LITTLE FREDDIE KING (Dr.Blues to da BONE)
We first cottoned onto Fread Martin, a.k.a. Little Freddie King, a few years back when he released his GREAT "You Don't Know What I Know" disc for Fat Possum, the great Mississippi label dedicated to overlooked older bluesmen who play gutsy, lo-fi blues. A hard-living character who has been playing the rural electric blues of his native Mississippi in the lowest bowels of NEW ORLEANS' now-devastated Ninth Ward for years, King and his band have a penchant for hard-hitting, minimalist chords and lyrics, delivered by a cracked, heavily lived-in voice. Much of King's material has an old-style blues feel, but he is at his most charming when he strips it down to just guitar and howling vocals as depicted on his 2008 "Messin' Around tha House" and excellent live performance on his 2010 "Gotta to Walk with da King".
MadeWright Records new 2012 release picks up where "Crackhead Joe" (the premier socio-economic-political song of our time) left off presenting 12 new songs by Little Freddie "gut-bucket" King, cd entitled "Chasing tha Blues".
For you Vinyl collector's, check out "Back on Vinyl" 33-1/3 Direct to Disc (D2D), APO Record recording-- available at La. Music Factory & Euclid. The Best on yet is NEWVELLE RECORDS 180gram Vinyl called GOIN' UP STAIRS recorded at Esplandia Studio in N.O. A beautiful piece of work. Outstanding quality if you are a Vinyl Geek.
from OffBeat Magazine presented 2022
"King plays a jumped-up electric blues that's light on solos and heavy on hypnotic repetition....Sometimes, when the hour is late and the beer is flowing freely, the blues sounds like DANCE MUSIC."
(Andy Cush, Spin Magazine)
IMA MUSIC AWARD 2015 "BEST BLUES CD"
I had the privilege of meeting this amazing Mr. Little Freddie King and listening to him and his band. ..incredible! Thank you. ..i will never forget it. .gonna order the CD..
2015 release: "MESSIN' AROUND THE LIVING ROOM"
AVAILABLE: www.louisianamusicfactory.com or www.amazon.com or Itune.
"He's one of the last of the blues generation to migrate to New Orleans who formed a SUBTERRANEAN subculture of downhome Mississippi blues artist. He presents the roots and rawness that's missing from a lot of blues today - or what passes for blues. He's the real thing." JIM O'NEAL, Founding editor Living Blues Mag.
GOTTA WALK WITH da KING
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gotta-walk-with-da-king/id352174279?uo=4
(2010) MadeWright Records
This is a down and dirty straight forward, no-frills CD that captures real juke joint blues on a festival stage. Recorded LIVE at the Annual "Thirsty Ear Festival" in New Mexico, you can stand in the audience and yell "Crackhead Joe!" or "Who shot you Freddie?"
You can feel the love and hear Freddie's soul.
On behalf of Music Resource Group, The IMAs, and our distinguished judging panelists, it is our pleasure to congratulae Little Freddie King on being nominated in the Blues Album Category for "GOTTA WALK WITH DA KING" in the 11th INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS.
MESSIN' AROUND tha HOUSE
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/messin-around-tha-house/id290833966?uo=4
(2008) MadeWright Records
Keith Spera's, Music Writer
Top 10 favorite CDs from 2008
Italy, Rome - Listed at 8 for Top 10
Poland - Listed as 5 for Top 10
JPF Nominee for 09 Blues Album of the Year
JPF Nominee for 09 Song of the Year
Argentine- Listed at 5 Top 10
www.louisianamusicfactory.com
---- A KING'S LIFE --------
OFFBEAT MAGAZINE
by michael hurtt
