Why I Belive Albert King Should be Inducted Into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame

So I have recently seen the nominees for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, and I’m exited to see an amazing list of potential inductees. This year’s crop ranges from Rush( long overdue) to N.W.A, but the single artist I am most excited about is Albert King. Why? My answer is that he is arguably the biggest direct influence on rock guitar next to Chuck Berry.

 He influenced both Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, two legendary powerhouses of rock and for that alone, I would say he is a shoe in, but he is far more than merely an influence. His mastery over his instrument is still undeniable and lest we forget, without the Blues, Rock N Roll simply wouldn’t exist.

Albert king is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of electric blues and his signature style was built around intensity and substance, as opposed to being a ‘flashy’ guitar player. His bends were full of pain, his sustain; legendary. He was also renowned for bringing blues to the white audiences in the 60’s and keeping the genre alive while influencing future rock acts like John Mayall and was the first blues act to perform at the historic San Francisco’s infamous Filmore West.

He was an extensive songwriter and he never faked his performance on stage, which is remarkable because so many blues musicians in the 60’s realized they could get away with anything on stage and white audiences would eat it up. It’s unfortunate to say, but it did happen. But Albert King never did this, every performance was a genuine outpouring of his soul and it made him a powerhouse. He did remarkable work with Booker T & the MGs and his songs are covered by Cream, Gary Moore and Derek Trucks.

One of my favorite bits about the man is the fact that he actually joined The Doors onstage in 1970, showing he truly did not care about anything but the music. In this day and age, it may not seem like much, but in 1970’s America, that is quite a big deal.

Another great display of King's love of music over culture is the way he embraced Stevie Ray Vaughn and in essence, passed the torch onto him. In the studio, you could hear real affection between the two and it shows Kings character in a very candid way.

Truly, I believe that Albert has earned the nomination, but most importantly, he deserves the recognition as one of the most influential guitar players of all time! Without Albert, rock n roll would not be what it is today and I feel among all of the nominees, he is truly the most worthy.

Who would you vote for? Click Here.