Sunday Under the Covers: Freddie King

OK, so picking a blues singer for a Sunday Under the Covers post is almost cheating. In the blues, the song is a means to an end. It's the vehicle, not the cargo. So blues performers cover each other's songs on a regular basis.

But, I think this one qualifies, because the Bill Withers original was more in the Mowtown vernacular than the blues standards that blues artists tend to swap. Rather than the normal blues rendering of someone else's blues song, this song features Freddie King grabbing ahold of the blues core of Ain't no Sunshine, and exposing the ethos of the song for what it is.

I'm also coming to the conclusion that, due likely to his untimely death in the final days of 1976 at the age of 42, Freddie King is an under-appreciated blues guitarist, at least among the non-guitar-playing public. It's quite possible, however, to hear the strains of Freddie King's influence in a variety of well-known guitar players like Clapton, Mick Taylor and Stevie Ray Vaughn. According to iTunes, the most popular song on Clapton's From the Cradle is his version of I'm Tore Down--a song that was a Freddie King staple.

I'm not well-versed enough in the blues and blues history to be able to discuss the details, but I'm also intrigued by Freddie King's personal history--hailing from Texas by way of Chicago. it no doubt contributes to his unique sound and phrasing, and I have to wonder how much that played a role in his influence on other guitar players.