used to sneak in to local clubs, where he heard blues music performed by the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Elmore James, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Howlin Wolf took him under his wing (or paw), and Freddie also began jamming with Muddy Waters' sidemen, who included Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Lockwood Jr. and Little Walter.
By 1952 he had started gigged at night and working days in a steel mill (by then he had married a Texas girl, Jessie Burnett). He got occasional work as a sideman on recording sessions. Two bands that he played with during this period were the Sonny Cooper Band, and Early Payton's Blues Cats. He formed the first band of his own, the Every Hour Blues Boys, with guitarist Jimmy Lee Robinson and drummer Sonny Scott.
In 1953 he made some recordings for Parrot. In 1956 he recorded "Country Boy", a duet with Margaret Whitfield, and "That's What You Think", an uptempo blues. This was for a local label, El-Bee. Robert Lockwood Jr. appeared as a sideman on guitar.
In 1959 he met Sonny Thompson, a pianist who worked for the King/Fedreal label. In 1960, he himself signed with that label; while there he often shared songwriting credits, and participated in marathon recording sessions, with Thompson. On August 26, 1960, he recorded "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" and "Hide Away", which were to become two of his most popular tunes. His debut release for the label was "You've Got To Love Her with Feeling". His second release on King/Federal was "I Love the Woman". "Hide Away" was used as the B side for this disk; that tune, a 12-bar mid-tempo shuffle in E with an infectious theme in the head section, and a memorable stop-time break that featured some robust-sounding work on the bass strings, was destined to become one of his signiature numbers. It was an adaptation of a tune by Hound Dog Taylor. It was named "Hide Away" after a popular bar in Chicago. Strictly an instrumental -- guitar with rhythm section -- it delighted everyone by crossing over and reaching #29 on the pop chart. It was later covered by Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Canadian guitarist Jeff Healy, and likely a majority of the bar blues bands on Planet Earth. After the success of "Hide Away", the label, which was presided over by one Syd Nathan, got Freddie and Sonny Thompson to work on making more instrumentals. This they did, producing over 30 of them during the next five years. The following is a partial list: "The Stumble," "Low Tide," "Wash Out," "Sidetracked", "San-Ho-Zay," "Heads Up," "Onion Rings," and "The Sad Nite Owl". Freddie became popular with a young white audience, in Britain as well as the United States, and his playing was a major influence on the upcoming breed of rock guitarists. During this period he was touring frequently along with the big R&B acts of the day such as Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, James Brown. His band included his brother Benny Turner on bass; and Tyrone Davis, who would later become known in his own right, was the driver and valet.
On the personal side, Freddie was fond, perhaps overly fond, of the Chicago night life. His official website refers to him "Gambling til dawn in the backroom of Mike's cleaners." His wife, now with six children, decided to move back to Texas. Once there, she called Syd Nathan and demanded that he send her some of the royalty money due to her husband. To his credit, he sent her two thousand dollars, with which she made the down payment on a house. Realising that the family were definitely not coming back to Chicago, Freddie, in the spring of 1963, himself moved back to Texas to rejoin them.
His contract with King/Federal expired in 1966. That same year, while making a series of appearances on an R&B program called "The!!!Beat", he was noticed by Atlantic Records front man King Curtis, and in 1968 he signed with the Atlantic subsidiary, Cotillion Records. He released two records for them (see Recordings), both of which showcased his vocal talents. They were not overwhelming commercial successes; however, his first overseas tour, in 1968, was a resounding triumph, being extended from one month to three. He was "amazed by his popularity in England."1
In 1969 he hired a young member of the "counter culture", Jack Calmes, to be his manager. Calmes got him booked at the 1969 Texas Pop Festival, alongside Led Zeppelin and others; and got him signed to Leon Russell's new label, Shelter Records. Shelter records was based in Oklahoma, and featured blues/rock performers such as Linda Ronstadt and Joe Cocker. The company treated Freddie as an important artist, flying him to Chicago to the former Chess studios for th recording of his first album, and giving him a supporting cast of top-calibre session musicians -- including Russell, a rock pianist.
As were many of the top bluesmen of his generation, he was now playing what he affectionately called the "Fillmore circuit", playing alongside the big rock acts of the day for a young, mainly white, audience. As a result of his touring with Eric Clapton, the two became good friends -- Clapton held him in very high esteem -- and following his term at Shelter Records, Freddie signed with the label Clapton was recording for, RSO. His first album there, Burglar, was produced by Clapton, and had him playing on several tracks.
He continued to tour heavily. He died in Dallas in 1976 from a heart attack and complications arising from bleeding ulcers and pancreatitis. He was just 42 years of age.
Ain't No Sunshine
Freddie King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not warm when she's away
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And she's always gone too long
Anytime she goes away
I wonder this time where she's gone
I wonder if she's gonna stay
This house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away
Well, I got a little young thing alone
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
Only darkness everyday
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
This house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away
Anytime she goes away
Anytime she goes away
Anytime she goes away
Freddie King's blues classic "Ain't No Sunshine" showcases a man who is deeply affected by the absence of the woman he loves. The song's opening lines immediately establish that the singer is in a dark place when his lover is not around. He states that "it's not warm when she's away" and that "there ain't no sunshine" in his life. Furthermore, he notes that his lover is "always gone too long," suggesting that this is a pattern that has been going on for some time. The second verse finds the singer wondering where his lover has gone this time and whether she will return at all. He notes that "this house just ain't no home" without her presence.
The theme of absence and the profound effect it can have on a person's emotional state is woven throughout the song. The repeated refrain of "ain't no sunshine when she's gone" emphasizes the depth of the singer's despair. He tries to find solace in the company of another woman, but it's clear that she doesn't come close to filling the void left by his absent lover. The final lines of the song bring this point home, as the singer repeats the phrase "anytime she goes away" three times in a row, as if trying to emphasize just how painful this absence is for him.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
Life is gloomy and dark when the person he loves and cares for is away from him.
It's not warm when she's away
Her absence causes an emotional coldness in his heart and spirit.
And she's always gone too long
She is away from him for an extended period each time, compounding his anguish.
Anytime she goes away
Whenever she is away from him, he wrestles with anguished feelings and fears.
I wonder this time where she's gone
He battles with anxiety and worry concerning her whereabouts every time she is away from him.
I wonder if she's gonna stay
He is not sure about their future together and is worried if she will come back to him.
'Cause ain't no sunshine when she's gone
Her absence leaves a void in his life, making every day gloomy and sad.
This house just ain't no home
Her absence makes him feel like his house is devoid of warmth and love.
Well, I got a little young thing alone
He got together with someone else while she was away, probably trying to fill the void of her absence in his life, although it did not make things any better for him.
Only darkness everyday
His life feels dark and sad every single day without her.
Anytime she goes away
Whenever she is away from him, he feels lost and forlorn.
Anytime she goes away
Every time she is away from him, he feels the same sadness and emptiness.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bill Withers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gatorblue
Freddie was the whole package. Killer gospel-style vocals, monster guitarist and almost in league with Willie Dixon as a song-writer. He had more than 20 crossover hits during a time when Black musicians weren't played on most stations and 5 of those were instrumentals. He was, possibly, the first major bridge between true blues and modern rock.
@tomcooley3778
Not to mention all the other players who coped his licks !
@swendog65
Freddie is the King!...I never knew he did this song...always knew him for his Blues stuff..this blew my mind!! He does the song justice!! R.I.P. Freddie! and Albert too!!
@dontworrydon
I'd say this is the blues.......
@stacyblue1980
Almost crying here. 🙏🌹We love you, Freddie. Praise be to God.
@msb105
How can you not like this, I mean everyone loves the bill withers version, but Freddie King just made it an entirely new song with so much feelng in it,and great guitar work also, whats not to like
@phantom.wreath
I know this comment is 12 years old, but i couldn't agree more. This version especially
@IndependentGeorge76
this era was some kind of pinnacle in musi, and this performance is up there with the best. all those guys that came up, learnt their trade and paid their dues in the late 50's and early 60's all hit a real maturity around the same time. guys like freddie, dr john, the meters and countless others. what an era, and what a sound. RIP Freddie King, i hope there's regualr poker nights in heaven...
@fnkdrmmr
Freddie Is very soulful. Bill Withers is also very soulful. It's a pleasure hearing music played by musicians - and not just a "keyboard wizard" programming songs without feeling or emotion. The drummer was especially funky.
@obliviouspet
Theres no denying hes got one of the best blues voiced in the world. To sing the blues, you gotta have a broken down, deep voice, but present it explosively.