Chris Thomas King
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Chris Thomas King (born October 14, 1964, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a New Orleans, Louisiana based blues musician and actor.
He has won awards including "Album of the Year" for both Grammy Award and Country Music Awards. King has sold more than 10 million records in the United States. He featured on the O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Down From the Mountain and More Music From Ray soundtracks.
King is known as the pioneer of rap/blues. He conceived the first sample based blues concept album in the early 1990s by writing and producing the first all-rap/blues album for RCA Records titled 21st Century Blues… From Da Hood.
As an entrepreneur King took control of his master recordings in the early 1990s, forming 21st Century Blues Records. He also established a publishing company, Young Blues Rebel, LLC. 21st Century Records signed the New Orleans Ninth Ward rap/blues duo the 21C-B-Boyz and the London, England based NuBlues, to 21st Century Blues Records in 2002.
As an actor King has co-starred in two musical films, Ray and O Brother Where Art Thou?. He also starred in the Wim Wenders art house film The Soul of a Man, as Blind Willie Johnson.
He has also appeared in several documentaries about the blues and about music:
- Last Of The Mississippi Jukes (2004)
- Lightning in a Bottle (2004)
- The Soul of a Man (2003)
- 22nd Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards (2001)
- Down from the Mountain (2000)
- Inside Look: Down from the Mountain (2000)
He is the son of blues musician Tabby Thomas.
[edit] Discography
- Blue Beat (1984) as Chris Thomas
- The Beginning (1986) as Chris Thomas
- Cry of the Prophets (1990) as Chris Thomas
- Help Us, Somebody (Single) (1993) as Chris Thomas (also on Just Say Da compilation)
- When the Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute To Roky Erickson - song "Postures (Leave Your Body Behind)" (1990) Chris Thomas and Tabby Thomas
- Simple (1993) as Chris Thomas
- 21st Century Blues... From Da Hood (1994) as Chris Thomas
- Chris Thomas King (1997)
- Red Mud (1998)
- Me, My Guitar and The Blues (2000)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- Down From The Mountain (2001)
- The Legend of Tommy Johnson, Act 1: Genesis 1900's-1990's (2001)
- It's a Cold Ass World: The Beginning (2001)
- Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues (2002)
- Young Man Blues (2002)
- The Roots (2003)
- Why My Guitar Screams & Moans (2004)
- Ray (Soundtrack)(2004)
- Rise (2006)
- Live on Beale Steet (2008)
