king curtis

To the casual listener, the name King Curtis may not be a familiar one, but even if you don't know the name, you're sure to have heard one of the many records the saxophonist played on. He supplied the blistering solo on the Coaster's 1958 single "Yakety Yak", backed Buddy Holly in the studio and Sam Cooke live, was musical director for Aretha Franklin and played on many of her sessions as well as on those of fellow Atlantic artists such as Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke and Don Covay, and had hit records of his own with "Soul Twist", "Soul Serenade" and "Memphis Soul Stew". It was his mellow, bluesy cover of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" which provided the soundtrack to the opening scene of cult film "Withnail And I". Curtis had just finished work on a John Lennon session in August 1971, when he was stabbed during an altercation outside his New York home. He died from his injuries, aged just 37.