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.
When Something is Wrong With My Baby
King Curtis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something is wrong with me
If I know she's worried
Then I would feel that same old misery
We've been through so much together
We spoke as one and that's what makes it better
Something is wrong with me
Just what she means to me now
Oh you just oh you just wouldn't understand
And the people say oh they say she's no good
Oh but she's my woman
And I know I'm her man
If she's got a problem oh yeah yeah
Oh I know I'm gonna have to help her solve it
When something is wrong with my baby
Something is wrong with me
If something is wrong with my baby
Something is wrong with me
In King Curtis’s song “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby,” the lyrics describe a deep connection between two people. The singer passionately expresses that he feels the same pain as his partner when she is troubled. The lyrics suggest the couple’s relationship has gone through its own trials and tribulations, and through those experiences, they have formed a strong and intimate bond. The singer’s love for his partner is unwavering, despite what others may say. He knows his partner better than anyone else and will be there to support her even when she is struggling. The lyrics suggest an equal partnership based on mutual understanding and support, where each partner feels the other’s joy and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
When something is wrong with my baby
My emotional state is dependent on my baby's well-being
Something is wrong with me
I cannot be happy or content when my baby is not
If I know she's worried
If I can sense that something is troubling her
Then I would feel that same old misery
I would become distressed and unhappy just like her
We've been through so much together
We have faced many difficult situations as a couple
We spoke as one and that's what makes it better
We communicate and work together as a team to overcome problems
Just what she means to me now
I cannot adequately express the depth of my feelings for her right now
Oh you just oh you just wouldn't understand
My love for her is so profound that others may not comprehend it
And the people say oh they say she's no good
Others may criticize or judge her harshly
Oh but she's my woman
Despite anyone else's opinions, she is the one I love and commit to
And I know I'm her man
I take responsibility as her partner and protector
If she's got a problem oh yeah yeah
If she is facing difficulties or struggles
Oh I know I'm gonna have to help her solve it
It is my duty and desire to support and assist her in finding a solution
If something is wrong with my baby
If she is experiencing any kind of distress or discomfort
Something is wrong with me
I cannot be unaffected and happy when she is not
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ISAAC HAYES, DAVID PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wyndhl eodumegwu
Great soul ballad from the King of Sounds.Excellent sax control, phrasing and melodic variation. Voila the modern tenor feel started by, amongst others, John Coltrane, and thus the avoidance of Lester Young ' s soft politeness, and Webster's honey-like calmness.tThis is romantic masculinity at its best!
Siyabulela Bantom
Thank u Lord.....wanna thank my late old man for introducing to this kind of music at a young age
Theressa Murphy
Wonderful music to slow dance with the one you love❤️
wyndhl eodumegwu
Anne Sherwood, you have done the musical world a great service and honor by posting this soulful ballad played by the King of Instrumental "Smoothness and Soul". Tks.!
GREG TUCKER
What a beautiful sound, thank you king curtis.
cita campbell
My kind of music!!! Love, love, love it💋💋
CorporateLady1
This is my signature song....Peace to the King.
James Rowton
What a tune and man this guy had soul... the hands of time are cruel.
eric R
Génial ! Mais à croire que son instrument parle vraiment ! Incroyable.
Renny Shelton
Wow. The King was never better!!!