Texas cannonball Freddie King electrified the world with his music. Eric Clapton, Leon Russell and a host of other Texas bluesmen cited Freddie’s music as influences on their careers.
Listen to a reunion of members of the legendary Freddie King band and the Wanda King Blues Revue Band perform a rousing evening of blues music at 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 22, at the Allen Public Library. The Texas Blues Revue Band includes Lewis Stephens, Andrew Jr. Boy Jones, Sugar Boy Myers, Alvin Hemphill and his daughter Wanda King whose pipes will undoubtedly shake the foundation of the auditorium. Lewis Stephens, Sugar Boy and Andrew Jr. Boy toured with Freddie when he was performing with Clapton in Europe and in the states. Alvin Hemphill will play his Hammond B3, which has no limits to its scope of ethereal sounds. With Lewis Stephens who currently plays with Mike Zito and the Wheel on keyboard, they will take to library’s auditorium to unprecedented heights with their majestic sounds.
Wanda Kings’s Blues Revue Band will include Joey Love, Texas Slim, Dave Johnsen, Kevin Schemerhorn and Christian Dozzler.
A documentary on the life of musical legend Freddie King will be featured prior to the concert. Childhood friends, former band members, and business colleagues were interviewed.
Born in Gilmer, TX, on September 3, 1934, Freddie grew up listening to country music and blues rooted in Mississippi. While a teen, Freddie moved with his family to Chicago. There, he met music legends such as Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Lockwood Jr., Little Walter and many more. Freddie participated in marathon recording sessions with Sonny Thompson. Their first 45 rpm release was of "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" and "Hide Away" in 1960. Both songs were big hits on the R&B charts, but “Hide Away” took off across America like a rocket—this blues song scoring a hit on the Pop chart was an inaugural event. Young whites and blacks were captivated by Freddie’s unique blues style. More of his albums were sold during this period (1961-63) than any other blues artist including B.B. King. Freddie’s music helped build a bridge between blacks and whites.
Freddie and his wife were Texans in both blood and soul and they chose to move to Dallas. Freddie performed on the Chitlin’ Circuit for a few years, but soon, huge rock concerts became more appealing and profitable. Freddie performed for the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969 and Led Zeppelin stopped what it was doing to watch him work his magic. He eventually traveled all over America and Europe.
Dying suddenly in 1976 at the age of 42, Freddie’s cause of death has often been attributed to poor diet and stress, both related to his almost non-stop concert travels.
Sponsored by the Allen Public Library, this program is free. The library is located at 300 N. Allen Dr. Call 214-509-4911 for more information.
Price
- FREE!
Box Office
- 214-509-4911
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