Willie King
Encyclopedia
Willie King was an award-winning blues
guitarist
and singer, known for shunning fame and playing at a local bar in Mississippi
.
near the Alabama border. Prior to recording, he worked as a share cropper, moonshine maker and traveling salesman
to name but a few of his many occupations. Later he became active with the civil rights movement
, which inspired him to write socially conscious blues songs. In 1983 he founded the Rural Members Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the traditional rural skills King had grown up with, which he called 'survival skills,' and helping improve his local community. In 1997, the Rural Members Association started the annual Freedom Creek blues festival, which has since received international recognition. He began recording in 1999 and his 2000 recordings Freedom Creek and I Am The Blues, were the first of several acclaimed albums.
King performed at national and international festivals but mostly played near his home, most notably as a regular at Bettie's Juke Joint
in Mississippi. He described his music as "struggling blues" because of its focus on the "injustices in life in the rural South".
King died from a heart attack
shortly before his 66th birthday, near his home in the rural community of Old Memphis, Alabama
, just a few miles from his birthplace.
film-makers Saskia Rietmeijer and Bart Drolenga (Visible World Films) wanted to produce a documentary about African American arts and culture in the Deep South
. But they met Willie King and instead decided to devote their efforts to creating a documentary about Willie's life and times, titled Down in the Woods. King was also featured in Martin Scorsese
’s 2003 documentary series The Blues
and Shout Factory's Blues Story the same year.
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, known for shunning fame and playing at a local bar in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Biography
King was born in Prairie Point, a community in Noxubee County, MississippiNoxubee County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,548 people, 4,470 households, and 3,222 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 5,228 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
near the Alabama border. Prior to recording, he worked as a share cropper, moonshine maker and traveling salesman
Vendor (supply chain)
A vendor, or a supplier, is a supply chain management term meaning anyone who provides goods or services to a company. A vendor often manufactures inventoriable items, and sells those items to a customer.- History :...
to name but a few of his many occupations. Later he became active with the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, which inspired him to write socially conscious blues songs. In 1983 he founded the Rural Members Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the traditional rural skills King had grown up with, which he called 'survival skills,' and helping improve his local community. In 1997, the Rural Members Association started the annual Freedom Creek blues festival, which has since received international recognition. He began recording in 1999 and his 2000 recordings Freedom Creek and I Am The Blues, were the first of several acclaimed albums.
King performed at national and international festivals but mostly played near his home, most notably as a regular at Bettie's Juke Joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
in Mississippi. He described his music as "struggling blues" because of its focus on the "injustices in life in the rural South".
King died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
shortly before his 66th birthday, near his home in the rural community of Old Memphis, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, just a few miles from his birthplace.
Willie King on film
DutchDutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
film-makers Saskia Rietmeijer and Bart Drolenga (Visible World Films) wanted to produce a documentary about African American arts and culture in the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
. But they met Willie King and instead decided to devote their efforts to creating a documentary about Willie's life and times, titled Down in the Woods. King was also featured in Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
’s 2003 documentary series The Blues
The Blues (film)
The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues...
and Shout Factory's Blues Story the same year.
Albums
| Date | Title | Label | Comments |
| 1999 | Walkin' the Walk Talkin' the Talk | self-produced | With "Birmingham" George Conner |
| 2000 | |I Am the Blues | Rural Members Association | |
| Freedom Creek | Rooster Blues Rooster Blues Rooster Blues is an American independent record label founded in 1980. The label is dedicated to blues music from the Mississippi Delta. Rooster Blues was co-founded by Jim O'Neal in Chicago, and initially released 14 albums by South Side blues musicians. In 1986, O'Neal moved the label to... |
Live with the Liberators | |
| 2002 | Living in a New World | Rooster Blues | With the Liberators |
| 2004 | Jukin' at Bettie's | Freedom Creek Music | |
| 2006 | One Love | Freedom Creek Music | |
Videos
| Date | Title | Label | Formats | Comments |
| 2003 | Blues Story | Shout Factory | DVD | Directed by Jay Levey |
| 2003 | The Blues The Blues (film) The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues... : Feel Like Going Home |
Universal Universal Music Enterprises Universal Music Enterprises, a.k.a. UMe is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles and UM3 .... /Sony Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
DVD, VHS | First episode of a seven-part documentary by Martin Scorsese Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation... |
| 2007 | Down in the Woods | Visible World Films | DVD | 63 minute documentary plus 40 minutes of live music |
Awards
- Alabama Folk Heritage Award (awarded posthoumously) 2009
- Howlin' Wolf Hall of Fame Inducted September 2, 2005
- Alabama State Council on the Arts 2004 Artist Fellowship
- Living BluesLiving BluesLiving Blues is a bi-monthly magazine focused on covering the African American blues tradition, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van Singel. Alligator Records owner and founder Bruce Iglauer was also one of the...
2003 Blues Artist of the Year, Best Song, Best Cover Art - Living Blues 2001 Best Blues Artist
- Living Blues 2000 Best Blues Album, Best Contemporary Blues Album