Albert King

Albert King (1923-1992) - was one of the most popular and unusual blues guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s. King was a left-handed "upside-down/backwards" guitarist. He was left-handed, but usually played right-handed guitars flipped over upside-down so the low E string was on the bottom. In later years he played a custom-made guitar that was basically left-handed, but had the strings reversed (as he was used to playing).

Albert also used very unorthodox tunings (i.e., tuning as low as C to allow him to make sweeping string bends). Some believe that he was using open E minor tuning (C-B-E-G-B-E) or open F tuning (C-F-C-F-A-D). A "less is more" type blues player, he was known for his expressive "bending" of notes. It is not so much the complexity of King's playing, but the utter soulfulness that makes his sound so appealing.

My Favorite Albert King Tunes

(1) Laundramat Blues

(2) Born Under A Bad Sign

(3) I Walked All Night Long

(4) Going To California

(5) As The Years Go Passing By

(6) Wrapped Up In Love

(7) Crosscut Saw

(8) I'll Play The Blues For You

(9) Don't Ask Me No Questions

(10) I've Been Down So Long