“These performances present him at his very best – and they’re thrilling to hear”: Blues gold unearthed as rare Freddie King live performance surfaces after 50 years

A live performance from the late, great blues guitar maestro Freddie King has been unearthed and restored after 50 years, and will be released in its entirety for the very first time in a triple-vinyl special edition for Record Store Day.

Feeling Alright: The Complete 1975 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Concerts (Elemental) promises to be a triumphant document of the Texas Cannonball in full force, holding 50,000 French blues fans in the palm of his hand. This was King in his late-career glory. He would die the following year, aged 42.

The Record Store Day release (18 April) will be followed by CD/digital versions on 24 April. The liner notes are written by the music journalist and historian Cary Baker, with ZZ Top frontman/guitarist Billie Gibbons also contributing alongside King’s daughter, Wanda.

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“At this show in Nancy – just a year before his untimely departure – the Texas Cannonball poured it on in a big way,” writes Gibbons.

Wanda made her first live performances as a vocalist backing her father, and with Eric Clapton’s support helped get her father inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. On that night, King’s fellow Texans ZZ Top did the honors, inducting him posthumously.

King would tear off the blues standards – Stormy Monday Blues, Sweet Home Chicago, Got My Mojo Working – and jam Sen Sa Shun, Looking Good, and Boogie Chillun together in a medley. Having already established himself as a regal presence in blues, he was stepping out, embracing other styles.

His 1974 studio album, Burglar, welcomed the likes of Clapton and Bobby Tench to the studio, and saw him tour with Rush in support of the album. His performance at Nancy includes and takes its title from King’s cover of Dave Mason’s Feelin’ Alright. There is a rendition of Don Nix’s Going Down, which King recorded with Leon Russell for 1971 studio album Getting Ready…

FREDDIE KING - Full Concert (Live in France, 1973) - YouTube

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The restoration was approved by the Freddie King Estate and undertaken with renowned archivist/producer Zev Feldman (the New Yorker calls him “the Indiana Jones of jazz”).

Working from the original ORTF recordings, the album was mixed by sound restoration guru Marc Doutrepont and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab.

Feldman describes king as a “defining figure in blues and rock guitar”.

“These recordings capture a moment when he was transcending audiences and influencing players around the world,” says Feldman. “It’s also been deeply meaningful to work with his daughter, Wanda King, as we set out not only to release this music, but to celebrate Freddie’s legacy and the impact he made. These performances present him at his very best – and they’re thrilling to hear.”

On that night on 25 October 1975, King was backed by Calep Emphrey on the drums, organist Alvin Hemphill, Mark Pollack on guitar, Lewis Stephens on piano, and Benny Turner on bass guitar.

For more information, head over to Elemental. And keep your eyes peeled with your local record store for the vinyl release. Rough Trade says the vinyl release is limited to just 5,000 units.