The Best Of Freddie King: The Shelter Years

Performer: Freddie King
Engineer: John LeMay; John Fry
Producer: Don Nix; Gladys Sanchez; Bernadette Fauver; Leon Russell; Chris Clough; Bryan Kelley; Bill Dahl (Compilation)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Freddie King (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); Leon Russell, Rev. Patrick Henderson (guitar, piano); Don Preston (guitar); John Gallie (organ); Carl Radle, Dick Dunn (bass); Chuck Blackwell, Charles Myers (drums); Claudia Lennear, Kathi McDonald, Joey Cooper, The O'Neal Twins (background vocals). Includes liner notes by Bill Dahl. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Freddie King (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Rev. Patrick Henderson (guitar, piano); Don Preston (guitar, background vocals); Leon Russell (guitar); Charles Myers, Jim Gordon , Jim Keltner, Chuck Blackwell (drums); Joey Cooper, Kathi McDonald, The O'Neal Twins, Claudia Lennear (background vocals). Audio Mixers: John Fry ; Leon Russell. Liner Note Author: Bill Dahl. Recording information: Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN; Paradise Studios, Tia Juana, OK; Ter-Mar Chess Studios, Chicago, IL. Though blues master Freddie King's best material was recorded in the 1960s, his early-'70s tenure at Shelter Records yielded some powerful Texas blues that showed King still in full command of his blazing six-string prowess and deep-down, soulful tenor. THE SHELTER RECORDS YEARS covers much of the same material as the double-disc KING OF THE BLUES, but is--at 18-tracks--a more streamlined set that features his best work for the period. The hard-driving "Going Down," for example, is one of his most searing tracks, and gestures to King's down-home roots and to the rock guitarists he influenced. King is equally impressive on string-bending downtempo blues ("Five Long Years"), funk-inflected grooves ("Me and My Guitar"), and John Lee Hooker-inspired boogies ("Guitar Boogie"). In general, the material here is edgier than his early work, with King's guitar attack sounding particularly fierce and relentless. Sadly, King died in 1976 at a mere 42 years old, depriving the world of what might have been many more years of recording and performance. Fortunately, compilations like THE SHELTER RECORDS YEARS preserve his legacy. Digitally remastered sound and comprehensive liner notes add to the package.

Three Kings--B.B., Albert, and Freddie--ruled the electric blues guitar world of the 1960s. Freddie King was perhaps the rawest, most visceral player among them. His style earned him the eternal admiration of guitar legends Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among many others.

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