Today, February 7, marks what would have been the 78th birthday of R&B/Soul saxophone legend King Curtis. Curtis was known for his signature sound that can be heard on recordings of R&B legends including Aretha Franklin. Curtis also had an esteemed solo career, highlighted for his 1970 Grammy Award for his R&B instrumental classic, “Games People Play.”
King Curtis was born Curtis Ousley on February 7, 1934 in Fort Worth, Texas. He started playing the saxophone at age twelve and soon after found himself gigging around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Interested in jazz and influenced by players such as Lester Young, Louis Jordan, Illinois Jacquet and Gene Ammons, Curtis soon developed his own sound.
Curtis’s first major gig was when he was eighteen years old and joined the Lionel Hampton Band. There, Curtis learned to write and arrange music, and also took up the guitar. In 1952, Curtis would move to New York City, where he soon became a first-call session player.
Curtis would rise to stardom with his 1967 hit “Memphis Soul Stew.” In 1971, while hauling an air conditioner to his apartment, Curtis got in an argument with a couple of heroin junkies who were standing on his front porch. The argument got heated and Curtis was stabbed and died shortly after at Roosevelt Hospital in New York.
Curtis led a short life, only 37 years, but it was one that forever changed the way that the saxophone was played. In 2000, Curtis would be honored with entrance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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