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.
Melancholy Serenade
King Curtis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right out of space your haunting face appears
There were other serenades broken promises we made
Why must I pay day after day with tears
Alone in my room I watch the ghost of you
Alone in the gloom once more I'm close to you
Melancholy serenade as the music starts to fade
I feel your kiss and then you disappear
Alone in the gloom once more I'm close to you
Melancholy serenade as the music starts to fade
I feel your kiss and then you disappear
King Curtis's song "Melancholy Serenade" is an emotional ballad that captures the feeling of loss and the haunting memories of a past love. The song's refrain, "Melancholy serenade, every time I hear it played, right out of space, your haunting face appears," illustrates the powerful impact that music can have on one's thoughts and emotions. The haunting melody of the song sets a somber tone that underlines the feelings of sadness and longing.
In the verses, the lyrics delve into the narrative of a lost love and broken promises. The line "there were other serenades, broken promises we made, why must I pay, day after day with tears" conveys regret and the pain of a relationship that has ended. The mood of the song is further accentuated by the repetition of the phrase "alone in my room" in the second verse, conveying a sense of isolation and loneliness.
In the final verse, the song's title appears once more, as if to bring the narrative full circle. As the music starts to fade, the singer feels their lost love's kiss, but they quickly disappear. The final line, "alone in the gloom once more I'm close to you", implies that despite the end of the relationship, the memory of the lost love haunts the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Melancholy serenade every time I hear it played
The feeling of sadness that arises within me every time I hear this particular tune.
Right out of space your haunting face appears
Suddenly, I feel as if I see your spooky face on the outer rims of my vision.
There were other serenades broken promises we made
There were other musical compositions, other experiences, where we had unfulfilled words spoken.
Why must I pay day after day with tears
Why do I continually feel the need to shed tears like currency.
Alone in my room I watch the ghost of you
Whilst by myself in my space, I witness the essence of your character lingering in the corners of my existence.
Alone in the gloom once more I'm close to you
In the obscurity all alone again, I feel like I'm back in your presence.
Melancholy serenade as the music starts to fade
The sadness multiplies as the sound slowly fades away.
I feel your kiss and then you disappear
I experience your kiss until you evaporate into nothingness.
Alone in the gloom once more I'm close to you
In the obscurity all alone again, I feel like I'm back in your presence.
Melancholy serenade as the music starts to fade
The sadness multiplies as the sound slowly fades away.
I feel your kiss and then you disappear
I experience your kiss until you evaporate into nothingness.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Duke Enston, Jackie Gleason
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RavenTheBlack
No one blows a Sax like Curtis. Man had too much soul,
frunkiss
This is so great. definitely the highlight of the cd, and maybe this channel.
Michelle Regis
Sultry haunting and magical .thanks👌👌❤
Love 4 YAH
So, so good :) Would sound great on Tenor, Alto or Soprano--wouldn't matter which Sax you play this one on.
Vincent Wright
I absolutely AGREE with you 100%, Michael!
SpatialBlues
I'd love to hear it on bari
Kitty Love
What about on bari?
Rodrigo Adolfo Perez VEga
Amazing song!!!
wyndhl eodumegwu
I shall like to meditate and to seek me the golden peace that herein does reside in the solitude and tranquility of King Curtis' melodic and harmonic magnificence . Voila the King of Soul-pop-smooth Jazz - early 1960s!
MKIVWWI
I believe this song was written by Jackie Gleason, and used as the second theme for "The Honeymooners".