Earl King facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Earl King
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King at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 1997
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Earl Silas Johnson IV |
| Born | February 7, 1934 |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | April 17, 2003 (aged 69) |
| Genres | New Orleans blues, New Orleans R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1953–2001 |
| Labels | Savoy, Specialty, Ace, Imperial, Kansu, Sonet, Black Top |
Earl Silas Johnson IV (born February 7, 1934 – died April 17, 2003) was an American musician. He was better known as Earl King. He was a talented singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Earl King was famous for his blues music. He wrote many well-known blues songs, like "Come On" and "Big Chief". Many famous artists later played his songs. He was a very important person in New Orleans R&B music.
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Early Life of Earl King
Earl King was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. His father played the piano. Sadly, his father died when Earl was just a baby. His mother raised him.
Earl and his mother went to church often. When he was young, he sang gospel music there. A friend told him that singing the blues could help him earn more money. So, Earl decided to switch to blues music.
Earl started playing the guitar when he was 15 years old. Soon, he began entering talent shows. These shows were held at local clubs, like the Dew Drop Inn. At one club, he met his hero, Guitar Slim. Earl started to copy Guitar Slim's style. This meeting greatly changed Earl's music.
In 1954, Guitar Slim had an accident in his car. This happened around the time his song "The Things That I Used To Do" was a big hit. Earl King was asked to take Guitar Slim's place on tour. He pretended to be Guitar Slim. Earl did a great job in this role. After that, he became a regular performer at the Dew Drop Inn.
Earl King's Music Career
Earl King made his first recording in 1953. He used the name Earl Johnson. He released a record with two songs: "Have You Gone Crazy" and "Begging at Your Mercy." This record was for Savoy Records.
The next year, a talent scout named Johnny Vincent helped Earl. He introduced Earl King to Specialty Records. Earl recorded some songs for them, including "Mother's Love." This song became popular in New Orleans.
In 1955, Earl King signed with Johnny Vincent's own record company, Ace. His first song for Ace was "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights." It became a big hit! The song reached number 7 on the Billboard R&B music chart. He kept recording for Ace for the next five years. During this time, he also started writing songs for other singers. These included Roland Stone and Jimmy Clanton.
In 1960, Dave Bartholomew asked Earl King to record for Imperial Records. For these recordings, many musicians played with him. Some of them were Bob French, George French, James Booker, and Wardell Quezergue.
It was at Imperial Records that he recorded his most famous songs. These were "Come On" and "Trick Bag". "Come On" has been a popular song for many years. Artists like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Anson Funderburgh have recorded it. "Trick Bag" has also been recorded by many artists. These include Johnny Winter, The Meters, and Robert Palmer. Earl King also wrote many songs with Dave Bartholomew. Sometimes he used his real name, and sometimes he used the name "E.C. King."
Earl King recorded for Imperial until 1963. After that, he did not have a recording contract for the rest of the 1960s. During this time, he focused on producing music and writing songs. He worked for local record companies like NOLA and Watch.
Some of the songs he wrote during this time include "Big Chief". This song was recorded by Professor Longhair. He also wrote "Teasin' You" for Willie Tee and "Do-Re-Mi" for Lee Dorsey. Earl King also went to Detroit for an audition with Motown Records. He recorded a few songs there in the mid-1960s. Three of these songs were released later in 1996 on an album called Motown's Blue Evolution.
In 1972, Earl King worked with Allen Toussaint and The Meters. They recorded an album called Street Parade. Atlantic Records was interested in releasing it but decided not to. The main song, "Street Parade," was released as a single. But the rest of the album was not released until 1982. It was put out by Charly Records in the UK.
In the 1970s, he recorded another album. It was called That Good New New Orleans Rock 'n Roll. This album was released by Sonet in 1977. He also performed on the album New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1976.
In the early 1980s, Earl King met Hammond Scott. He was one of the owners of Black Top Records. Earl started recording for their label. His first album with them was Glazed. On this album, he was backed by the band Roomful of Blues. Glazed was released in 1986. This album was even nominated for a Grammy Award!
In 2001, Earl King became sick during a tour in New Zealand. But he still kept performing! In December of that same year, he toured Japan. He continued to perform in New Orleans until he passed away.
Death and Legacy
Earl King died on April 17, 2003. He passed away from problems related to diabetes. This was just one week before the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. His funeral was held on April 30, during the festival. Many musicians came to say goodbye. These included Dr. John, Leo Nocentelli, and Aaron Neville.
His old recordings for Imperial Records had been hard to find. But they were re-released on CD soon after he died. The June 2003 issue of OffBeat magazine honored Earl King. They published several articles about him.
Discography
Albums
- 1977: That Good New New Orleans Rock 'n Roll (Sonet)
- 1982: Street Parade (Charly, recorded in 1972)
- 1986: Glazed (Black Top) with Roomful of Blues
- 1990: Telepathy (Black Top)
- 1993: Hard River to Cross (Black Top)
Compilation albums
- 1982: Trick Bag (Imperial/Pathe Marconi) Imperial
- 1997: Earl's Pearls: The Very Best of Earl King 1955–1960 (Westside) Ace
- 2003: Come On: The Complete Imperial Recordings (Okra-Tone) Imperial
- 2005: New Orleans Blues (Tomato) recorded for Atlantic in 1972, unreleased
- 2006: The Chronological Earl King 1953–1955 (Classics) Savoy, Specialty, Ace
- 2016: Come On: 40 Original Rhythm & Blues Classics (Not Now Music)
- 2019: More Than Gold -The Complete 1955-1962 Ace & Imperial Singles- (Soul Jam)
