Freddie King (September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976) was an influential American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar along with Albert King and B.B. King.
Freddie King based his guitar style on Texas and Chicago influences and was one of the first bluesmen to have a multi-racial backing band at live performances. He is best known for singles such as "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" (1960) and his Top 40 hit "Hide Away" (1961). He is also known for albums such as the early, instrumental-packed Let's Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King (1961) and the later album Burglar (1974) which displayed King's mature versatility as both player and singer in a range of blues and funk styles
He was posthumously inducted into the RRHOF in 2012 by Joe Bonamassa, fellow Texans Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, and Derek Trucks.
Born in Gilmer, Texas, King got his first guitar when he was five years old. “You might say I came from a blues family,” he said in 1971, noting that his mother and uncles played blues. “Blues was the music I was born with.” He grew up listening to and learning the styles of such country-blues figures as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Arthur Crudup, Big Bill Broonzy and Ligntnin’ Hopkins. He was also heavily influenced by B.B. King and T-Bone Walker.
Freddie King, thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King and was nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball". He both performed and recorded as Freddy King in his early years.
