King shared his personal history during three years of interviews. He is quick to recall details and facile at reconstructing conversations, and his stories stand up to the scrutiny of rigorous fact-checking. Still, this is a story of memory. Details get distorted by time and sentimentality. Dates and ages get confused. Other journalists have interpreted […]

Your browser does not support the audio element. King decides to leave.

King moves into Musicians’ Village. Photo courtesy of Little Freddie King.

Your browser does not support the audio element. King listens to the blues on his family’s antique radio.

King describes this 2003 check as the first royalty he received.

Your browser does not support the audio element. King on sharecropping.

Manager “Wacko” Wade Wright says King played alongside harmonica and washboard player Percy Randolph during the first Jazz Fest in 1970. The festival’s database lists his first performance as 1975, though archivist Rachel Lyons notes he might have played earlier as a sideman.

Your browser does not support the audio element. King and Guitar Lightnin’ Lee reminisce about the bar scene.

Your browser does not support the audio element. King comes home.

Your browser does not support the audio element. King meets the police.