È oggi ritenuta una tra i più grandi sassofonisti della storia.
Biografia Rosa King nacque a Macon, in Georgia, Stati Uniti. Alle elementari, medie e superiori andò a scuola con Richard Penniman, il futuro Little Richard.
Durante la sua carriera ha lavorato con Ben E. King, Cab Calloway, Eric Burdon e Sly Hampton. La sua reputazione è stata rafforzata da una gara tra sassofoni tenore con Stan Getz al North Sea Jazz Festival nel 1978. È apparsa nel programma televisivo Sesamo apriti e in programmi televisivi europei, così come nel film Comeback con Eric Burdon. Molte carriere furono lanciate nella sua band, comprese quelle di Candy Dulfer, Saskia Laroo e Alex Britti.
Sebbene la King fosse popolare in Europa, ebbe poca visibilità in America tranne che per brevi periodi in cui viveva a New York, mantenendo un appartamento lì per molti anni anche se risiedeva ad Amsterdam. L'anno prima di morire tornò in Georgia per esibirsi con una band chiamata Rosa King and the Looters. Tra i membri della band figuravano J. Lyon Layden alla chitarra, Eric Layden al basso, Kristina Train alla voce e al violino, Jeff Evans alla batteria e Dan Walker alle tastiere.
Nello stesso anno si esibì in un festival jazz in Sudafrica e in diverse occasioni nei Paesi Bassi.
Nel 2000 la sua ultima performance in Italia, a Roma, fu una riunione con il chitarrista Alex Britti in un concerto televisivo a livello nazionale, con quasi 100.000 persone presenti. Sebbene avesse subito diversi attacchi di cuore la settimana prima, volle esibirsi lo stesso su una sedia a rotelle. Dodici ore dopo, il 12 dicembre 2000, morì.
La "Fondazione Rosa King" è stata istituita nei Paesi Bassi per sostenere le giovani artiste che vogliono emergere, ed un concerto commemorativo della musicista è stato condotto presso la sala concerti Melkweg ad Amsterdam.
Discografia Album Brani Brani Rosa King & Upside Down 1974 Blue Elephant – PE 877072 Dureco* Vinyl, LP Netherlands1 Up Side Down 2 Don't Make Me Wait In Vain 3 Feet Freak 4 I Got To Feel Free 5 Ghetto Of Peoples Minds 6 Do You Wanna7 Understanding 8 Fame And Fortune 9 Blues For You 10 Chicken Legs 11 Foot Steps 12 Troubles Vrouwenfestival 1979 - Live at the Melkweg
1979 Vrouwenfestival (women's festival) with various female performers Vinyl, LP Milky Way Records Netherlands recorded live at the Melkweg, Amsterdam 1 So Far To Go 6:32 So Far To Go
So Far To Go (LP, Album) Caribbean Circle F.C. 30505 Netherlands 1980 Summertime (LP, Album) Балкантон ВТА 2095 Bulgaria 1979 1 Change Is Gonna Come 3:15 2 So Far To Go 6:35 3 When Your Love Is Gone 6:15 4 No Tears 3:155 Summer Time 4:00 6 Do You Love Me Because 3:30 7 Hello Lover 3:10 8 All In The Name Of Love 5:00 Too Busy
1980/1984 Pop Eye Label PE 105 Vinyl, LP, Mini-Album Netherlands1 Too Busy (Loving You) 3:40 2 Can't Go Through Life 3:55 3 I Never Knew 4:024 You've Changed Your Mind 5:43 5 Sometimes 4:28 Rosa King's Favourite Blues Live
Live LP 1981 Paradise + 1991 Riff Rosa Kings Favourite Blues (LP, Album) Paradise SMC 100.005 1981 The Rosa Kings Favorite Ballads (LP, Album) Paradise SMC 100.005 1981 Rosa King's Favourite Blues (CD, Album, Liv) D&K CD 860037 1991 Netherlands1 Gotta Be Free 4:30 2 So Many Nights And Days 5:00 3 St. James Infirmary 4:47 4 Please Send Me Someone To Love 5:005 Gonna Find A New Love 4:20 6 Georgia On My Mind 4:45 7 Going Down Slow 12:15 8 Trouble In My Mind 4:44 Under The Cover
1987 Under The Cover (LP) D&K D&K 87011 Netherlands 1987 Under The Cover (LP) AVC AVL-2006 Spain 19891 Baby I Didn't Know 4:05 2 Hello Lover 3:37 3 The Every Best 6:19 4 Who's Playing A Joke On Who 4:065 You're In Love 6:07 6 It Wasn't Easy 4:49 7 Test Of Time 5:15 8 You Love Me To Much 5:26 Jazz out of Harlem
LP 1986 EMI "Who's Playing A Joke On Who?"
Maxi single 1988 Metropole 1987 Who's Playing A Joke On Who (12") Metropol Records MRP-109-MX Spain 1988 Who's Playing A Joke On Who (7") D&K 787011 Netherlands 1987 Who's Playing A Joke On Who (7", Promo) Metropol Records MRP- 109-S Spain 1988 1 Who's Playing A Joke On Who 4:062 You Love Me To Much 5:26 It Just Happened Live Cafe Alto
1992 Riff – 85009-2 CD, Album Netherlands1 Why 7:54 2 It Just Happened 7:05 3 Gonna Find Me A New Love 10:04 4 Own Decision 4:33 5 Big Mistake 8:116 Don't Activate My Love Decease 8:47 7 Taking Me A Chance 5:11 8 Cold Cold Feeling 10:13 9 Do You Feel Like Some Times 6:47 10 Lonely Me 6:58 Salsa Carnaval Live
Cheating on Me
* CD 1992 Bloomdido Productions/
live recording in Le Duc des Lombards, Parijs on 23/24 June 1992
with guest the American guitarist Luther Allison1. Cheating On Me (2:58) 2. Trouble Free (3:00) 3. Don't Activate My Love Disease (6:07) 4. I Ain't Nobody's Fool (6:18) 5. I Got To Be Free (6:02)6. Lay Down Beside You (7:15) 7. T/he Perfect Love (7:57) 8. Living And Loving (9:13) 9. So Far To Go (5:02) 10. Gonna Find Me A Love (9:08) The Best of Rosa King & Upside Down
1995 June Riff CD 1 You've changed your mind 5:43 2 Georgia on my mind 4:43 3 I never knew 4:01 4 Why 7:53 5 Lonely me 3:00 6 Can't go through life 3:56 7 The very best 6:20 8 Too busy (Loving you) 3:42 9 Cheating on me 6:55 10 I ain't nobody's fool 6:18 25 Years Still Going Strong
Riff – 85054-2 CD Netherlands 1997 okt 1996 Recorded at Studio 88 Hilversum1 Still Going Strong 3:29 2 Catch 22 5:55 3 When Love Is Gone 3:39 4 Digging Them Potatoes 3:26 5 Come In, Sit Down 4:50 6 Bad Case Of The Blues 4:177 Have You Ever Loved A Woman 7:05 8 It's Over 3:53 9 No Time To Shop Around 3:17 10 Bayerisher Hof 5:50 11 I Keep Hurting 6:12 Rosa King & Up Side Down: "Do You Wanne"
Frans Peters Studio – 6802 137 Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo Netherlands 1974 Maybe never official released. Misspelling in the title (Wanne) is on sleeve and record. Rosa King And Upside Down on this single without the crowd sound that appears on the LP that Frans Peters recorded in 1974.1 Do You Wanne2 Understanding Rosa King & Up Side Down: "Baby, I Didn't Know"
AVC, S.A. – AVC 206 Vinyl, 7", Single Spain 19891 Baby I Didn't Know 4:052 You Love Me To Much 5:26 Summertime
ВТА 2095 Vinyl, LP, Album Bulgaria 1979 So Far To Go (LP, Album) Caribbean Circle F.C. 30505 Netherlands 19801 Change Is Gonna Come 2 So Far To Go 3 When Love Is Gone 4 No Tears 5 Summertime 6 Do You Love Me 7 Hello Lover 8 All In The Name Of Love
Note
Altri progetti
Collegamenti esterni