Curtis Ousley was adopted, with his sister, Josephine Ousley Allen. They were raised together in Fort Worth, Texas. Ousley attended I.M. Terrell High School, and studied and performed music with schoolmate Ornette Coleman.
Ousley started playing saxophone at the age of twelve in the Fort Worth area. He took interest in many musical genres including jazz, rhythm and blues, and popular music. As a student pursuing music, he turned down college scholarships in order to join the Lionel Hampton Band. During his time with Hampton, he was able to write and arrange music and learn guitar. In 1952 Curtis decided to move to New York and became a session musician, recording for such labels as Prestige, Enjoy, Capitol, and Atco. He recorded with Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings and Andy Williams.
Stylistically, Curtis took inspiration from saxophonists Lester Young, Louis Jordan, Illinois Jacquet, Earl Bostic, and Gene Ammons. Known for his syncopated and percussive style, he was both versatile and powerful as a musician. He put together a group during his time as a session musician that included Richard Tee, Cornell Dupree, Jerry Jemmott, and Bernard Purdie.
King Curtis enjoyed playing jazz and rhythm & blues but decided he would make more money as a rhythm & blues musician, stating in a 1971 interview with Charlie Gillet that "I love the authentic rhythm & blues more than anything, and I also like to live well." From the 1950s until the mid-1960s, he worked as a session player, recording under his own name and with others such as The Coasters, with whom he recorded "Yakety Yak". Buddy Holly hired him for session work, during which they recorded "Reminiscing". Holly wrote this song, but gave Curtis the songwriting credit for flying down to the session. His best-known singles from this period are "Soul Twist" and "Soul Serenade". He provided backing on a number of songs for LaVern Baker, including her 1958 hit single "I Cried a Tear", where his saxophone became "a second voice".
In 1965, he moved to Atlantic Records and recorded his most successful singles, "Memphis Soul Stew" and "Ode to Billie Joe" (1967). He worked with The Coasters, led Aretha Franklin's backing band The Kingpins. The Kingpins opened for The Beatles during their 1965 performance at Shea Stadium. Curtis produced records, often working with Jerry Wexler and recorded for Groove Records during this period, including the Joe South song "Games People Play" with guitarist Duane Allman.
In March 1971 he appeared with Aretha Franklin and The Kingpins at the Fillmore West, which resulted in two live albums: "Aretha Live at Fillmore West", and Curtis' own "Live at Fillmore West". In July 1971, Curtis recorded saxophone solos on "It's So Hard" and "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" from John Lennon's Imagine. Along with The Rimshots, he recorded the original theme song for the 1971 hit television show, Soul Train, titled "Hot Potatoes".
Curtis was killed on August 13, 1971 when he was stabbed during an argument with a pair of drug dealers he discovered on the steps outside his Manhattan apartment. Curtis was attempting to carry an air conditioner into his apartment when Juan Montanez refused to move from the entrance. A fight ensued and Montanez stabbed Curtis. Curtis later died at Roosevelt Hospital. In March 1972, Montanez was sentenced to seven years for second-degree manslaughter, but was released in late 1977 for good behavior.
On the day of Curtis' funeral Atlantic Records closed their offices. Jesse Jackson administered the service and as the mourners filed in, Curtis' band 'The Kingpins' played "Soul Serenade". Among those attending were Ousley's immediate family, including sister Josephine Ousley Allen, other family members, Aretha Franklin, Cissy Houston, Brook Benton and Duane Allman. Franklin sang the closing spiritual "Never Grow Old" and Stevie Wonder performed "Abraham, Martin and John and now King Curtis".
Curtis was subsequently buried in a red granite-fronted wall crypt in the 'West Gallery of Forsythia Court' mausoleum at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, New York, the same cemetery that holds jazz greats Count Basie and John Coltrane.
In 1970, a year before his death, Curtis won the Best R&B Instrumental Performance Grammy for "Games People Play".
Curtis was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 6, 2000.
Good To Me
King Curtis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you're so good to me
I don't what you're doing wrong to me baby
But you're so good to me
Honey, I've been loving you for a long time
And you're still good to me
I've been loving you woman 20 long years
'Cause I've got that will to try, huh
I remember those sweet kisses you give me last night
And man they we're so good to me
All of that good, good, good old loving you give me baby
Honey we were sure good to me
I've been loving you woman 20 long years
If it takes forty more
Honey I let my will to try, huh
I don't know what you're doing to me baby
But it sure is good to me
Whatever you do wrong honey
I don't care baby
Because you're so good to me
I keep on loving you woman
For twenty more years
After that I'm going for forty
'Cause I got my will to try
I've been loving you woman too long
But I'm just going to keep on loving you all day long, honey
I'll never going to dissatisfy you in no kind of way, honey
And I'm going to love you baby long in the early morning sun
And I'm going to squeeze you tight, honey, lord yeah
You're just so good to me baby
And I love, love, love you, honey
I just love, love, love you, baby
I'm just keep on loving you honey
'Cause you're so good to me
So, so good to me
In King Curtis's song Good To Me, the singer expresses his gratitude towards his lover for all the loving and affection she has given him, even though he does not understand why she is so good to him. He has been in love with her for twenty long years, and he is willing to love her for another twenty or forty years because he has the will to try. He remembers the sweet kisses she gave him last night and all the good loving she has given him.
The song's lyrics showcase a feeling of satisfaction and contentment that the singer has with his lover. He feels that no matter what his lover does wrong, he does not care because she has been so good to him. The song highlights the singer's determination to keep loving his lover in the present and even in the future. He wants to squeeze her tight and love her long in the early morning sun, and he promises never to dissatisfy her in any way.
Overall, Good To Me is a song about gratitude, love, and the singer's willingness to continue loving his partner unconditionally. It's a beautiful expression of the purity of love and the profound emotional connection between two people who are committed to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know what you got baby
I'm not sure what you possess, my dear
But you're so good to me
But you treat me in such an excellent way
I don't what you're doing wrong to me baby
I'm unsure of what you're doing incorrectly to me, darling
But you're so good to me
Regardless, you still treat me so well
Honey, I've been loving you for a long time
My love for you, my dear, has lasted an extended period
And you're still good to me
You continue to treat me splendidly
I've been loving you woman 20 long years
I have been in love with you, woman, for two whole decades
I'll love you 20 more
And I will continue to love you for another 20 years
'Cause I've got that will to try, huh
Because I possess the determination to keep trying, you see
I remember those sweet kisses you give me last night
I recall those lovely kisses you granted me last evening
And man they we're so good to me
I must say they were so wonderful to receive
All of that good, good, good old loving you give me baby
All of the love you bestow upon me, my dear, is so comforting
Honey we were sure good to me
You treated me so well, my love
I've been loving you woman 20 long years
For twenty long years, I have been in love with you, woman
If it takes forty more
And if it requires loving you for another forty years
Honey I let my will to try, huh
I will utilize my determination to make it happen, you see
I don't know what you're doing to me baby
I am uncertain of what you are doing to me, my dear
But it sure is good to me
But whatever it is has a positive impact on me
Whatever you do wrong honey
Whatever mistakes you make, my dear
I don't care baby
I am not concerned about them, my love
Because you're so good to me
As long as you continue to treat me so well
I keep on loving you woman
I will continue to love you, woman
For twenty more years
For another twenty long years
After that I'm going for forty
And after that, I will love you for an additional forty years
'Cause I got my will to try
Because I possess the determination to make it happen
I've been loving you woman too long
I have been loving you, woman, for too many years to count
But I'm just going to keep on loving you all day long, honey
Nevertheless, I will continue to love you all day long, my dear
I'll never going to dissatisfy you in no kind of way, honey
I will never disappoint you, my dear, in any way
And I'm going to love you baby long in the early morning sun
I shall love you, my love, for many years to come
And I'm going to squeeze you tight, honey, lord yeah
And I will hold you tightly, my dear, oh yes indeed
You're just so good to me baby
You simply treat me so wonderfully, my love
And I love, love, love you, honey
And I love, love, love you, my dear
I just love, love, love you, baby
I just adore you, my love, so very much
I'm just keep on loving you honey
I will simply continue to love you, my dear
'Cause you're so good to me
Because you treat me so wonderfully
So, so good to me
So incredibly good to me
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OTIS REDDING, JULIE GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jevezy
King Curtis, the King of the Soul Sax and Trumpet.
Virgil Signore
I have heard the great vocal performance of this song by Otis Redding but never heard this great instrumental by King Curtis.
wyndhl eodumegwu
Orchestrally romantic, Smooth and Classical!
Siyabulela Bantom
So smooth.....puts my mind on vacation
Theressa Murphy
Always😀🎵🎶🎵