King Ernest

Vocalist King Ernest developed his craft amid the vibrant Chicago blues circuit of the 1950s and 1960s, appearing alongside Tyrone Davis, Syl Johnson, and Little Milton Campbell. A native of Natchez, Mississippi, he absorbed fundamental blues techniques from his father, a sharecropper who performed on guitar in area juke joints. Following one year at Southern University in Baton Rouge, he relocated to Chicago and drew inspiration from venues featuring Muddy Waters and Chester Burnett, known professionally as Howlin’ Wolf. His initial paid engagements in the city came with guitarist Byther Smith. Exposure to the soul-blues approach of Syl Johnson and Tyrone Davis soon exerted greater influence on his vocal delivery, leading to recognition on the local club circuit in the early 1960s under the name Good Rockin’ Ernie.

Baker departed Chicago for New York City in 1964; the group he assembled there bestowed the nickname “King” in response to his uninhibited stage movements. He cut his debut single, “I Feel Alright” backed with “I’m So Tired,” for the Old Town label in 1965 and achieved moderate regional success on the East Coast R&B circuit through the remainder of the decade before returning to Chicago in 1967. Over the next decade he issued several singles on the Sonic, Barry, and his own Blue Soul imprints, yet national visibility remained elusive. In 1980 he settled in Los Angeles. When a recording contract there failed to materialize, he withdrew from music and joined the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, confining his performances to church services as a member of the Crenshaw Christian Center Choir.

Following retirement from law enforcement, he resumed nightclub appearances in Los Angeles, where his commanding voice and undiminished stage energy quickly drew a loyal following. Promoter and producer Randy Chortkoff soon booked him on tours along the California coast and into Canada. The 1997 Evidence Records release King of Hearts broadened his reach from regional audiences in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles to listeners worldwide; the album contained Baker’s readings of material associated with Charlie Musselwhite, Hound Dog Taylor, Junior Parker, and Harold Burrage. He also recorded “Better Days,” co-written by guitarist Jimmy Rip and Rolling Stones vocalist Mick Jagger, with Rip contributing guitar. Three years later Blues Got Soul appeared, marking his final recording. King Ernest died in an automobile accident on March 4, 2000.