King Curtis

Lore & Background

King Curtis was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and adopted by Josie and William Ousley. He attended I.M. Terrell High School, where he studied and performed music with schoolmate Ornette Coleman. He started playing saxophone at age twelve and turned down college scholarships to join the Lionel Hampton Band, where he wrote and arranged music. In 1952 he moved to New York and became a session musician, recording for labels such as Prestige, Enjoy, Capitol, and Atco, and working with Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Buddy Holly, Andy Williams, and Waylon Jennings.

Stylistically inspired by saxophonists Lester Young, Louis Jordan, Illinois Jacquet, Earl Bostic, and Gene Ammons, Curtis developed a syncopated and percussive style. He formed a group that included Richard Tee, Cornell Dupree, Jerry Jemmott, and Bernard Purdie. He decided to focus on rhythm and blues for financial reasons, saying in a 1971 interview: 'I love the authentic rhythm and blues more than anything, and I also like to live well.' His best-known singles from the 1960s include 'Soul Twist' (his highest-charting single, reaching number 5 on the R&B chart and number 17 on the Billboard pop chart) and 'Soul Serenade.' He moved to Atlantic Records in 1965 and recorded 'Memphis Soul Stew' and 'Ode to Billie Joe' (both 1967). He led Aretha Franklin's backing band the Kingpins, who opened for the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. In 1971 he recorded saxophone solos on John Lennon's 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier' from the album Imagine, and recorded the original theme song for the television show Soul Train, titled 'Hot Potatoes.'

Curtis was stabbed on the night of August 12, 1971, during an argument with Juan Montanez over a blocked entrance to an apartment building Curtis owned. He died early on August 13 at Roosevelt Hospital. Montanez pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and was released in 1977. At Curtis's funeral, Atlantic Records closed their offices; Jesse Jackson administered the service, Aretha Franklin sang, and Stevie Wonder performed. Curtis was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 6, 2000.

Reader's Guide

King Curtis's significance lies in his versatile and influential saxophone work across rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. As a session musician, he contributed iconic riffs and solos to landmark recordings such as Aretha Franklin's 'Respect' and the Coasters' 'Yakety Yak,' the latter of which inspired the novelty instrumental 'Yakety Sax' by Boots Randolph. His own singles, including 'Soul Twist,' 'Soul Serenade,' and 'Memphis Soul Stew,' became standards of the genre. Curtis also led the Kingpins, Aretha Franklin's backing band, and performed at the Fillmore West in 1971, resulting in live albums. His work with John Lennon on Imagine and the Soul Train theme song further cemented his reach. He won a Grammy in 1970 for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for 'Games People Play.' His legacy endures through his recordings, his influence on later saxophonists, and his posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Roots in Fort Worth and the Road to New York

Curtis Montgomery was born on February 7, 1934, in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of Ethel Montgomery. He and his sister Josephine Allen were taken in by Josie and William Ousley, a family whose surname he carried for the rest of his life. He attended I.M. Terrell High School, where a classmate named Ornette Coleman became an early musical companion. By the age of twelve, Curtis had picked up the saxophone and was already absorbing jazz, rhythm and blues, and popular music in equal measure. His ambition outgrew the classroom: as a student he declined college scholarships so he could join the Lionel Hampton Band, where he learned to write, arrange, and even play guitar. In 1952 he relocated to New York City and threw himself into the world of session recording, laying down tracks for Prestige, Enjoy, Capitol, and Atco. His stylistic compass pointed toward Lester Young, Louis Jordan, Illinois Jacquet, Earl Bostic, and Gene Ammons, and from that lineage he forged a syncopated, percussive voice that would define his sound.

The Session Virtuoso

Curtis's reputation as a sideman was built on an almost absurd breadth of collaborators. He recorded with Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Andy Williams, and Buddy Holly, and even played on Waylon Jennings's very first recording in 1958. One of the most charming anecdotes from this era involves Holly: the two recorded "Reminiscing," a song Holly had written, yet he handed the writing credit to Curtis simply as a thank-you for flying out to the session. With LaVern Baker, his saxophone on "I Cried a Tear" (1958) functioned as what listeners described as a second vocal voice. He was a fixture on Coasters records, contributing to "Yakety Yak" and "Charlie Brown." In 1963 he showed up to record a novelty burping track for Mad Magazine titled "It's a Gas," proving that no gig was beneath him. He also assembled a house band of session regulars—Richard Tee, Cornell Dupree, Jerry Jemmott, and Bernard Purdie—who would become the backbone of his later projects.

Signature Hits and the Kingpins Era

Curtis's own recordings crystallized his identity as a bandleader. "Soul Twist" (1962) became his highest-charting single, topping the R&B chart and reaching number seventeen on the Billboard pop chart, while "Soul Serenade" (1964) and "Memphis Soul Stew" (1967) cemented his status. In 1965 he signed with Atlantic Records, where he also cut "Ode to Billie Joe." He led Aretha Franklin's backing group, the Kingpins, who opened for the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965, and his saxophone riffs and solos appeared on Franklin's "Respect" (1967). In 1966 he recorded three tracks with a young Jimi Hendrix—tapes that were tragically lost in a fire at Atlantic's master tape library. In March 1971, Curtis and the Kingpins shared the Fillmore West stage with Franklin, producing two live albums. That same year he contributed saxophone to John Lennon's "Imagine" sessions and recorded the "Hot Potatoes" theme for the new TV show Soul Train with the Rimshots. In June 1971 he performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival alongside Champion Jack Dupree, a concert later released as a 1973 Atlantic album.

A Tragic End and a Community's Farewell

On the night of August 12, 1971, Curtis was stabbed during a confrontation with Juan Montanez on the front steps of an apartment he owned at 50 West 86th Street in Manhattan. The dispute began over a tripping circuit breaker in the building's fusebox; when Montanez refused to leave the entrance, a physical altercation followed. Curtis was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he died in the early hours of August 13. Montanez's charge was later reduced from second-degree murder to second-degree manslaughter in exchange for a guilty plea, and he was released in 1977. The funeral became a gathering that spoke to Curtis's place in the music world: Atlantic Records shut its offices for the day, Jesse Jackson officiated, and the Kingpins played "Soul Serenade" as mourners entered. Aretha Franklin, Cissy Houston, Brook Benton, and Duane Allman were among those in attendance. Franklin closed with the spiritual "Never Grow Old," and Stevie Wonder performed "Abraham, Martin and John and now King Curtis." Allman went on to weave "Soul Serenade" into live performances of "You Don't Love Me" in the weeks that followed.