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Little Freddie King

An American Delta blues guitarist by the name of Little Freddie King was born on July 19, 1940, as Fread Eugene Martin. Although he draws inspiration from Freddie King's style, his interpretation of country blues is unique. 

 

King, a cousin of Lightnin' Hopkins,  hails from McComb, Mississippi, and was taught to play the guitar by his father, Jessie James Martin, a blues guitar player himself. When he was just 14 years old, he hopped on a train and moved to New Orleans. Playing both acoustic and electric guitar, he, along with his buddies Babe Stovall, Slim Harpo, and Champion Jack Dupree, took the stage at juke joints. He improved his guitar skills by performing at infamous venues such as the Bucket of Blood, which he later made into a song. He collaborated and performed with great musicians like Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker. Additionally, he played bass for Freddy King during one of the guitarist's stints in New Orleans. People began comparing the two musicians' styles, hence Martin's nome-de-plume

 

Meanwhile, King has been a long-standing New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival member and has performed at the event for several decades. Being inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is one of his notable achievements. In New Orleans, he received the Blues Performer of the Year accolade on three separate occasions. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker was bestowed upon him as an honor in McComb, Mississippi.

 

Little Freddie's musical range is diverse, but his sound currently resembles that of his cousin Lightin' Hopkins, though it has a raw edge. Indeed, Freddie truly deserves the title of "King" as he reigns supreme over the blues scene in Crescent City.

releases

Little Freddie King - Fried Rice and Chicken - ORL 2918.remini-enhanced.jpg
Little Freddie King
Fried Rice & Chicken

Cleos Back / Mean Little Woman / The Great Chinese / What'd I Say / Kinky Cotton Fields / I Use to Be Down / Sing Sang Sung /

Do She Ever Think Of Me / Hide Away / Honest I Do / Bad Chicken

Originally Released: April 6th, 2018 _________________________________________________ Little Freddie King - Guitar & Vocals Tracks 1-6: Earl Stanley & Robert Wilson - Electric Bass Jason Sipher - Upright Bass Kerry Brown & Bradley Wisham - Drums Crazy Rick Allen - Wurlitzer Electric Piano & Organ Recorded at Orleans Records Studio 1994-5 Engineered by Carlo Ditta & Anne Coubard Tracks 7-11: Wacko Wade Wright - Drums Anthony Anderson - Electric Bass Bobby Lewis DiTullio - Harmonica Recorded live March 19th and August 7th, 1999 at the Dream Palace on Frenchman St. New Orleans, Louisiana Engineered by Steve Daffner Mixed by Carlo Ditta Produced by Carlo Ditta All songs written by Freddie Martin aka Little Freddie King Published by New Attid Music, BMI, except: “Cleos Back” written by Willie Woods Published by Stone Agate Music, BMI “What’d I Say” written by Ray Charles Published by Unichappell, BMI “Hide Away” written by Freddie King & Sonny Thompson Published by Fort Knox/Trio Music, BMI “Honest I Do” written by Ewart G Abner & Jimmy Reed Published by Conrad/Seeds of Reed Music, BMI Mastered by Parker Dinkins & David Farrell All photos taken by Carlo Ditta Artwork & layout by Blake Franklin Special thanks to Gary Rouzan for making these recordings possible.

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