For the Canadian-born singer who sometimes used the name Al King, see Henry Burr.
Al King
Birth name
Alvin K. Smith
Born
August 8, 1923 Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Died
January 21, 1999 (aged 75) Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres
Blues
Occupation(s)
Singer, Songwriter
Years active
1950s–1990s
Labels
Shirley, Sahara
Musical artist
Alvin K. Smith (August 8, 1923 – January 21, 1999),[1] who performed and recorded as Al King, was an American blues singer and songwriter.[2]
King was born in Monroe, Louisiana.[1] After moving to Los Angeles he recorded for the Shirley and Sahara labels in the 1950s and 1960s, and had a number 36 US BillboardR&Bchart hit in 1966 with "Think Twice Before You Speak".[3] Many of his records featured guitarist and bandleader Johnny Heartsman.[4] He also wrote songs under his real name, Smith, as in "On My Way", the B-side of his first single covering "Reconsider Baby" in 1964.[5][6]
^ abcEagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 306. ISBN978-0313344237.
^Living Blues - Issues 143-148 1999 - Page 54 "AL KING Blues vocalist and songwriter Al King (Alvin K. Smith) died of blood poisoning on January 21, 1999, in Oakland, California. ... of additional 45s during the '60s that were released on Triad, Shirley, Flag (King's own production company), Sahara, ."
^Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 244.