Freddie King – I’m Tore Down
Uploaded by SFBA4me. – Watch more music videos, in HD!
As I begin the Garry 5.0 reboot, it’s worthwhile to reflect. It’s a privilege to live in Texas. Things aren’t perfect here, but were still working to improve that under our own energy. No need for any of the hope and change nonsense that only takes away our freedom and rations opportunity. Texas is still a relatively free place where its inhabitants have some individual rights and it has always been home to a rich culture of creative people as a result.
My time began here in the 60′s. As a preteen one of my prized possessions was a simple radio and I listened to a very diverse collection local radio stations. There were far fewer stations that you’ll find on the dial today, but the music was much more diverse, and was more representative of the local culture. You’d never hear Freddie King on the top 40 or flower child radio but he was red hot on the R&B stations. While he’s largely unknown to most, he was a profound influence on popular music in the late 60′s and 70′s. You can hear Freddie’s imprint on the Rolling Stones hits of the 70′s, performances by Eric Clapton and even younger players like John Mayer today. The video above was a live performance in a local TV studio with all of its limitations, showing the power of Freddie’s style. To put it in perspective, virtually of the music performances on television in this era were staged for look and were lip synced to the same vinyl record you heard on the radio. More often then not, the performer lip syncing couldn’t even carry a tune let alone play an instrument. Some things never change.
It’s good to have a few heroes in our lives to inspire us. They don’t need to be role models or leaders. More than anyone else I heard at that time, it was probably Freddie who motivated me to pick up a guitar and learn to play it. Guitars and music have been a big part of my life ever since.
Have a great and productive new year even if you think no one will notice or remember you! Chances are you’ll change you own life, and maybe someone else’s too.
