Review: Popa Chubby & Friends ‘I Love Freddie King’

Review: Popa Chubby & Friends ‘I Love Freddie King’

By Hal Horowitz

Little did Freddie King realize when opening for Grand Funk Railroad in 1972, the resulting song chronicling it would make him more famous than anything he recorded.

The memorable verse to “We’re An American Band” where drummer Don Brewer sings “Up all night with Freddie King/I got to tell you poker’s his thing” positioned the Texas guitarist’s name on commercial radio, introducing him to listeners who hadn’t heard of the then 38 year old veteran. Unfortunately, King died just four years later. And while that song remains a constant presence on oldies stations, the guitarist never reaped the financial rewards he clearly deserved.

Thankfully his legacy resonates due to countless versions of King’s works, whether it be early instrumentals like “Hideaway” and “The Stumble” or later triumphs such as “Same Old Blues” and his iconic version of Don Nix’s Southern rocker “I’m Going Down.”

Those became favorites of NYC guitarist Popa Chubby who covers them, and seven more King sides, on the exuberantly titled ‘I Love Freddie King.’ Better yet, Chubby, along with label boss and executive producer Mike Zito, invited a cornucopia of like-minded contemporary guitarists to share the love. Zito, along with Albert Castiglia, Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Arthur Neilson and the ubiquitous Joe Bonamassa bring their string-bending talents to the eleven track recap of highlights and obscurities, from King’s short but influential and relatively prolific career.

The party gets started with Joe B. and Chubby wailing on “I’m Going Down.” Popa drives the notoriously chugging hit with gritty vocals before letting loose on a solo every bit as vibrant as the one Stevie Ray Vaughan performed along with Jeff Beck when those two famously joined forces on the song. Chubby and Joe then trade steamy licks for one of this disc’s unqualified highlights.

Popa was determined to feature tracks from King’s lesser known ‘Burglar’ release, a captivating collection generally overlooked in his catalog. He grabs ahold of the soulful title track, inserting female backing vocals as Mike Zito adds guitar and singing. Eric Gales appears, infusing his vibrant musical personality to the funked-up R&B of the humorous “My Credit Didn’t Go Through.” Chubby digs deeper to reveal “Pack It Up,” bringing horns to the festivities. The disc closes with a fourth ‘Burglar’ tune, the slower, gospel infused “Same Old Blues.” These explosive selections will convince any blues fan to check out this relatively obscure classic.

‘I Love Freddie King’ wouldn’t be a fair representation of Freddie King’s outstanding guitar gifts without paying tribute to the many instrumental rockers he cranked out in his earlier days. Chubby bunches them together presenting the aforementioned “Hideaway” and “The Stumble” with “San Ho Zay,” propelled by his energetic playing. “Heads Up,” another hidden, lyric-free gem is revealed in a frisky, searing reading where Chubby and Neilson go toe-to-toe with no clear winner except the listener.

King fans may bemoan the absence of “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” arguably his most famous composition due to Clapton’s many interpretations. But you won’t miss it because everything Chubby reprises here is powerful, potent and compelling. It’s Popa Chubby’s love letter to one of the blues’ finest guitarists.

And there’s plenty of great King music left for a Volume Two, if Chubby is so inclined.

“I’m Going Down”