R & B Musician. A saxophonist, he was one of the most popular session musicians of the 1950s and 1960s, playing with many Rock and Roll Hall of Famers including Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, The Coasters, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Duane Allman. He was known as the "King of R&B Saxophone." He played the famous sax solos on The Coasters "Yakety-Yak" and Aretha Franklin's "Respect." He had hits under his own name also, "Soul Twist" (1961), "Soul Serenade" (1964), and "Memphis Soul Stew" (1967). He was 37 years old, with his career in full swing, when he was senselessly stabbed to death on the steps of his home in New York City on August 13, 1971. In 2000, King Curtis was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the Sideman category.
R & B Musician. A saxophonist, he was one of the most popular session musicians of the 1950s and 1960s, playing with many Rock and Roll Hall of Famers including Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, The Coasters, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Duane Allman. He was known as the "King of R&B Saxophone." He played the famous sax solos on The Coasters "Yakety-Yak" and Aretha Franklin's "Respect." He had hits under his own name also, "Soul Twist" (1961), "Soul Serenade" (1964), and "Memphis Soul Stew" (1967). He was 37 years old, with his career in full swing, when he was senselessly stabbed to death on the steps of his home in New York City on August 13, 1971. In 2000, King Curtis was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the Sideman category.
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