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.
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
King Curtis Lyrics
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'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys
You know I loved you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah.
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine baby
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you loved some one else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby
People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
If it's true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Don't you know I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
I'm just about to love my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
The lyrics of King Curtis's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" are about a man who has just found out that his lover is planning on leaving him for another man, and he has learned this news through other means rather than his partner's confession. The man is devastated by the news and cannot believe that he has heard it from others rather than his own partner. He recalls his love for her and how losing her would end his life. The song's chorus repeats, "I heard it through the grapevine," emphasizing the theme of hearing the news through other people rather than from the lover himself.
The line "I know a man ain't supposed to cry, but these tears I can't hold inside" highlights the man's vulnerability and how the news has affected him deeply. The lyrics also touch on the idea of gossip, with the repeated use of the phrase "through the grapevine," referring to how rumors and secrets can spread through a community like a grapevine.
Overall, the song is a powerful depiction of heartbreak and betrayal, with the man struggling to come to terms with the news that his lover is planning to leave him.
Line by Line Meaning
I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
I know that you're curious about how I found out
'Bout your plans to make me blue
About your intention to make me sad
With some other guy you knew before
With a man that you were familiar with previously
Between the two of us guys
Looking at just you and me
You know I loved you more
You're aware that I felt more love for you than he did
It took me by surprise I must say
I was genuinely caught off guard
When I found out yesterday
I actually only discovered this information yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
I learned of this through word of mouth
Not much longer would you be mine
You plan to leave me soon
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
I received this news indirectly
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
This has driven me to my wits' end
Honey, honey yeah.
My dear, oh my dear
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
Society dictates that men shouldn't be emotional
But these tears I can't hold inside
But I can't stop myself from crying
Losin' you would end my life you see
If I were to lose you, my life wouldn't be worth living
'Cause you mean that much to me
Because you're so important to me
You could have told me yourself
You should have informed me personally
That you loved some one else
That you had feelings for another person
People say believe half of what you see
It's commonly said that only half of what you witness is true
Son and none of what you hear
And that none of what you hear is reliable
But I can't help but be confused
But I'm finding it hard not to feel unsure
If it's true please tell me dear
If this is correct, my love, please inform me
Do you plan to let me go
Are your plans to break up with me?
For the other guy you loved before?
To be with the man you loved previously?
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
Soon you'll belong to somebody else
I'm just about to love my mind
I'm on the brink of going insane
Honey, honey, yeah
My dear, oh my dear
I heard it through the grapevine
I learned of this through word of mouth
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind