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Chris Thomas King

Biography

Primarily known for his audacious fusion of blues and hip-hop, Chris Thomas King reached a complete new audience using the Coen Brothers film O Sibling, Where Art Thou?, not merely appearing for the award-winning soundtrack but playing a prominent helping character aswell. Regardless of the much-celebrated, down-to-earth rootsiness of O Brother’s music, Ruler got previously been a established progressive, expecting to reinvigorate the blues as a full time income African American artwork with a far more modern strategy and adamantly refusing to take care of it being a museum piece whose “genuine” forms required careful preservation. Ruler eventually customized that method of a certain level, attempting to develop a even more explicit hyperlink between blues custom and the overall musical present. Chris Thomas Ruler (given birth to Chris Thomas on Oct 14, 1964, Baton Rouge, LA) may be the child of respectable Louisiana bluesman and golf club owner Tabby Thomas and therefore was encircled by music from an extremely early age. He started playing trumpet in 6th grade and discovered guitar soon thereafter, bathing in just as much as he could by going out at his father’s golf club. However, the youthful Thomas was still affected even more by rock and roll (specifically Jimi Hendrix), spirit, and early rap music; he didn’t actually choose the blues until his past due teenage years when he followed his father on the tour of European countries and discovered the audiences much bigger and much more enthusiastic than he’d ever experienced in the home. Upon his go back to the Says, Thomas (as he was still known) documented a demonstration tape that got him a cope with Arhoolie Information. He played all of the devices on his debut recording, THE START, which made an appearance in 1986. Thomas backed the record with tour times in European countries and Tx, and later on he relocated to Austin, where he spent another four years growing his musical horizons and honing a far more modern sound. Throughout that period, Thomas captured on using the Hightone label, for whom he debuted in 1990 using the critically acclaimed Cry from the Prophets. Afterward, Thomas suggested a follow-up task fusing blues acoustic guitar with hip-hop beats, rapped lyrics, and DJ scratching. Nevertheless, parent organization Warner — which distributed Thomas through its Sire imprint — dropped release a the materials, having simply been burned from the controversy over Ice-T’s rap-metal music group Body Count. In the meantime, Hightone needed Thomas to keep in a far more traditional vein and got him re-enter the studio room to focus on another record; after slicing some materials, Thomas discontinued the project because of lack of curiosity. More than his objections, Hightone ultimately released those paths as easy in 1993 and regardless of the unfinished character of the materials, Thomas once again received good testimonials. Thomas took his rap-influenced materials to Sony, which wasn’t sure what things to label of it and dropped release a it. Frustrated, Thomas shifted to London hoping of getting a even more receptive record business; when that didn’t happen, he journeyed to Copenhagen in 1991 and fulfilled several Danish music artists who extensively done the task with him. Ultimately, British manufacturer John Porter (who done Pal Guy’s acclaimed return Damn Best, I’ve Got the Blues) noticed the tapes and helped create a cope with RCA/BMG subsidiary Personal Music. Thomas came back to the Says following a three-year lack, completing the record in LA. 21st Hundred years Blues…From da ‘Hood was finally released in early 1995 and was predictably met with considerable controversy; some critiques were extremely complimentary, but many festival and golf club promoters refused to publication Thomas whatsoever. He did discover success around the concert circuit in European countries and upon his go back to the U.S., he started billing himself mainly because Chris Thomas Ruler. Ruler debuted his fresh moniker on the self-titled recording for Scotti Brothers in 1997, delving deeply in to the cool, gritty sound of Memphis spirit. The follow-up, Crimson Mud, made an appearance on Black Best in 1998 and discovered Ruler time for the roots from the blues with mainly acoustic, folk-blues-flavored materials. By this time around, Ruler was regularly experimenting Louisiana, often supported by way of a bassist and DJ. This set up provided the building blocks for his following record, 2000’s Me, My Electric guitar as well as the Blues, which mixed the majority of King’s prior interests — electric powered and acoustic blues, cool spirit, New Orleans R&B, and hip-hop — right into a even more integrated entire. In past due 2000 emerged King’s breakthrough. Because of their Deep South retelling of Homer’s Odyssey O Sibling, Where Artwork Thou?, the Coen Brothers ensemble Ruler within the prominent helping function of real-life Delta bluesman Tommy Johnson, who stated to have offered his soul towards the devil in the crossroads actually before an identical legend spread on the subject of Robert Johnson. Ruler also documented an eerie edition of Skip Wayne’ “DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE Killing Ground Blues” for the soundtrack, which became an urgent multi-platinum sensation during the period of 2001 and received a shock Grammy for Recording of the entire year. Ruler also made an appearance on Down From your Hill: O Sibling, Where Artwork Thou?, a live recording featuring lots of the O Sibling artists. All of the publicity helped increase King’s profile substantially and even though he didn’t totally stick to a far more traditional strategy for his following project, it had been obvious that his latest immersion in early blues was having a direct effect on his music. Released in 2001, The Story of Tommy Johnson Take action I: Genesis 1900s-1990s was the start of a sweeping historic overview where Ruler hoped to protect as much different blues designs as you possibly can for the advantage of his newfound market. Ruler returned to performing, portraying Lowell Fulson within the Ray Charles bio pic Ray, began his very own record label, 21st Hundred years Blues, and released the funk-laced Why My Electric guitar Screams & Moans record in 2004. A restructured edition of 1998’s Crimson Mud called Crimson Mud Sessions made an appearance in 2005 from 21st Hundred years Blues, accompanied by Rise in 2006.

Quick Facts


Full Name Chris Thomas King
Profession Actor, Singer, Film Score Composer
Nationality American
Spouse Mariann Rodgers King
Parents Tabby Thomas
Awards Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year
Music Songs Hard Time Killing Floor Blues, Why Blues, Red Mud, Baptized In Dirty Water, Hard Time Killing Floor, Mississippi Kkkrossroads, Da Thrill Is Gone From Here, John Law Burned Down The Liquor Sto', 21st Century Blues, Flow Mississippi Flow, I Can Fly, Wanna Die With a Smile on My Face, Me, My Guitar And The Blues, Trouble Will Soon Be Over, Death Letter Blues, If It Ain't One Thang, It's Two, Louisiana Party, Raining Angels, Kkkrossroads, N Word Rap, Watermelon Man, Yo Kiss, Juke Joint Lover, Bourbon Street Blues, Soon This Morning Blues, Poetry Of Young Bill, When Magnolias Bloom, Southern Chicks Blues, Come On in My Kitchen, Help Us, Somebody, Rock Island Line, Sinking Feeling
Albums Me, My Guitar and the Blues, 21st Century Blues... From Da 'Hood, Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues, Red Mud Sessions, The Legend of Tommy Johnson, Antebellum Postcards, It's A Cold Ass World (The Beginning), Cry of the Prophets, Along the Blues Highway, Live on Beale Street, Nawlins Callin', Rise, Rodeo Kid, Chris Thomas King, Bona Fide, The Roots: The Soul of Chris Thomas King, Simple, Act II Revelations: 2000 & Beyond, A Young Man's Blues, Les Bleus Made In Louisiana EP
Movies Kill Switch, Animal, Ray, Down from the Mountain, O Brother, Where Art Thou?


  • Facts
  • Filmography
  • Awards
  • Salaries
  • Quotes
  • Trademarks
  • Pictures

#Fact
1 Baton Rouge, Louisiana [April 2008]


Actor

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Quarry 2016 TV Series Blues Musician
Treme 2011 TV Series
Imagination Movers 2010 TV Series T-Bone Crosby
Kill Switch 2008 Video Storm
Ray 2004/I Lowell Fulson
The Blues 2003 TV Series documentary Blind Willie Johnson
The Soul of a Man 2003 Documentary Blind Willie Johnson
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000 Tommy Johnson

Soundtrack

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Expendables 3 2014 performer: "Down" / writer: "Down"
The Mechanic 2011 performer: "WHY BLUES", "MISSISSIPPI KKKROSSROADS" / writer: "WHY BLUES", "MISSISSIPPI KKKROSSROADS"
Ray 2004/I performer: "Rock This House", "Everyday I Have the Blues"
Down from the Mountain 2000 Documentary performer: "John Law Burned Down the Liquor Store"
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000 performer: "You Are My Sunshine" 1940, "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" ca 1931

Composer

Composer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Last Fair Deal 2016 Short music by post-production
Animal 2005 Video

Music Department

Music Department

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Last Fair Deal 2016 Short musician post-production

Producer

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Last Fair Deal 2016 Short executive producer post-production

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Last of the Mississippi Jukes 2003 Documentary footage

Thanks

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Last of the Mississippi Jukes 2003 Documentary special thanks

Self

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour 2006 TV Series Himself
Lightning in a Bottle 2004 Documentary Himself
22nd Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards 2001 TV Special Himself
Down from the Mountain 2000 Documentary Himself
Inside Look: Down from the Mountain 2000 TV Short documentary Himself

Won awards

Won awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovieAward shared with
2002 Grammy Grammy Awards Album of the Year O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) · Alison Krauss (Artist)
· Union Station (Artist)
· Tim Blake Nelson (Artist)
· Emmylou Harris (Artist)
· Gillian Welch (Artist)
· Harley Allen (Artist)
· John Hartford (Artist)
· Norman Blake (Artist)
· Pat Enright (Artist)
· Hannah Peasall (Artist)
· Leah Peasall (Artist)
· Sarah Peasall (Artist)
· Ralph Stanley (Artist)
· Sam Bush (Artist)
· Stuart Duncan (Artist)
· The Cox Family (Artist)
· The Fairfield Four (Artist)
· The Whites (Artist)
· Peter F. Kurland (Engineer/Mixer)
· Mike Piersante (Engineer/Mixer)
· G


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