Saunders Samuel King: Oakland Electrified Blues Pioneer

As we proceed to study the Blues in my Academic English Development class I'm shifting our focus to artists who were based in West or 'old' Oakland, California from the early to mid 1900's. So it's only fitting we begin with the legendary 'S.K.'

Saunders Samuel King was born March 13, 1909 in Staple, Louisiana and died in Oakland, CA, August 31, 2000. Saunders King in known as the original ‘king’ of the blues; an inspiration to a more current bluesman, Mr. B.B. King. Saunders started out in music singing gospel in his fathers’ Oakland church on 7th Street; evolving musically to play piano, ukelele, and banjo. At the age of 33, while singing tenor in an NBC (SF radio station) group called the Southern Harmony Four, he took up the guitar. After being inspired by a young African American guitarist named Charlie Christian who played with Benny Goodman, he founded his own band in 1942.

The Saunders King song we will be studying, ‘S.K. Blues’ was originally released as Saunders Blues and became a huge hit, making it’s way to blues joints through the South clear to the East Coast. It should be noted that Sanders Samuel King’s version of S.K. Blues was recorded in an ‘electrified’ blues guitar style- predating T-Bone Walker; hence King was a true Blues musical pioneer. King ‘cut’ records for influential recording labels: Rhythm, Modern, and Aladdin- traveling the world playing Blues.

After retiring from music professionally in 1961, he continued musically at his Oakland church: Memorial Tabernacle at 58th and Telegraph. The Suanders musical bloodline continues through his daughter, Deborah Sarah King, whom married famed guitarist, Carlos Santana. The Santanas have 3 children: Salvador, Stella, and Angelica.