Album of the Day

Born on this day in 1934, Freddie King was nicknamed “The Texas Cannonball,” and his powerful guitar playing could certainly knock you flat. In the late 1960s, a fan and fellow musical king – King Curtis – brought Freddie into the Atlantic Records fold for a pair of fine albums. FREDDIE KING IS A BLUES MASTER is the first of these, and demonstrated that the performer's blues mastery extended to singing as well as string bending. The dozen tracks delve into deep soul on a mix of strong originals (“Play It Cool”) and well-chosen covers (Curtis Lewis' “Today I Sing The Blues”). With sax accompaniment from Curtis and piano work by James Booker complementing the axeman's explosive solos, FREDDIE KING IS A BLUES MASTER shows the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer at the top of his game.