Yellowdog says ...
Bill Abel
Paul 'Wine' Jones
Marty Christian
David Lee Durham
Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes
Willie King
T-Model Ford
Albums:
King's most succesful album so far is the wonderful CD I Am The Blues
(Willie King/Rural Members Association, 2000).
Other albums:
ONE LOVE
Freedom Creek Music, 2006
JUKIN' AT BETTIE'S
Recorded live at Bettie's Place.
Co-produced by Willie King & Rick Asherson, FCM, 2004
LIVING IN A NEW WORLD
Produced by Jim O'Neal,
Rooster Blues Records, 2002
FREEDOM CREEK
Recorded live at Bettie's Place.
Rooster Blues Records, 2000
WALKIN' THE WALK, TALKIN' THE TALK
Album with "Birmingham" George Conner, 1999
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Willie King
a charismatic preacher of the blues
Willie King isn't just one of them bluesguys, who play the blues only for the fun of it. King is one hundred percent heart and soul and he combines good solid soulful blues with a strong social and political envolvement.
Willie King was born in 1943 in Prairie Point, deeply into the cotton fields of Mississippi. He was raised by his grandparents who taught him the rules of life and, with his hand on his butt, King says he can still feel those lessons. Lord have mercy....
Young Willie grew up in rather poor circumstances since his grandparents were sharecroppers and as a young black man he experienced the hate and the humiliation of deeply rooted racism. His mother was only fourteen when she gave birth to him. Nevertheless he had the luck of growing up with blues and gospel and thus became interested in music at a young age. His grandmother had a jook house where the blues was played at parties and at age 13 he got his first acoustic guitar, a Gibson.
Speaking about his musical influences King refers to Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker. Howlin' Wolf, from nearby West Point, in particular has been a great inspiration for King and Wolf's influence on his work is very obvious. King also mentions Jesse Daniels a bluesman who has gathered only local fame, but meant a lot for King's musical development.
At age 24 King lives in Chicago for about a year trying to earn some money, like so many others did. And just like R.L. Burnside and some others he turned his back upon the Windy City and returned to the South. King settled in rural Old Memphis near Aliceville, back in the woods of western Alabama, just across the Mississippi state line. There he concentrated on working for the local community and through his organization, The Rural Members Association, he is supporting all kinds of social relief programs and educational projects. "We continue to work together and reach out to help others in need. It is not about how much we can put in our pocket and walk away with, it is about helping people". Furthermore he plays an important role in the activities of the Alabama Blues Project, an organization that is set out to pass on the blues torch to younger generations, black and white.
In many of his songs King speaks about his social and political beliefs. 'Clean up the ghetto' and 'Stand up and speak the truth' are some of the titles that illustrate his strong commitment. In his performances as well as in daily life Willie King preaches (and practices) the message of love, peace and understanding. He considers the blues a gift from heaven and through his music he wants to bring people together and give them hope and inspiration. "The blues is a healer", King says.
Willie King lives in an old trailer and since 1998 he is the driving spirit behind the Freedom Creek Blues Festival that is held on the grounds behind his trailer. This charismatic artist brings his very danceable blues to many stages throughout the South and gradually his star is rising nationally and abroad. But his most favorite venue is Bettie's Place, a small juke joint in Prairie Point, Mississippi, where King can be found almost every Sunday playing and preaching the blues.
Update 03-09-2009:
On the day he turned 66 years old, March 8, 2009, Willie King died of a massive heart attack. A great loss for blues culture and the local community for which he meant so much.
DOWN IN THE WOODS
A fascinating Dutch DVD about the life and music of Willie King by Saskia Reitmeijer & Bart Drolenga, Visible World Films.
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