August 07, 2009

By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com

Hideaway - Freddie King

I've always loved playing blues guitar, and one great blues player that has influenced me quite a bit over the years is Freddie King. He had such a great feel in his playing - very tasty player, he was. I can also hear a lot of Freddie when I listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan since it wasn't just Albert King who influenced SRV. Hideaway is a song many associate with Freddy, and here is clip from 1966. Really cool ideas in this one. Notice how he doesn't use a flat pick. I've read he often used a plastic thumb pick and a metal index-finger pick. His guitar of choice was a Gibson ES-335.

Freddie had a great voice too. Really growly and with lots of feeling. His guitar style is the same way - very melodic and expressional. Going Down is a great tune, and saying that Freddie does it justice is an understatement. Have a listen.

It's too bad Freddie left so early. He passed away in 1976 from a heart problem, only 42 years old.

If you want to hear more, search for more clips of him on youtube; there are quite a few available there. I have the album "The Texas Cannonball" and it's great. All of the albums he recorded are well worth buying.

By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com

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