King Curtis
Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer. A master of the instrument, he played tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone. He played riffs and solos on hit singles such as "Respect" by Aretha Franklin (1967), and "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters (1958) and his own "Soul Twist" (1962), "Soul Serenade" (1964), and "Memphis Soul Stew" (1967). |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 7, 1934 (Fort Worth), Died August 13, 1971 (Manhattan)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1957 - 1964
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor saxophone
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 103662 | 11/13/1957 | Lady whistle bait | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103663 | 11/13/1957 | Fandango rock | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103664 | 11/13/1957 | Cool Papa | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103665 | 11/13/1957 | Teenage strut | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103681 | 11/15/1957 | Two good guys | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103682 | 11/15/1957 | Tuxedo junction | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103683 | 11/15/1957 | In a little Spanish town | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103684 | 11/15/1957 | Pushing | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103746 | 11/22/1957 | Split level | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103747 | 11/22/1957 | A stomping good time | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103748 | 11/22/1957 | Two head | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 103749 | 11/22/1957 | Campus rumpus | Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104310 | 2/3/1958 | Night ride | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104311 | 2/3/1958 | Flip flap | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104312 | 2/3/1958 | Big 'n bad | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104313 | 2/3/1958 | Gosah | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104314 | 2/4/1958 | The king | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104315 | 2/4/1958 | Shufflin' | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104316 | 2/4/1958 | Street with a beat | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104317 | 2/4/1958 | All tore up | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104318 | 2/5/1958 | Night flight | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104319 | 2/5/1958 | Deep down and low | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104320 | 2/5/1958 | Nine o'clock hop | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 104321 | 2/5/1958 | Homework | The King's Henchmen | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 106557 | 2/11/1959 | Run rabbit run | Tony Conn | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 106558 | 2/11/1959 | You pretty thing | Tony Conn | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107120 | 4/23/1959 | When sin stops-1 | Waylon Jennings | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107121 | 4/23/1959 | Jole blon | Waylon Jennings | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107927 | 10/7/1959 | Wonderful girl | Bill Baker | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107928 | 10/7/1959 | Chit chat | Bill Baker | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111525 | 1/5/1962 | Tammy | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111526 | 1/5/1962 | Chattanooga choo choo | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111527 | 1/5/1962 | A-tisket, a-tasket | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111528 | 1/5/1962 | When the Saints go twistin' in | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111529 | 1/10/1962 | Hawaiian war chant | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111530 | 1/10/1962 | Blueberry hill | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111531 | 1/10/1962 | Begin the beguine | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111532 | 1/10/1962 | The dipsy doodle | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111533 | 1/10/1962 | The music goes 'round and around | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111534 | 1/10/1962 | Christopher Columbus | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111535 | 1/10/1962 | My reverie | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111536 | 1/10/1962 | Organ grinder's swing | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 111537 | 1/10/1962 | In the mood | Chuck Marshal and the Twist All Stars | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 112352 | 6/19/1962 | Reminiscing | Buddy Holly | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 112762 | 11/14/1962 | Reminiscing | Buddy Holly | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone | |||
| Decca | 114367 | 1/15/1964 | Come back baby | Buddy Holly | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Curtis, King," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310546.
Curtis, King. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310546.
"Curtis, King." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: King Curtis
Discogs: King Curtis
Allmusic: King Curtis
Apple Music: King Curtis
Grove: King Curtis
Britannica: King Curtis
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Curtis, King, 1934-1971 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87118070
Wikidata: King Curtis - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1345099
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/195756
MusicBrainz: King Curtis - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/151231cb-fca6-42e0-976a-66b07193d657
ISNI: 0000 0000 8079 586X - http://www.isni.org/isni/000000008079586X
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