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.

Please Send Me Someone To Love
Freddie King Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Heaven please send to all mankind,
Understanding and peace of mind.
But, if it′s not asking too much
Please send me someone to love.
Someone to love...
Show all the world how to get along,
Peace will enter when hate is gone.
But, if it's not asking too much,

Please send me someone to love
Please send me someone to love
I lay awake night and ponder world troubles.
My answer is always the same.
That unless men put an end to ease down of my sin
Hate will put the world in a flame, (oh) what a shame.
Just because I′m in misery.
I'm not begging for no sympathy.
But if it's not asking too much,
Just send me someone to love.
(Solo)
I lay awake night and ponder world troubles.
My answer is always the same.
That unless men put an end to ease down of my sin
Hate will put the world in a flame, (oh) what a shame.
Just because I′m in misery.
I′m not begging for no sympathy.

But if it's not asking too much,
Just send me someone to love.

Overall Meaning

The song "Please Send Me Someone To Love" by Freddie King is a plea for peace and understanding in the world. The lyrics express the desire for love and companionship in a world that is filled with hate and turmoil. The verses express the singer's belief that peace will come when hate is gone and that understanding and love are the keys to achieving this goal. At the same time, the song acknowledges the singer's own personal struggles and the desire for someone to love who will help him navigate the difficulties of life.

The lyrics also contain a sense of urgency, as the singer recognizes that the world is in danger of being destroyed by hate and sin. He asks for heaven to send someone to love not only for his own personal benefit but as a way to show others how to get along and achieve peace. Despite the desperate tone of the lyrics, there is a sense of hope that runs throughout the song. The singer implies that if we can find love and compassion in our hearts, we can prevent the world from being destroyed by hate.

Overall, the song is a rallying cry for people to find common ground and work together to create a world that is free from hate and filled with love.

Line by Line Meaning

Heaven please send to all mankind,
The songwriter is requesting that heaven provide all of humanity with understanding and peace of mind.

Understanding and peace of mind.
The songwriter is asking for humanity to be imbued with the ability to comprehend and a calm state of being.

But, if it′s not asking too much
The songwriter is aware that their request is quite significant and therefore adds this line as an acknowledgement of that fact.

Please send me someone to love.
The songwriter is asking to be given a romantic partner to love.

Someone to love...
The songwriter reiterates their request for a romantic partner.

Show all the world how to get along,
The songwriter is hoping that a romance between them and their partner will demonstrate to others how to peacefully interact.

Peace will enter when hate is gone.
The songwriter believes that if people stop hating, peace will be able to take root.

Just send me someone to love.
The songwriter is restating their request for a romantic partner.

I lay awake night and ponder world troubles.
The songwriter spends their nights thinking about the problems of the world.

My answer is always the same.
The songwriter feels like they always come to the same conclusions when reflecting on the state of the world.

That unless men put an end to ease down of my sin
The songwriter is referring to the negative actions of people when they talk about their own sin. They believe that people need to put a stop to these actions.

Hate will put the world in a flame, (oh) what a shame.
If people continue to hate instead of love and understanding, the world will become consumed by destruction, a tragedy that the songwriter laments.

Just because I′m in misery.
The songwriter isn't asking for someone to love because they feel sad, but rather because they believe that a loving relationship could help to bring peace into the world.

I′m not begging for no sympathy.
The songwriter wants it to be clear that they don't want anyone to pity them.

But if it's not asking too much,
Again, the songwriter is acknowledging that their request for a romantic partner is significant, but still asking for it nonetheless.

Just send me someone to love.
The songwriter is repeating their request for a romantic partner to be sent their way.

Writer(s): Percy Mayfield

Contributed by Samantha J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@anavi2282

Whew! What a voice! What a song!

Heaven please send to all mankind,
Understanding and peace of mind.
But, if it's not asking too much
Please send me someone to love.

Show all the world how to get along,
Peace will enter when hate is gone.
But, if it's not asking too much,
Please send me someone to love.

I lay awake night and ponder world troubles.
My answer is always the same.
That unless men put an end to all of this,
Hate will put the world in a flame, (oh) what a shame.

Just because I'm in misery.
I'm not begging for no sympathy.
But if it's not asking too much,
Just send me someone to love.

Heaven please send to all mankind,
Understanding and peace of mind.
But if it's not asking too much,
Please send me someone to love.

A new discovery! Thanks! More of these😍!

All comments from YouTube:

@anavi2282

@gs3173

3y↑1

Never heard this before. This is beyond masterful. God bless you for uploading this!

@sterlingfury

7y↑1

Hey high school buddy turned me slash us on to Freddie King via the getting ready album... Always absolutely loved the song, walking by myself, from that album... One of the most soulful performances of any song that I've ever heard... a truly great and rare gem... Both the song and the artist and so many more of his songs... Masterful and soulful beyond belief...such a shame we lost him way too early...RIP Freddie, King of the blues 😂😂😂