After last week’s sudden cancellation by Isaac Hayes as one of the main headliner’s at this year’s Monterey Bay Blues Festival, there was a lot of speculation as to which act would fill that void. But the organizers had a few cards up their sleeves – 4 Kings!...of R&B.
The legendary music icons known as 4 Kings of R & B are comprised of Rhythm and Blues legends, Lloyd Price, Jerry Butler, Ben E. King, and Gene Chandler. Each of them owns a piece of rock and soul glory, and on Saturday, June 24th at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival they’ll show the crowd they can still put together an enjoyable remembrance of things past. And speaking about things past, let’s take a walk down memory lane…
Butler is probably first among the Kings. One of R&B's consummate smoothies, he wrote the classic "For Your Precious Love" as a teenager and went on to score such memorable hits as "Moon River," "He Will Break Your Heart" and "Only the Strong Survive". Known as “The Ice Man” for his smooth as ice voice, Jerry Butler plays a very strong part in this extraordinary group.
Ben E. King fronted The Drifters after McPhatter and sang lead on such classics as "There Goes My Baby" and "Save the Last Dance For Me," as well as the iconic "Stand By Me”. Ben E. King has been accredited with pioneering the smooth soul sound so vital to R&B – and whose influence can be still be heard on modern music today.
Straight out of New Orleans, Lloyd Price set the pop world spinning with his classics “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Stagger Lee.” He hit again with “Where Were You (on Our Wedding Day)?” and later with “Personality,” establishing his trademark brass-and-choir sound. He was one of the few who anticipated the rock explosion and his performance still sends the crowd on a musical whirlwind!
When Gene Chandler’s, “The Duke of Earl” hit in 1962, there were few in the land that weren’t singing that unforgettable chant. This immediate classic set the tone (and style code…cape, top hat and cane) for a quarter century of R&B hits including “Groovy Situation” in 1970 and “Does She Have a Friend” in 1980. Along with Curtis Mayfield, he was one of the leading exponents of the Chicago soul scene and is still highly revered for his contributions.
Don’t miss this extraordinary performance – 4 Kings of R&B! – Saturday, June 24th at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival.