"The Stumble" is a blues guitar instrumental composed and recorded by American blues artist Freddie King, for his 1961 album Let's Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King.[1] It is considered a blues classic and follows in a string of popular instrumentals recorded by King in the early 1960s, including "Hide Away", "San-Ho-Zay", and "Sen-Sa-Shun".
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King uses a melodic guitar line and a chord progression that differs somewhat from that of the typical I–IV–V 12-bar format, such as starting on the IV (or subdominant) chord and a vi–ii–V–I turnaround.[3] In comparison to the more widely-known "Hide Away", music writer Dave Ruben describes it as "a virtuosic recording, with only [King's] 'Remington Ride' hot on its tail in the chops-required department".[4] "The Stumble", along with several other of King's most well-known instrumentals, is included on Rhino Entertainment's Hide Away: The Best of Freddy King (1993).[5]
As perhaps King's second most popular instrumental,[4] "The Stumble" has been recorded by many artists.[6] Rubin notes recordings by:[4]
