Earl King: New Orleans' Best Kept Musical Secret

If you have ever heard a brass band rolling down the street playing "Big Chief," or caught Jimi Hendrix tearing into "Come On," or watched Professor Longhair do his thing at the keys, you have been in the orbit of Earl King. You just might not have known it. That is the thing about New Orleans music: the people who wrote the songs that define this city are not always the ones who got the fame. And Earl King might be the most important New Orleans musician most people outside the city have never heard of.

From the Irish Channel to the Dew Drop Inn

Earl Silas Johnson IV was born on February 7, 1934, and grew up in the Irish Channel neighborhood of New Orleans. His father played piano, his mother sang gospel, and music was everywhere. By 12 he was singing in church. By 15 he was sneaking into clubs under the name "Earl Johnson," looking for any stage that would have him.

The club that mattered most was the Dew Drop Inn on LaSalle Street. If you know anything about mid-century Black nightlife in New Orleans, you know the Dew Drop. It was the place. Ray Charles played there. Little Richard played there. And on Wednesday nights, they held amateur talent contests where young hopefuls could step up and see if they had what it took. Earl King won those contests so many times they eventually disqualified him and told him to go try the Tiajuana club instead. That is not getting kicked out for being bad. That is getting kicked out for being too good.

Guitar Slim's Shadow, Earl King's Light

The person who shaped Earl King's early career more than anyone was Guitar Slim, the flamboyant blues guitarist known for his wild stage shows and the classic "The Things That I Used to Do." King idolized Slim, studied his moves, and absorbed his approach to the guitar. When Guitar Slim was injured in a car accident in 1954, King stepped in to front Slim's band on tour, even performing under Slim's name for a stretch. It was a crash course in showmanship, and King came out the other side as his own artist.

That same year, King released "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" on Ace Records. With Huey "Piano" Smith on keys, the song climbed to number 7 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was a genuine hit, and it put Earl King on the map as more than just a local club act. But here is the twist: King's biggest impact was never going to be about his own records. It was going to be about the songs he handed to everybody else.

The Songs That Traveled the World

Earl King wrote "Come On" for the Imperial label, a grinding, swampy blues number that perfectly captured the sound of New Orleans in the late 1950s. The song found its way to Jimi Hendrix, who recorded his own blistering version. Stevie Ray Vaughan covered it too. So did Freddie King. "Come On" became one of those songs that every serious blues guitarist eventually learns, and every time someone plays it, Earl King's fingerprints are all over it.

Then there is "Big Chief." The story behind the song is pure New Orleans. King's cousin Roscoe had a nickname for Earl's mama: "Big Chief." As in, "Earl, if you haven't mowed the lawn, if you ain't washed the dishes, when Big Chief comes home, she's going to go on the warpath." King turned that family joke into a song, and Professor Longhair recorded it in 1964. It became a staple of the New Orleans music scene. Brass bands still play it today. Dr. John made it a regular part of his sets. If you have been to Jazz Fest, you have heard "Big Chief" in some form, guaranteed.

King also wrote "Trick Bag," which became a favorite of guitarists everywhere, and "Teasin' You," recorded by Willie Tee. He penned "Do-Re-Mi" for Lee Dorsey. The man was a songwriting factory, and his catalog reads like a syllabus for anyone trying to understand New Orleans R&B.

How Dirty Coast Celebrates Earl King's New Orleans

At Dirty Coast, we think about people like Earl King every time we design something. The music of this city is not background noise. It is the reason people fall in love with New Orleans in the first place. Our WWOZ Listen to Your City design is a tribute to the radio station that keeps artists like Earl King in the conversation, spinning deep cuts and local legends alongside the hits. And our Secondline Till Ya Drop design captures the spirit of the brass band tradition that Earl King's songs helped fuel.

There is a reason our Periodic Table of New Orleans design exists: this city has so many layers of culture, music, and history that you could spend a lifetime learning them and still find something new. Earl King is one of those layers. He is the songwriter behind the songs, the quiet force behind the big names.

A Legacy That Echoes Through Every Brass Note

Earl King kept recording and performing into the 1980s and 1990s. His 1986 album "Glazed," backed by Roomful of Blues on Black Top Records, earned a Grammy nomination. He remained a beloved figure in New Orleans, the kind of musician who could walk into any club and sit in with whoever was on stage. When he passed away on April 17, 2003, just a week before Jazz Fest, the city lost one of its most important musical voices.

But that is the thing about New Orleans. The music does not disappear when the musician does. Every time a brass band kicks into "Big Chief" on a Sunday second line, every time a guitarist bends into "Come On" at a late night set on Frenchmen Street, every time WWOZ spins one of his records, Earl King is right there. He wrote the songs that became the soundtrack. And in a city that runs on music, that is about the highest compliment there is.

Be A New Orleanian Wherever You Are.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Earl King?
Earl King (1934-2003) was a New Orleans singer, guitarist, and songwriter who composed blues classics including "Come On" and "Big Chief." He was one of the most influential figures in New Orleans R&B, though he is better known for the songs he wrote for other artists than for his own recordings.

What songs did Earl King write?
Earl King wrote "Come On" (covered by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan), "Big Chief" (recorded by Professor Longhair), "Trick Bag," "Teasin' You" (recorded by Willie Tee), and "Do-Re-Mi" (recorded by Lee Dorsey), among many others.

What was the Dew Drop Inn?
The Dew Drop Inn was a legendary nightclub and hotel at 2836 LaSalle Street in New Orleans that operated from 1939 to 1970. It was the center of Black nightlife in the city, hosting performers like Ray Charles and Little Richard. Earl King got his start winning talent contests there.