Saunders King
Encyclopedia
Saunders King was an American
R&B
and blues
guitarist
and singer.
. He was the son of a preacher
, and sang in his father's church while growing up in Oakland, California
. As a youngster he learned to play piano
, banjo
and ukelele, but did not pick up guitar
until 1938. At the end of the 1930s he sang with the Southern Harmony Four on NBC
radio
, and decided to begin playing blues music; he released the tune "S.K. Blues" in 1942, which became a major nationwide hit
. The tune featured electric blues
guitar, one of the earliest recordings
to do so.
The lyrics tell of the singer's dissatisfaction with his bald-headed girlfriend:
This verse proved particularly popular and has come to be considered a traditional blues lyric
.
The song concludes on a theme of violence toward women:
King had a series of setbacks in the 1940s which hurt his career; his wife committed suicide
in 1942, his landlord shot him with a .45-caliber pistol
in 1946, and he was jailed for heroin possession shortly after. He recorded for Aladdin Records
, Modern Records
, and Rhythm Records, and retired from active performance in 1961, devoting himself to work in the church. In 1979, he played with Carlos Santana
, his son-in-law, on the album Oneness.
King was paralyzed by a stroke
in 1999, and died the following year in Oakland, California
, at age 91.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer.
Life and career
Saunders Samuel King was born in Staple, Louisiana, United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was the son of a preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
, and sang in his father's church while growing up in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. As a youngster he learned to play piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and ukelele, but did not pick up guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
until 1938. At the end of the 1930s he sang with the Southern Harmony Four on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, and decided to begin playing blues music; he released the tune "S.K. Blues" in 1942, which became a major nationwide hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
. The tune featured electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
guitar, one of the earliest recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
to do so.
The lyrics tell of the singer's dissatisfaction with his bald-headed girlfriend:
- "I did more for you baby than the good lord ever done (2X)"
- "I went downtown and bought you some hair and the good lord never gave you none"
This verse proved particularly popular and has come to be considered a traditional blues lyric
Traditional blues verses
In the folk tradition, there are many traditional blues verses that have been sung over and over by many artists. Blues singers, which includes many country and folk artists as well as those commonly identified with blues singers, use these traditional lyrics to fill out their blues performances...
.
The song concludes on a theme of violence toward women:
- "Give me back that wig I bought you, I'm gon' let your head go bald (2X)"
- "Keep on high timin' me baby, you won't have no hair, no head at all"
King had a series of setbacks in the 1940s which hurt his career; his wife committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1942, his landlord shot him with a .45-caliber pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
in 1946, and he was jailed for heroin possession shortly after. He recorded for Aladdin Records
Aladdin Records
Aladdin Records was a post-World War II United States record label, with headquarters in Hollywood, California. The label was founded in 1945 by brothers Eddie, Leo, and Ira Mesner and was originally called Philo Records, before changing to its better-known name in April 1946.Aladdin Records...
, Modern Records
Modern Records
Modern Records was an American record label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. In the 1960s, Modern Records went bankrupt and ceased operations, but the catalogue went with the management into what became Kent Records. This back catalogue was eventually licensed to the UK label...
, and Rhythm Records, and retired from active performance in 1961, devoting himself to work in the church. In 1979, he played with Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, his son-in-law, on the album Oneness.
King was paralyzed by a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1999, and died the following year in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, at age 91.