For the American basketball player, see Chris King; for other people called Thomas King, see Thomas King (disambiguation)
Chris Thomas King (born October 14, 1964 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an New Orleans Louisiana based blues musician and actor.
Chris Thomas King is the most famous and successful blues artist of his generation. He has won numerous awards including an “Album of the Year� Grammy and an “Album of the Year� Country Music Award. King has sold more than 10 million records in America including the phenomenal successes of “O Brother Where Art Thou?,� “Down From the Mountain� and “More Music From Ray� Soundtracks.
Chris Thomas King is the pioneer of rap/blues. He conceived of the first sample based blues concept album in the early '90s by writing and producing the first all rap/blues album for RCA titled “21st Century Blues… from the da hood.� The multi instrumentalist has continued to be the most innovative blues artist of the 21st Century with the cutting edge sounds of “Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues� and “Why My Guitar Screams & Moans.�
King is also the blues artist who has most influenced the hip hop generation. His music has influenced such artist as Nas, Rhymefest, and Bubba Sparks to name a few.
As an entrepreneur King took control of his master recordings in the early '90s, forming 21st Century Blues Records. He also established a publishing company Young Blues Rebel, LLC. This is significant because most black artists in the genre of blues have not succeeded at taking control of the business aspects of their careers. 21st Century Records signed the New Orleans Ninth Ward rap/blues duo the “21C-B-Boyz� and the London; England based “Nu Blues,� to 21st Century Blues Records in 2002.
As an actor King has co-stared in two of Hollywood’s most successful musical dramas of this century, “Ray� and “O Brother Where Art Thou?� He also starred in the Wem 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:
He is the son of blues musician Tabby Thomas.
Blue Beat (1984)
The Beginning (1986)
Cry of the Prophets (1990)
Help Us, Somebody (Single)
Simple (1993)
21st Century Blues... From Da Hood (1994)
Chris Thomas King (1997)
Red Mud (1998)
Me, My Guitar and The Blues (2000)
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)
Rise (2006)
