repost from @slash repost from @rbr.music Guitarist Freddie King rode to fame in the early ‘60s with a spate of catchy instrumentals which became instant bandstand fodder for fellow bluesmen and white rock bands alike. Employing a more down-home (thumb and finger picks) approach to the B.B. King single-string style of playing, King enjoyed success on a variety of different record labels. Furthermore, he was one of the first bluesmen to employ a racially integrated group on-stage behind him. Influenced by Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, and Robert Jr. Lockwood, King went on to influence the likes of Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Lonnie Mack, among many others. King’s first album, Freddy King Sings, appeared in 1961, and it was followed later that year by Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away With Freddy King: Strictly Instrumental. Throughout 1961, he turned out a series of instrumentals — which became blues classics; everyone from Magic Sam and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Dave Edmunds and Peter Green covered King’s material. Freddie King continued to record for King Records until 1968, with a second instrumental album appearing in 1965, his influence was heard throughout blues and rock guitarists throughout the ‘60s — Eric Clapton made “Hide Away” his showcase number in 1965. King landed a new record contract with Leon Russell’s Shelter Records early in 1970. King recorded three albums for Shelter in the early ‘70s, all of which sold well. His concerts were also popular with both blues and rock audiences. In 1974, he signed a contract with RSO Records — which was also Eric Clapton’s record label — and he released Burglar, which was produced and recorded with Clapton. Throughout 1976, Freddie King toured America, even though his health was beginning to decline. On December 29, 1976, King died of heart failure. Although his passing was premature — he was only 42 years old — Freddie King’s influence could still be heard in blues and rock guitarists decades after his death. iiii]; )' - @slash