Marcus King’s New Album ‘Young Blood’ May Just Put Him On The Path To Rock & Roll Superstardom

Hollywood & Entertainment Marcus King’s New Album ‘Young Blood’ May Just Put Him On The Path To Rock & Roll Superstardom Pam Windsor Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Nashville-based music, entertainment, and feature writer. New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Aug 31, 2022, 10:40am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Marcus King Credit: Danny Clinch Momentum has been building all summer toward the release of Marcus King’s long-awaited album produced in Nashville by Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys). King has been touring Europe and making guest appearances on major stages with fellow musicians like Marty Stuart (at the Ryman Auditorium), the Zac Brown Band (at Nissan Stadium), and John Anderson (on the Grand Ole Opry). And in June, King performed his single “Hard Working Man” on the “Tonight Show” where Jimmy Fallon noted he’s a huge fan of the blues/rock guitarist.

King’s album Young Blood showcases the singer/songwriter/musician’s many talents in a myriad of ways. A master guitarist, King is also a gifted songwriter. The songs detail his journey during a difficult period in his life – his struggle with drugs and alcohol, trying to work his way back from a crushing break-up, and with coping with deep anxiety and depression.

It was recorded live in Auerbach’s Easy Eye Studio allowing King to pull from the depth of emotion in the moment. “It was the most organic way I could have done this album,” King explains. “Me and Dan really had a shared vision.

We pretty much just put the microphones out there and he let me do what I do. I was in a state of mind at the time where I really just needed to go all the way back to my core influences and be myself, just be completely genuine. ” Auerbach says it was certainly an unconventional way to record an album.

“This record didn’t take a lot of pushing. We put the right people in the room and let them do their thing. These songs are live performances.

The whole damn thing is live – the solos and everything. It’s so rare in this day and age. ” MORE FOR YOU ‘Dune’ Tops Foreign Box Office With Promising $77M Cume ‘Shang-Chi’ Box Office: Marvel Movie Tops $360M Worldwide 4 Series Coming To Netflix In October That Are Worth The Binge Marcus King’s new album “Young Blood” Courtesy of American Recordings/Republic Records The result is a collection of 11 songs that may be King’s best work, so far.

It follows his 2020 album “El Dorado,” (also produced by Auerbach) that got a GRAMMY nomination for “Best Americana Album. ” With songs like “It’s Too Late,” “Lie Lie Lie,” and “Blood on the Tracks,” King recounts his journey through some deeply troubled times. “This record’s a really special one for me,” he says.

“It shines a light on a really difficult period in my life. And I guess one song I can say that really sums it up is “Rescue Me. ” I think all of us at some point in our lives have an experience where we just feel like we need to call out to somebody for help.

And to see who turns up and lends a hand. ” King’s “rescue” always seems to come in the form of his music. “It’s always been the opportunity to put into words and music what I was feeling,” he says.

Music has been a part of King’s life as far back as he can remember. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and by the age of three was already learning to play the guitar from his blues/rock musician dad, Marvin King. “Everyone on my father’s side played,” he says, “all the way back to my great grandfather.

And before him, they were all Appalachian fiddle players, mandolin players, or they played the dobro. So, music was always the great unifier in my family. If we were getting together to break bread, we’d pick on the porch afterwards.

And after church, we’d always play music. ” As he got older, music became a source of comfort during some years when he was in school. “Music turned out to be one of the only constants in my life,” King says.

“At different points the guitar was my best friend, my babysitter, and sometimes the only thing I had. ” He found himself drawn to all different types of music from blues to rock to country to gospel. And all of it, he says, influenced what he plays today.

“I was always trying to find more of anything that had a backbeat. So, James Brown, Tina Turner, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Aaron Tippin was on the radio, so I was listening to that.

And I grew up in a Pentecostal church where the kids in the praise and worship group were listening to Kirk Franklin on the side, and that also blew me away. So, I was just influenced by American music in general. ” During the six days he spent in Auerbach’s studio recording Young Blood , some of his influences included Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, and others.

And yet, at 26, King is clearly a guitar virtuoso with a style all his own. He recently launched his own custom Gibson guitar and signature Orange guitar amplifier, the MK Ultra. To promote his album, King will head out on tour across the U.

S. in September and October. He and his band are looking forward to playing the new music.

He says there’s nothing quite like performing live. “It’s the most natural feeling in the world. I struggle with anxiety and depression and those two minutes before I walk out on stage are the nervous I am the entire day.

But it all goes away as soon as I step out there. And when the lights come on, when the amplifiers are wailing, there’s a place we get to musically that I can’t even put into words. It’s playing with people you have such a deep chemistry with and we all have such a passion for the music.

And that’s what’s important. ” Follow me on Twitter . Check out some of my other work here .

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