Call him the next Duane Allman or Jimi Hendrix, but whatever you do, don’t call Marcus King a child prodigy. Sure, the guitar shredder’s talent shimmers with the same resonance as his heroes, but he’s been wielding an axe since he learned to talk – he started playing when he was 2.
King was born into music, gifted with steel-string DNA and two generations of men before him who nurtured the boy’s musical nature. King’s dad, the slyly talented Marvin King, has been a force in Upstate South Carolina’s music heritage for as long as anyone can remember. Marvin’s father and Marcus’s granddad, Bill, played a big part, too.
It was only natural, then, that the boy who got his first guitar (a Squier Strat) at age 7 would land his first paying gig a year later. When he was 11, he joined his father’s Marvin King & The Blues Revival to open for Muddy Waters’s onetime bassist Mac Arnold at The Handlebar, the storied venue in their Greenville, S.C., hometown. Around that time, he also played on his dad’s critically acclaimed album, Huge in Europe. And when he was 15, the Marcus King Band opened for the legendary Johnny Winter.
A particular MKB achievement came with the September 2014 release of Soul InSight. The album’s 12 original tunes, including three instrumentals, showcase a literal lifetime of virtuosity, along with vocals as clear and as soulful as Marvin Gaye’s and as nuanced as Amy Winehouse ’s.
Adding to all that, King knows jazz. That’s because he built on his Southern-rock foundation with lessons from one of the best instrumentalists around: Steve Watson, the formidable guitarist renowned for his performance on TV’s seminal Hill Street Blues theme song.
King still continues to grow, to experiment, to share his passions, although he’s not much of a talker. He lets his guitar do that, using it to tell the same story we all tell, to share emotions we all feel.
“I can say more truthfully in song what I can say in words,” he says. “Music breaks down the awkward barrier.” (For the record, whenever he hears the shopworn “teen angst,” Marcus recoils with the same allergic reaction that he has to “child prodigy.”)
Of the band, Jack Ryan plays drums with a musicianship that brings to mind Ginger Baker and Charlie Watts. Bassist Stephen Campbell drives MKB the same way that Garry W. Tallent keeps Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band on course. Through it all, King gives his mates plenty of breathing room to jam.
The result is a fusion of wildly eclectic genres, offering a live experience as mesmerizing as it is dance-inducing.
King himself lists an intriguing roster of favorites and influences: Duane Allman, of course, as well as Warren Haynes, Little Feat and Aretha Franklin, to name a few, and his band on any given night plays covers from Bob Marley to Lauryn Hill and from Les McCann to Black Sabbath.
That’s King – an engaged and engaging young man with a lifetime of experience, still coming into his own, still carrying his guitar with him, and promising us all a promising future.
How Long
The Marcus King Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I won't stop
'Til I reach the top
Said I come running
Just to find you
If anybody asks about me
Tell them I'm on my way
'Cause I came running just to find you
How long, how long, how long, how long
'Til I find you
'Til I lay down
There beside you
How long, how long, how long, how long
'Til I find you
Won't ya tell me how long
'Til I find you
Something tells me that you'll feel me before I'm even there
Running up your stairs
What you're missing
I'll remind you
In the morning will I hold you
After staying up all night
Will it be alright
Will there be time to
Will I find you
How long, how long, how long, how long
'Til I find you
'Til I lay down
There beside you
How long, how long, how long, how long
How long
Lord would ya tell me how long
Hey baby, 'til I hold you
How long, how long, how long, how long
How long
How long
Would you tell me how long
How long, how long, how long, how long
How long
'Til I lay down right beside you
How long, how long, how long, how long
'Til I find you
'Til I lay down there beside you
How long, how long, how long, how long
'Til I lay down there beside you baby
How long, how long, how long, how long
How long
Would you tell me how long.
The song ‘How Long’ by The Marcus King Band is about a person who is determined to find the one they love no matter what it takes. The lyrics start with the declaration that the singer is coming from the bottom, and he will not stop until he reaches the top, where his lover is waiting for him. He is running and will continue to do so until he finds his lover, indicating the passion and determination that drives him. He urges anyone who asks about him to tell them that he is on his way, and his search has been going on since yesterday.
The lyrics follow the singer’s journey as he imagines being with his lover, thinking about holding her in the morning after staying up all night searching for her. The chorus repeatedly asks the question of how long it will take for him to find his true love, how long until he lays down beside her. In the bridge, he talks about how something tells him that his lover will feel him even before he is physically there, and what she has been missing, he will remind her of.
In conclusion, ‘How Long’ is a heartfelt song that talks about a person’s search for true love and their willingness to go to any extent to find it. The song is full of passion, determination, and a sense of longing, making it a hit among fans.
Line by Line Meaning
From the bottom I come running
I'm putting in a lot of effort to find you, traveling from a lower position in a physical or metaphorical sense.
And I won't stop
I'm very dedicated to the task at hand and won't give up until I find what I'm looking for.
'Til I reach the top
I won't rest until I've achieved my goal and found you.
Said I come running
I'm making a concerted effort to find you as quickly as possible.
Just to find you
My entire mission is to locate you, and nothing is more important to me right now.
If anybody asks about me
If anyone is wondering where I am or what I'm doing, this is what you should tell them.
Tell them I'm on my way
Let them know that I'm making progress and moving closer to finding you.
Since yesterday
I've been actively searching for you since at least yesterday.
'Cause I came running just to find you
My goal in coming to you was to find you, and I'm putting in a lot of effort to make that happen.
How long, how long, how long, how long
This is the question that's been on my mind constantly: how long will it take me to find you?
'Til I find you
This is what I'm searching for, and I'll put in however much effort it takes to achieve it.
'Til I lay down
I'm looking forward to the moment when I can finally relax and rest next to you.
There beside you
This is where I want to be--right by your side and close to you.
Won't ya tell me how long
I'm still searching for an answer to this question, and I need to know how much longer it will take me to find you.
Something tells me that you'll feel me before I'm even there
I'm sensing that there's a connection between us that will allow you to sense my presence even before I'm physically close to you.
Running up your stairs
I'm making a physical effort to reach you, even if it means running up flights of stairs.
What you're missing
I sense that there's something you're lacking in your life, and I hope to be the one who fills that void.
I'll remind you
I'm here to help you remember what you're looking for and what's truly important to you.
In the morning will I hold you
I'm looking forward to the moment when we can finally be together physically, and I'll embrace you in the morning light.
After staying up all night
I'm so dedicated to finding you that I'm willing to stay up all night to do so.
Will it be alright
I'm concerned that there may be obstacles or challenges along the way, but I remain optimistic that everything will work out in the end.
Will there be time to
I'm wondering if there will be enough time for me to accomplish everything I need to do before I find you.
Lord would ya tell me how long
I'm looking for divine guidance and asking for help to find you as quickly as possible.
Hey baby, 'til I hold you
I'm already imagining the moment when I'll finally be able to hold you in my arms, and it's what keeps me going.
'Til I lay down right beside you
This is my ultimate goal in finding you--to rest right by your side and feel your presence close to mine.
'Til I find you
I'm still searching constantly for you, and it's the most important thing in my life right now.
'Til I lay down there beside you
This is what I'm striving for--to rest by your side and have all the challenges of life simply melt away.
'Til I lay down there beside you baby
This line emphasizes the intimacy and closeness that I'm seeking in my quest to find you.
Would you tell me how long.
This is my final plea for help in finding you and discovering how much longer this journey will take me.
Contributed by Mila O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mathieu Baker
This is SOUL music! Seen him and the band at the crossroads blues festival.. everyone was blown away!!!
Glenna
Blues is the rhythm of our soul, thanks #MKB for always soothing mine..
Joe Hester
Such a unique sound. These guys are gonna be huge
twowaymuir
He already is.
George C
The kinda music that will put a smile on your face
Blakely
YES
Patrick Renz
Kick Ass band ,they are all talented young men
lisa matthews
My son turned me on to the Marcus King Band, and I was immediately a fan. So darn good!
Thomas Walton
Man this sounds like a classic already, realy reminds me of janis joplin, amazing stuff!
Rachel Lisette
Marcus King is the best musical discovery this year 👌🎧🥰