Edward Lewis Davis Milton, otherwise known as Eddie King, was born in Talladega, Alabama in 1938. Both of King’s parents came from musical backgrounds; his mother a gospel singer and his father a guitar player. Although King came from music, he learned his blues chops as a young man watching established musicians through juke joint windows. In 1954, at the age of 16, King relocated to Chicago where he recorded with blues legends Sonny Boy Williamson, Detroit Junior, and others. King earned a reputation that landed him a spot as the guitar player for the late Koko Taylor — a job that lasted over two decades. King settled in Peoria, Illinois in the early 1980’s where he played with numerous bands. Most notably was “Eddie King and the Swamp Bees”. In 1997 he recorded the album Another Cow’s Dead, which earned him the W.C. Handy award for “Comeback Album of the Year”. King passed away earlier this year, after a lengthy illness, at the age of 73.
Eddie King’s headstone was provided by The Killer Blues Headstone Project (KBHP) a 501 c (3) non-profit organization that exists to provide headstones for deceased blues musicians lying in unmarked graves. This is the 12th headstone provided by organization. For information on all of KBHP’s past and future endeavors (and ways to donate) please visit www.killerblues.net or contact Aaron Pritchard at (314)775-6953 or aaronpritchard.killerblues@yahoo.com.
The headstone unveiling will be held at Lutheran Cemetery, in Peoria, IL on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 at 1:00 pm. The event will be a celebration of Eddie’s life.
