KING GEORGE DISCOVERY (USA)
A black singer George Clemons had created quite a remarkable career in the USA before moving to Sweden in the last part of the 1960s. "King" George was born in Virginia but moved to New York in the early 1960s, and started singing at Harlem night clubs such as Apollo. He worked now and then with Don Covay & the Goodtimers, and even appeared on Covay's hit single "Mercy Mercy" in 1964. He was also involved with the King Curtis Band, which got him to make friends with young Jimi Hendrix. King George's solo career started with single release "Drive On James", where he was accompanied by part of the Ray Charles Band including Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums.1967-68: The Harlem Kiddies: Willie Ray:vcl, Paul Weeden:gtr, Les Brathwaite:keys, Dave Turnball:sax, Claude Bartee:sax, Grave Hansen:dms + George Clemons:vcl, Billie Jo Thomas:keys, Jesse Wilkes:sax, Kurt Hansen:sax, Wordie Jones:keys, Anders Lindskog:sax, James Buchanan:sax
1968-69: King George Discovery: George Clemons:vcl/bs, Anders Nordh:gtr, Paul "Palle" Sundlin:bs, Lennart "Lily" Bergman:dms
The Harlem Kiddies was a group of all-black American musicians led by the Swedish orchestra leader and drummer Grave Hansen. After a couple of line-up changes in 1967, George Clemons was offered to come in Europe and become the group's new lead singer. The Harlem Kiddies arrived in Stockholm in 1966 for three months but ended up touring around two years instead.
Along with King George, concurrently the Harlem Kiddies' music style stabilized into a combination of soul, jazz, pop and rhythm'n'blues. Their homebase was in Denmark, and almost all their recordings were recorded and released there. The group toured around Scandinavia until breaking up in 1968. One of their concert highlights was to open for Jimi Hendrix in Copenhagen.
After Harlem Kiddies, Clemons built around him the King George Discovery, which consisted of an older musician Lennart Bergman and two 20-year old fellows Anders Nordh and Paul Sundlin. Discovery took their name from the Charles Lloyd album, but their music was particularly influenced by Jimi Hendrix Experience and soul artists. Discovery was a well-celebrated live band, and they performed for instance at the Sweden's biggest festival of 1968 in Timrå. Also their self-titled LP released in 1968 got an excellent reception.
Right then when everything seemed to look bright, the bassist Sundlin left the group because of differing musical opinions, and besides singing, Clemons began now to play the bass. King George Discovery eventually broke up in 1969 when the guitarist Nordh left them to join a pop band called Blond. King George continued as a solo artist, and he also did some recordings in the early 1970s mostly with his backing group Red White & Blues. During the years, he has worked with countless musicians both in Europa and America, and he's also kept on doing new recordings as King George Band and King George Bluesology.
45 RPM SINGLES
| RCA VICTOR 47-8743 | KING GEORGE | I'm Gonna Be Somebody, Someday / Drive On James | 1965 US
| RCA VICTOR 47-8846 |
KING GEORGE |
Ah-Huh / So Long, Johnny | 1966 US
| SONET T 7246 (p/s) |
HARLEM KIDDIES WITH KING GEORGE |
Good Lovin' / Boog-A-Loo | 1967 DEN
| COLUMBIA DS 2408 (p/s) |
KING GEORGE DISCOVERY |
I'm The Best / Hold Me Closer | 1968 SWE
| BELL DISC BD 8018 (p/s) |
KING GEORGE DISCOVERY |
I'm The Best / Hold Me Closer | 1968 ITA
| ? |
KING GEORGE |
No Woman No Cry / ? | 197? SWE
| WEE-4 |
KING GEORGE DISCOVERY |
Haunted L.A. / ? | 197? SWE
| WESTMAN RECORDS WR 1001 |
KING GEORGE & ANNIKA CLEMONS |
Feet On The Ground / Picture Frame | 1985 SWE
| V2 MUSIC SCANDINAVIA VVR 5008213 (CD-single, p/s) |
KING GEORGE |
Funky Kinda Groove (radio version) / Funky Kinda Groove (Johan S Detox dub) | 1999 SWE
| |
| CLUB TEEN RM 5177 (p/s) |
HARLEM KIDDIES Useless / Please Grow Up / I'm The Best / Soul Party | 1967 DEN
| CCP RECORDS 002 (p/s) |
KING GEORGE BAND: ON FIRE (12")
| 1991 SWE
| |
| SONET SLPS 1239 |
HARLEM KIDDIES WITH KING GEORGE: 'LIVE' FROM LAS VEGAS (LP) Soul Meeting / Stand By Me / I Feel Good / Midnight Hour / Land Of Thousand Dances / Ain't Too Proud To Beg / I Can't Help Myself / How You 'Spect / If I Had A Hammer / You Are My Sunshine / You Don't Know Like I Do / Hold On I'm Coming | 1967 DEN
| SONET SLPS 1252 |
V/A: UNGDOM HJAELPER GRONLANDS UNGE (LP) | Harlem Kiddies with King George: Shake 1968 DEN
| HAPARANDA AL 02 |
KING GEORGE DISCOVERY (LP) | It Ain't Right / Smokey / Nothing To Do / One And Only Man / The Memory / Harlem / Motorcycle / If You Are Going To Leave / For Love / Tragedy / Alice From Wonderland / Boogaloo (Just For You) -- reissue: World Psychedelia Ltd. CD WPC6-8473, 2004 KOR -- 1968 SWE
| SCABRI RECORDS SC LP 02 |
KING GEORGE DISCOVERY: DISCOVER ME (LP)
| 1983 SWE
| C&C PROD. 001 |
KING GEORGE & ANNIKA CLEMONS: LIVE AT DUKE'S PLACE (LP) | I'm Ready / Big Boss Man / Hoodoo Woman / I Ain't Lying / Bright Lights, Big City / Lovin' The Blues / Bluesman / Rock & Roll Medley / Stormy Monday / Papa's New Bag (feat. George Clemons:vcl/gtr, Annika Clemons:bs, Tony Johnson:hca/bckgr.vcls/lead vcls on "I'm Ready", Patrick Carlson:gtr, Tord Jacobson:dms) 1988 SWE
| CCP RECORDS - |
K.G.B.: THE SOUL OF BLUES - LIVE IN HOLLAND (C-CAS)
| 1989 SWE
| CCP RECORDS - |
K.G.B.: VOICE OF EXPERIENCE (C-CAS)
| 199? SWE
| CCP RECORDS - |
K.G.B.: LIVE IN EUROPE (CD) | (recorded live at CPM, Geneva, Switzerland) 1992 SWE
| CCP RECORDS - |
K.G.B.: ORIGINALITY (C-CAS)
| 1992 SWE
| CCP RECORDS 005 |
KING GEORGE: STILL ALIVE TOUR - LIVE AT KULTUREN, LUND (CD) | Break Away / Intro Of The Night / Room Full Of Dreams / Small Town / Something About Anything / Voo-Doo Man / Hell Fired Red / Sad With Whiskey / Mud Slide / Fee-Fon (recorded live at Kulturens restaurant, Lund, Sweden, April 30, 1995) 1995 SWE
| CCP RECORDS 006 |
KING GEORGE BLUESOLOGY: THE NEXT CD (C-CAS/CD)
| 1996 SWE
| KING GEORGE BLUESOLOGY PRODUCTIONS KGB-002-CD |
KING GEORGE: I'VE GOT THE BLUES IN MY SOUL (CD) | Tastelessness Of Drugs / Streets Of Fire / I Am The Do-Do Man / The Freedom I Need / What About Will Power / It's Fair To Say / Money Will Buy It / Working Without Pay / Hot Like Salsa / Nothing Is For Anybody / Me Alias King George / Without Ears I Bear / Those Sexy Ways / Nightmares Are Dreams / The Indian In Me / A Night In Amsterdam / After Closing Time / Without A Word (feat. George Clemons:vcl/bs, Björn Bertilson:ld.gtr/vcl, Jim Adler:gtr/hca, Sten 'Stone' Svensson:dms/perc) 1998 SWE
| (self prod.) |
KING GEORGE WITH SPECIAL GUEST JIMI HENDRIX: EXTREMELY LIVE AND UNCENSORED (CD) | Jamming With Jimi 1 / Jamming With Jimi 2 / Doing To Do Into / Blue Rap / Dance With Your Woman / Something About Anything / I Pay My Dues / Bad Whiskey / I Don't Have To Worry / Encore / You And Me / Feelings I'm Able To Bear / I'm On My Way / Picture Frame / Inspiration From Miles / Country Goes Western (feat. George Clemons:vcl/bs/gtr, Jim Adler:gtr/hca, Sten 'Stone' Svensson:dms, Norman Zulu:perc/bckgr.vcls) 200? SWE
| (self prod.) |
KING GEORGE & AFRO BEATS (CD) | Couldn't Be Help / Shot Shot Shot / Law Of Man / Picture Frame / What You Talking / Bad Whiskey / Ooh Baby / Dressing Room / All On Board / Nothing To Do (feat. George Clemons:vcl/gtr, Jim Adler:gtr, David Bäck:keys, Martin Holm:sax, Johan Berqvist:bs, Abdoulie Jobe:dms, Ebou Nyass:perc, Sandra Wenqvist:vcl) 200? SWE
| |