King Solomon's Strong Urban Blues

Born King Sylvester Lee Melicious Solomon in Louisiana in 1934, King Solomon began singing gospel with the Dixie Hummingbirds being favorites. Moving to Chicago he started his career as a blues singer there, before relocating to LA in the mid-fifties assimilating the urban blues and jazz there into his style that had germinated in Chicago.


King Solomon made the music world take notice with his gripping performance on two-part Non Support Blues which opens up with the police breaking down his doors to arrest him. This is the opening track on a Night Train International retrospective of his small label recordings, You Ain't Nothing But a Teenager. The 24 selections are Solomon originals, including other topical, real-life songs like Energy Crisis and Politician Rag. There are also strong urban blues like Separation Blues. The title track borrows the melody from Hound Dog, while Don’t Play That Song is not the R&B classic associated with Chuck Jackson and Aretha Franklin. It is a slow blues patterned after The Things I Used to Do.


He’s not about to ignore dance grooves as his track, The Moon Walk shows. While this cd does not include anything from his days with Kent Records, it brings together some choice tracks from the sixties and seventies with backing musicians that include Maxwell Davis, Joe Kincaid and Charles Wright (prior to his Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band). Plenty of strong urban blues that fans of Bobby Bland, Z.Z. Hill and similar acts should enjoy and strong lyrics that certainly worth some folks giving a listen to.

I wrote this review towards the end of 2005 after purchasing this CD which is still available (it is on amazon and also available from Night Train International). I am not sure if the review was previously published, but this is a gem worth seeking out.

Al King's lyrical magic

Al King has been gone for several years but he produced a small body of blues recordings that endure because of his wonderful sober singing (often in bands with the likes of Johnny Heartsman playing on sessions) and his marvelous lyrics.

Here are some lyrical fragments:

From My Name Is Misery

I don't have no money
And I can't even pay my rent
If you put a money dog on my trail
He wouldn't even scratch a scent

Or how about his The Thrill is Gone (melody from Things I Used to Do)

The thrill is gone
The thrill I used to have for you
The thrill is gone
The thrill I used to have for you
Now you're beggin' me to take you back
Lord, but ain't a darn thing I can do

There was a reissue of all of Al King's recordings, including his most famous song, Think Twice Before You Speak. Unfortunately it and a new album by him I believe are both out-of-print and he shortly passed on. Pea-Vine has a reissue West Coast Modern Blues 1960's Vol. 3 that includes 8 tracks by Al King along with selections by Willie Headen and King Solomon. The notes may be in Japanese, but the liner booklet dos include lyrics in English and while expensive (It is an import after all), the music, especially by Al King, is first rate. I believe it is available from bluebeatmusic.com.