European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Profile King codes Jie 6/oci from his Gutter during his rect Frt Fetn Tafurt concert �43 photo by Anna o . King senior statesman of re by . Kom1nicki staff Krilor ail b u. Kinaj Ilni the state of the blues and he s Likely in launch Inlo his vision of re future in electronic Middle of the Road sound that laughs and then weeps Over lost love and workaday misfortune music fur everyman will have shrugged its Esie Lial .trk tools Jasd Bajjey Imu sered traditions. Blurs music won t be anything like it was like it is Luday King lays la s already dying As we know it and glory he i m very Happy to hear Ihil because it s now Mart in the mainstream of music where think it should have i the nothing would Mikety suit King More than the role of Bridge. Linking his Mississippi Delta roots with the blues ire yet to come. Now 62, King is. Ii obvious candidate among the dying old guard of blues players those who have not yet passed in or lapsed Inlo senility further he displays the Alne dissatisfaction with Basic re Toi Fly Towt led to his experiments with Jjck and gospel rhythms in the past. J Lis vilest album soon id be released experiments with the upbeat electronic sounds King believes will evolve Inlo the re of the 1990s. Thill Tirier synthesized sound is 40 years ind maybe n Millikin duly Miles from the acoustic blues Riley b. King busted on Mississippi Street Corners in the Early 1940s. King was predominantly a gospel performer in Whoso Early Days singing and playing ,1 52,so guitar Wilh a group called the Jubilee singers at one or Jill the opening act Lor Sam Cooke s soul stirrers. If King did not yet professionally Piny the blues he must have certainly he them his parents separa Liun when he was 4 years old was followed closely by his Molher s death and the loss of his Juran Molher with whom he Hail been sent to Tivix. The influence of such blues greats As Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson along with the jazzier riffs being played by Charlie Christian and Reinhardt helped King begin to Crystal Newhal would become his distinctive sound half big City blues half Cotton country gospel and Western and jazz. Still ii was another four years in 1948, before Kinggo the gumption to quit his Shiro Cropper living and make the move id Memphis to play radio shows and dance Halls with such heavyweights As Rice Millet better known As Sonny boy Williamson. King soon had his own nickname Bluet boy later a band called Tho Beale sir voters and .1 then hit re carded Wilh piano player Rhnny Ace titled hiree o clock Bluet. King look to the the Road after that playing Hundred of on night stands on the Chittien circuit and perfecting that tight bottleneck and feedback fingering was still Crisp it a recent performance at Frankfurt s Alle oper. King sporting Ark unlikely Blue flannel shift under a Black Satin a tact held court in his cramped dressing room alter the show a joyous two hour performance that had driven the normally reserved their feet you know the impression people used to give me was hat a blues player was a Guy who beat hrs old lady every saturday to Igil went to Church on sunday and prayed for ii i Hen come Home monday and started All ," King says folding thick fingers Over what has grown to be a considerable Girth when you d go to see him he s silting on a Stool with a Jug of whiskey at his Side looking North Wilh a Cap on with Ihu Bill looking East ind he s flow a Jill or across his Lap with two Good strings and the other two lied up with wire and his pants an worn out in the South cml. That s the generalization i got All the Limp. I be been trying very Liard to show Here k another and another it i of the blues themselves King adds illustrated with such lighthearted numbers As Sweet Lillav Angel and the classic mob otly lows me but my Mother Ami she cow Fly imn l. All blues As far As i m concerned is not always the droopy drawers Knock pm Down kind of a jives he says sure thurs is the Down Side bul i try to show that there is that Side that s Happy because even if you re 3 person who plays the blues you Don t live that every Day. Ami think sing Crosby hid a while com St if every Day no. So i m a blues player but 1 Don t cry in my Beer All the Lime. Yes my lady left me i be been divorced Lor 21 years. But there is thai Gorf de so Why not laugh every once in a whip i that s the Way i like As the senior statesman of re King is now the on being altered when the new crop of blues artists gets asked who influenced them must. And not just re artists. King likes to add because blues is still the foundation of most of the music you when you listen to Rock music Good Rock music or soul music listen carefully Anil you la hear blues. And the same thing with a. Listen , you la hear blues. And the same Wilh gospel of the Johnny Winters am Eric Clapton the Stevie Ray Vaughns Zirul Delbert Mcc Lintins King says simply i think thai it s Greal we have them. I feel honoured thai they even listen to me. I feet kind of like a father with sons. You love your the newest album combines a taste of both pan and future. New cuts of a pair of King classics were included to give listeners a Point of departure for the rest of the album which is designed to move toward his vision of the blues of tomorrow. King used four producers on the project including of Poopor a founding member of blood and tears and now music director for the television series crime Story i m one of those people who s always interested in something different than what we it got. Each of the producers feels he has a general idea of what the sound of the future is King says i m not saying it s Al that Radical but some of it b electronics what i think will be tomorrow s and docs synthesized sound signal the end Lor the blues guitar you know when Blind Lemon was playing he was playing acoustic. Then Tbone Walker came with electric guitar playing electric single string. That was in 41 when t first heard thai and this is b8. So i think it will survive. As Long As you be got people people will fall in love and people in love will feel icy arc not loved As. Much As they should be. One will Ligure i love thai person much better than she loves me and Shell say Well he s looking Al somebody Ehe and 1 Don t like it All meaning the blues. So 1 a link blues will be around for ,1 Long time he adds. Glory be i believe it 24 Tripa Mig Fine Natch 14, 19sb
