Bnois King

King was born January 21, 1943, in Delhi, Louisiana, a small town thirty miles east of Monroe, Louisiana. He had seven brothers and two sisters. King started playing guitar at the early age of eight when he found an unused guitar in his grandmother's closet and started picking out notes. ==Playing style==

King was exposed to gospel music at an early age, but leaned more towards the blues and (especially) jazz, which he listened to on the radio while growing up. While the rock-influenced Kubek played in an aggressive style, King had been heavily jazz-influenced and embraced a more relaxed playing style. Other blues artists, such as Sam Myers would sit in with the group for performances. ==Career work with Kubek==

Building a repertoire from old, neglected blues genre songs (such as from the likes of Jimmy Reed and Freddie King), the duo found a ready audience for Bnois King's laid-back vocalizations and rhythm guitar playing, and Kubek's hard-playing blues style. The duo released their first collaborative album in 1991, a Texas blues album entitled ''Steppin' Out Texas Style''. Production companies King and Kubek originally signed up with Rounder Select-Bullseye when they published their first joint album in 1991. That relationship worked until the late 1990s, when King started receiving equal billing with Kubek after 1997. The two were signed with Blind Pig Records from 2002 to 2007; and again in 2015. In addition, King has been signed and promoted (as both a solo act and as a duo along with Kubek) to Alligator Records, Delta Groove, and Simitar Records for various past productions. ==Album discography==

Solo efforts and contributions The Smokin' Joe Kubek Band, featuring Bnois King • ''Steppin' Out Texas Style'' (1991), Rounder Select-Bullseye • ''Chain Smokin' Texas Style'' (1992), • Texas Cadillac (1994), Bullseye Blues/Rounder • ''Cryin' for the Moon'' (1995), Bullseye Blues/Rounder • Got My Mind Back (1996), Rounder Select • Lone Star Blues (October 1997), EasyDisc/Rounder • Take Your Best Shot (1998), Rounder Select • Bite Me! (2000), Bullseye Blues/Rounder • ''Served Up Texas Style: The Best of the Smokin' Joe Kubek Band'' (2005), Bullseye Blues/Rounder Compilations with Kubek • Texas Blues Guitar (June 1997), EasyDisc/Rounder • Blues Guitar Duels (August 1998), EasyDisc/Rounder • New Blues Classics (2010), Bullseye Blues/Rounder Duo albums with Smokin' Joe Kubek • Axe Man (December 1991), Double Trouble Records • Roadhouse Research (2003), Blind Pig • Show Me The Money (2004), Blind Pig • ''My Heart's In Texas'' (2006), Blind Pig; (live recording, from J&J Blues Bar, Ft. Worth, Texas) • Blood Brothers (2008), Alligator Records • Have Blues, Will Travel (2010), Alligator Records • Close to the Bone: Unplugged (2011), Delta Groove Music / Delta Groove Productions / Jazzhaus • ''Road Dog's Life'' (2013), Delta Groove Music / Delta Groove Productions / Jazzhaus • ''Fat Man's Shine Parlor''< (2015), Blind Pig ==References==