Albert King

Albert King (b. Albert Nelson in Mississippi, April 25, 1923 – d. Memphis, December 21, 1992) – Singer and guitarist. Born outside of Indianola, Mississippi (the birthplace of B.B. King), Albert King grew up with musical parents on a cotton plantation. At age eight, the family moved to Forrest City, Arkansas, where Albert bought his first guitar, which he played left-handed. Early on, he traveled from city to city working construction jobs and playing in clubs. Around the 1940s, he sang with a Gospel group in South Bend called the Harmony Boys. Following a few years of regular night club work in Osceola, Arkansas, he moved to Gary, Indiana, in 1953 to play drums in a band with Jimmy Reed. While living in Gary, Albert met Willie Dixon, who arranged his first recording with Parrot in Chicago. In 1954, he returned to Arkansas and spent many more years searching for fame and had minor success recording with Bobbin Records in St. Louis during the late 1950s and early 1960s. His big break came at age forty-three when he signed with Stax in Memphis in 1966. Several big hits, including “Born under a Bad Sign” (1967) and “I’ll play the Blues for you” (1972), came out of his years with Stax (1966-74). Lastly, he influenced several celebrated guitarists, who often covered his songs; they include Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.