Album Notes

Solomon King: New American Bluesman

Back in the day of the old American Dream, Solomon lived in Detroit City and worked at the big automobile dream factory. But the promise of fulfilling that big dream quickly faded into the assembly line Blues. Mind-numbing monotonous hours, and a daily grind of soul-destroying work, eased only by lots of booze, broads, and the never-ending Friday night cocaine Blues. Reflecting on those times, he says, "There was a lot of hurting going on. It's too hazy to remember. But one thing was constant. I always had the Blues. Well, truth is the Blues always had me. We were joined at the hip."

Then the layoffs hit. The great auto dream factories began closing down. Out of work, Solomon tossed his trusty acoustic guitar into the trunk of a Ford Maverick and headed west. He managed to dodge some occasional scrapes with the law along the way and when he ran out of road found himself in L.A. Different town, different dream, same factory—The Hollywood Creedo of "Hurry up and wait". The endless hours of unemployment and nothing to do drove Solomon to playing his guitar and "writing songs about what I knew best—the Blues."

Solomon continued honing his craft jamming with Blues musicians and hanging out in their circles. Then one day an electric guitar uttered a sweet whisper promising to take his music to new heights. The plea was so urgent that he abandoned his acoustic guitar for a '57 Goldtop. Then he took one more step—maybe more of a leap of faith than a step. To honor the royal lineage of the great electric Blues guitarists like B. B. King, Freddie King and Albert King, another King was added to the list, Solomon King: New American Bluesman.

With his non-compromising approach to his music, Solomon King became more interested in advancing the blues rather than just preserving it's sanctity. "Jack Me Up" (currently sizzling on YouTube) and "Frankie & Johnny," both from his soon-to-be-released CD, was featured on two episodes of HBO's Golden Globe winning True Blood series. Solomon raises the blues bar by going back to the highest point in music and, with his own unique style and passion, takes it uphill.

Solomon King's new CD, "Under the Sun", shines like a guiding light at the crossroads of contemporary electric blues. Powered by a rhythm section of hometown Motown legends: Ray Parker, Jr. (Ghostbusters), Ollie ‘Olliewood” Brown (Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder), Reggie McBride (Keb’Mo) and produced by another Detroit native, Sylvester Rivers (more than 100 gold and platinum selling recordings) "Under the Sun" is where Detroit soul meets Hollywood rock-n-roll. Two of the CD cuts: "Frankie and Johnnie" and "Jack Me Up", are featured on HBO's smash hit "True Blood".

Solomon King continues to perform live in venues at some of the hottest clubs in LA, including the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, Stone,and the historical South Central club, Babe & Ricky's. He has also taken his performances to the East Coast and Australia.

To hear Solomon King is to carry on the tradition of the American Dream. It's like a piece of broken concrete was uprooted from the wreckage of the old Motor City dream factory and transplanted into the soul of the New American Dream factory: Hollywood, CA. So wake up and begin the dream again. Welcome to the New American Blues of Solomon King.