Freddie King (September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976), thought to have been … Read Full Bio ↴Freddie King (September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976), thought to have been born as Frederick Christian in Gilmer, Texas, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert King and B.B. King (though he was the youngest of the three).

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.

Boogie Man
Freddie King Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I gotta funky reputation ..........
Cause I like to get low down
All of you mothers better lock up your daughters
Cause the boogie man's in town

Call me the boogie man
Nobody can do it like I can
They call me the boogie man

I'm a king size boogie man

The sheriff had got my number
He locked me up last fall
I taught her daughter how to do the boogie
Now I can't go back at all

They call me the boogie man
Nobody can do it like I can
They call me the boogie man
I'm a king size boogie man

I used to be with a travelling band
Down on the county line
I went down there to do some boogie
And I wound up down in town

They call me the boogie man
Nobody can do it like I can
They call me the boogie man
I'm a king size boogie man

I tell all you good time women
And you never thought some .......
Just a little taste of my good boogie
Will make you climb the wall

They call me the boogie man
Nobody can do it like I can
They call me the boogie man
I'm a king size boogie man

I'm a king size boogie man

I'm a king size boogie man
I'm a king size boogie man

Overall Meaning

In Freddie King's "Boogie Man," the singer talks about his reputation for being a "low down" boogie man. He warns "all you mothers" to be wary of him because he's in town and he likes to "get low down." In the verses, he talks about how the sheriff has his number and locked him up because he taught the sheriff's daughter how to boogie. He also talks about his past with a traveling band and how he ended up in town doing his boogie.

Overall, the song seems to be a warning to anyone who might cross the boogie man's path. He's dangerous but also incredibly talented, describing himself as a "king size boogie man" who can do it like nobody else.

One interesting fact about the song is that it was written by Leon Russell, who was a prolific songwriter and producer in the 60s and 70s. Another is that it was covered by blues artist John Lee Hooker, who put his own spin on the song. Additionally, the song features many classic blues and boogie-woogie elements, including a driving rhythm section and scorching guitar solos. It's a prime example of Freddie King's unique blend of blues and rock music, which he became famous for in the late 60s and early 70s.

Chords:
Unfortunately, the chords for "Boogie Man" are not readily available. However, the song is played in a standard blues/rock style with a simple chord progression. The main riff is played in E (on the lower strings) and features a combination of single notes and power chords. The chorus features a chord progression of E-A-B7, which is a common blues progression.

Line by Line Meaning

I gotta funky reputation
I am known to have a mysterious and interesting lifestyle

Cause I like to get low down
Because I enjoy living life to the fullest

All of you mothers better lock up your daughters
Mothers should watch their daughters closely around me

Cause the boogie man's in town
Because I bring excitement and fun wherever I go

Call me the boogie man
People refer to me as the boogie man

Nobody can do it like I can
No one can bring the energy and excitement that I can

I'm a king size boogie man
I am the biggest and best at bringing the boogie

The sheriff had got my number
The police are keeping a close eye on me

He locked me up last fall
I was put in jail recently

I taught her daughter how to do the boogie
I showed a girl how to have a good time and dance

Now I can't go back at all
I am not allowed to return to that area