KING CURTIS
Curtis Montgomery, better known by his stage name King Curtis, was a masterful American saxophonist who effortlessly played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. His career spanned multiple roles: bandleader, ensemble player, session musician, musical director, and record producer. After relocating from his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas to New York in 1952, Curtis became a fixture of the city’s vibrant music scene. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, he recorded under his own name and played for artists like Nat Adderley, Wynton Kelly, Buddy Holly, The Coasters, Andy Williams, LaVern Baker, and Waylon Jennings. In 1965, Curtis joined Atlantic Records, marking a new creative chapter that led to his most succesful work. One standout track, Memphis Soul Stew, showcases his playful artistry, narrating the essence of the Memphis Soul sound through a metaphorical cooking recipe with Curtis introducing each instrument. This includes “fatback drums”, “a pinch of organ” and “a half-pint of horns”. The original recording, made at American Sound Studio in Memphis, dropped as a single on Atco Records in 1967 and climbed into the top 50 on the charts.