- Kerry King
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Kerry King
King performing in 2007Background information Born June 3, 1964
Los Angeles, California, U.S.Genres Thrash metal, speed metal, heavy metal Occupations Musician, songwriter Instruments Guitar, vocals Years active 1981–present Labels American Recordings, Metal Blade Associated acts Slayer, Megadeth, Witchery Notable instruments B.C. Rich
KKVKerry M F King (born June 3, 1964[1] in Los Angeles, California) is an American lead and rhythm guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and cofounder of American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since. He has made guest appearances with acts including the Beastie Boys, Marilyn Manson, Pantera, Ice-T, Witchery, Sum 41, Megadeth and Metallica. King is known for playing B.C. Rich guitars with Marshall amplifiers.
Contents
Biography
King was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was an aircraft parts inspector, and his mother was an employee of a telephone company. When he was a teenager, Kerry started learning guitar at Calvano's music in South Gate Ca. Russ Dismuke was his teacher. Kerry moved to Phoenix, Arizona as an adult. He divorced once; his current wife is Ayesha King.[2] In 1981 King was trying out for the position as a guitarist in a band. After the session was over Jeff Hanneman approached him and the two began playing Iron Maiden and Judas Priest songs with the session drummer. Hanneman mentioned "Why don’t we start our OWN band?” [Laughs] I was like, “… Fuck yeah!"[3] He graduated from high school as valedictorian. King's trademark image, was praised to such a degree by Blender magazine, who included a tour of his body ink.[4] King's acronym, KFK, was revealed to mean "Kerry Fuckin' King" in the January 2007 Issue of Guitar World.[5] King currently resides in Corona, California.[5]
Guest appearances
In addition to appearing on Slayer's albums, he has also made several guest appearances as lead guitarist. While lending production to 1986’s Reign in Blood, Rick Rubin was also helming production of the Beastie Boys debut album Licensed to Ill. Rubin felt the track "No Sleep till Brooklyn" needed a guitar solo, so he offered King several hundred dollars to lay down the part.[6] King has since commented that his playing ability "certainly wasn’t that of a virtuoso".[6] "No Sleep till Brooklyn", whose title was a spoof on Motörhead’s 1981 live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, was originally intended to feature King being knocked offstage by a gorilla in its music video though King refused.[6] King replied, "If there’s gonna be anyone knocking anyone offstage, it’ll be me knocking the gorilla", which is what subsequently happened.[6] King has reminisced that he thought the Beastie Boys were cool, although never having heard any of their music at the time.[6] On Licensed to Ill, King also played the guitar solo on the song "Fight For Your Right (To Party)".[7]
King contributed a lead guitar outro part to Pantera’s song "Goddamn Electric", which appeared on the 2000 album Reinventing the Steel.[8] King’s rig was set up in Pantera’s bathroom backstage just after Ozzfest in Dallas, as the group still didn't have their own dressing room on top of not appearing on the festival bill.[8] After King had finished the first take, Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell ran in and yelled "DON’T LET HIM DO IT AGAIN!"[8] King tried again with the hope he would find a superior rendition, though the first take was used.[8] King has also made several guest appearances in Marilyn Manson's "Rape Of The World" tour, joining the band to play classic tracks such as "Little Horn", "1996" and "Irresponsible Hate Anthem". Many fans noticed elements of King's own style used on these occasions.[9] On October 21, 2010, the finale date of the Jägermeister Music Tour, King joined Megadeth on stage, at the Gibson Amphitheater in Hollywood, California to perform "Rattlehead" which was the first time in 26 years that King has shared the stage with Megadeth and Inan with his band.[10]
Feuds
King has had well-publicized disagreements with several of his contemporaries, including a long-standing feud with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, who attempted to persuade King to leave the "posers," "lame spikes," and "eyeliner" of Slayer behind and focus on Megadeth. In GuitarWorld.com's Dear Guitar Hero, King noted that he "admires him to this day" as a guitarist, though he considered Mustaine a "hypocrite".[11] In 2009 Slayer and Megadeth co-headlined a small, four show Canadian tour.[12] In January 2010, Dave Mustaine and Kerry King were in a T.G.I. Friday's in Temecula, California, getting to know each other again.[13] The feud between King and Mustaine was suggested by a Blabbermouth.net interview to have been dropped after a chance meeting at an airport, as King noted that he "just couldn't remember" what the feud was about anymore.[14]
There was a feud between King and Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn, who claims that King started "talking shit about us out of nowhere."[15] King labeled Machine Head as “sell-outs” after the release of their 2001 album Supercharger. King continued to criticize the band stating "They're responsible for rap-metal", "they fooled me into thinking they're metal," "'they have no integrity left.".[15] Flynn has since noted that King has "finally squashed the beef."[16] King proposed a tour between the "Big Four" Thrash Metal bands; King suggested that Machine Head be included instead of Anthrax[17] King stated in an interview that Machine Head's The Blackening is "kick-ass".[18]
In 2006, Slayer's producer Rick Rubin lent production to Metallica's then-untitled Death Magnetic album, instead of Slayer for their album Christ Illusion. King deemed this action a "slap in the fucking face,"[19] labeling Metallica as a "sinking ship."[20] During an interview on drummers, King mocked Soulfly drummer Joe Nunez for not joining Slayer because "his mother wouldn't let him", that Adrian Erlandsson "hits his drums like a fag", and that Raymond Herrera of Fear Factory "has no hands" in regard to his drumming abilities.[21] In 2011 Adrian Erlandsson responded by posting a photo on his Lockerz account of a bent bass drum beater along with the caption, "Up yours, Mr. King, soft hitters don't bend bass drum beaters!"[22]
Style
Kerry King's first experience with a guitar was when he was still a child.[23] Early albums, such as Hell Awaits and Reign in Blood, featured a "wailing style" and "demented soloing often mimicking the screams of the song's victims".[24] Steve Huey of Allmusic described his (along with Jeff Hanneman) guitar solos as "wildly chaotic",[25] and Thom Jurek, also of Allmusic, described his work on 2006's Christ Illusion as "create an intensely harrowing and angular riff that changes from verse to verse, through the refrain and bridge, and comes back again."[26]
Equipment
Brand Name Ref Guitars [27]
[28]
[29]B.C. Rich KKV Signature V B.C. Rich KKW "Metal Master Warlock" B.C. Rich KKV "Speed V Handcrafted G2" B.C. Rich KKV "Beast V N.T." B.C. Rich KKW "Wartribe" 7 string Amplifiers and cabinets Marshall JCM-800 2203KK (Signature Model)(x3) Marshall Mode Four 4x12 Cabinets (x6) Effects Boss GE-7 Graphic EQ Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner Dunlop DCR-1SR Crybaby Rack Wah Dunlop KFKQZ1 Q-Zone Pedal (signature model) MXR 10 Band EQ Pedal (signature model) Shure UHF Wireless System Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro floorboard Eventide H3000S Harmonizer MXR Smart Gate Pro Radial Tonebone Trimode Classic Tube Distortion Name Ref Accessories [27]
[28]Jim Dunlop Signature Strings Monster Cable MM Guitar Picks Kahler Tremolo System (model 2315) Dragon Cases EMG 81 (bridge) (only for 6-string) EMG 85 (neck) (only for 6-string) EMG SA (neck) (Used for 6-strings equipped with Fernandes Sustainer) Fernandes FSK-401 Sustainer (neck) (Seated next to EMG S) Fernandes FSK-101 Sustainer (Neck) (For 6-string when neck pickup isn't needed) EMG 81-7 (bridge) (only for 7-string) EMG 707 (neck) (only for 7-string) Discography
Year Album Ref 1983 Show No Mercy [30] 1984 Haunting the Chapel [31] Live Undead [32] 1985 Hell Awaits [33] 1986 Reign in Blood [34] 1988 South of Heaven [35] 1990 Seasons in the Abyss [36] 1991 Decade of Aggression [37] 1994 Divine Intervention [38] 1996 Undisputed Attitude [39] 1998 Diabolus in Musica [40] 2001 God Hates Us All [41] 2006 Eternal Pyre [42] 2006 Christ Illusion [43] 2009 World Painted Blood [44] - Other artists
Year Song Artist Ref 1986 "No Sleep till Brooklyn" Beastie Boys [45] 2000 "Goddamn Electric" Pantera [46] 2001 "Dead Girl Superstar" Rob Zombie [47] 2001 "Final Prayer" Hatebreed 2002 "What We're All About" Sum 41 [48] References
- ^ "Kerry King op Myspace Music – Gratis gestreamde MP3’s, foto’s en Videoclips". Myspace.com. http://www.myspace.com/kerryfuckingking. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ Beck, Aaron (2007-02-10). "After 25 years, Slayer keeps casting metal". The Columbus Dispatch. http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2007/02/10/20070210-B1-02.html. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
- ^ Davis, Brian. "Knac.com interview with Jeff Hanneman". Knac.com. http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3153. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ "Tour of Kerry King's Tattoos". Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20071012163343/http://blender.com/video/965/KerryKingsTattoos.video?src=blender_ed., Blender Online, retrieved on March 2, 2007
- ^ a b Lahtinen, Lexi (2004-11-04). "Kerry King of SLAYER". Metal-rules.com. http://metal-rules.com/zine/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=44. Retrieved 2006-01-24.
- ^ a b c d e "An exclusive oral history of Slayer". Decibel Magazine. Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20060813155123/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features_detail.aspx?id=4566. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- ^ McIver, Joel (2002). Nu Metal - The Next Generation Of Rock & Punk (Omnibus Press). Omnibus Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780711992092.
- ^ a b c d Davis, Brian (2004-11-10). "Exclusive! Interview With Slayer Guitarist Kerry King". Knac.com. http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3346. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
- ^ 2008/02/23 Los Angeles, CA - MansonWiki.com
- ^ "Blabbermouth.Net - Slayer'S Kerry King To Perform With Megadeth Tonight!". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=148091. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ^ ""Dear Guitar Hero: Kerry King">". Guitar World. 2007-02-23. http://www.guitarworld.com/article/dear_guitar_hero_kerry_king. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ news/details.cfm?newsid=46527
- ^ "BLABBERMOUTH.NET - MEGADETH's MUSTAINE And SLAYER's KING 'Trying To Get To Know Each Other Again'". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=133655. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "Megadeth'S Dave Mustaine And Slayer'S Kerry King Discuss The 'Big Four' Tour". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=141799. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
- ^ a b "MACHINE HEAD's FLYNN: 'I'm Disappointed In SLAYER's KERRY KING". Blabbermouth.net. 2006-03-09. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=10389. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
- ^ "Machine Head - Diary - 2007". Machinehead1.com. http://machinehead1.com/diary_2007.html. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth And Anthrax To Tour Together?". Ultimate-guitar.com. 2009-09-03. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_tours/metallica_slayer_megadeth_and_anthrax_to_tour_together.html.
- ^ "Kerry King On Dimebag, Machine Head And His Post-Slayer Career Plans". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/BLABBERMOUTH.NET/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=92654. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
- ^ "SLAYER's KING Says RICK RUBIN's Collaboration With METALLICA Was 'Slap In The Face". Blabbermouth.net. 2006-06-26. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=54475. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ "Kerry King: Metallica Is 'Sinking Ship'". Ultimate-Guitar.com. 2007-01-18. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/kerry_king_metallica_is_sinking_ship.html. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
- ^ "News - Slayer's Kerry King Gives The". Knac.Com. 2002-06-12. http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=960. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "At The Gates/Paradise Lost Drummer To Slayer'S Kerry King: 'Up Yours'". Roadrunnerrecords.com. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=165033. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
- ^ McIver, Joel (2010). The Bloody Reign of Slayer. Omnibus Press. p. 3. ISBN 9781849383868.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Reign in Blood". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r18220. Retrieved 2006-01-24.
- ^ Steve Huey "Slayer". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ Thom Jurek "Christ Illusion - Slayer". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ a b atera, Joe (2006-08-04). "Slayer's Kerry King: The Art Of Writing Songs That Nobody Else Can Write". UltimateGuitar.com. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/slayers_kerry_king_the_art_of_writing_songs_that_nobody_else_can_write.html?200608041041. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ a b (2009) Album notes for "World Painted Blood" by Slayer [Compact Disc]. American, Sony Music.
- ^ Mangum, Eric (1995). DOD Presents 100 Superstar Guitar Sounds on a Stompbox Budget. Cherry Lane Music. p. 40. ISBN 157560342X.
- ^ Christe, Ian (2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. It Books. ISBN 0380811278.
- ^ "Haunting the Chapel - Slayer". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/haunting-the-chapel-r18216/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "Live Undead - Slayer". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-undead-r204395/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ Gueraseva, Stacy (2005). Def Jam, Inc. : Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin, and the Extraordinary Story of the World's Most Influential Hip-Hop Label. One World. p. 73. ISBN 034546804X.
- ^ Ferris, D.X. (2008). Reign in Blood (33⅓). Continuum. p. 45. ISBN 0826429092.
- ^ "South of Heaven - Slayer". AllMusic. http://allmusic.com/album/south-of-heaven-r18221/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "Seasons in the Abyss - Slayer". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/seasons-in-the-abyss-r18222/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ Bukszpan, Daniel (2003). The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal. Sterling. p. 210. ISBN 0760742189.
- ^ Morris, Chris (1994-07-23). "American's Platinum Plans For Slayer". Billboard: 14.
- ^ "Undisputed Attitude - Slayer". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/undisputed-attitude-r234919/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ "Diabolus in Musica - Slayer". AllMusic. 1998-06-09. http://www.allmusic.com/album/diabolus-in-musica-r352911/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ Faeth, Laura (2008). I FOUND ALL THE PARTS: Healing the Soul Through Rock 'n' Roll. Sound of Your Soul (an imprint of Wyatt-MacKenzie). p. 7. ISBN 1932279911.
- ^ "Slayer: 'Eternal Pyre' Single Enters Finnish Chart At No. 2!". 2007-06-05. Blabbermouth.net
- ^ "Slayer's Kerry King Says Forthcoming Album 'Has A Little Bit Of Everything' ". 2009-05-20. Blabbermouth.net
- ^ "World Painted Blood - Slayer". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/world-painted-blood-r1661054/credits. Retrieved 2010-10-29.
- ^ Ro, Ronin (2005). Raising Hell: The Reign, Ruin, and Redemption of Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay. p. 187. ISBN 0060781955.
- ^ Guitar World Presents Nu-Metal. Hal Leonard. 2002. p. 32. ISBN 0634032879.
- ^ "Loud Rock". CMJ 69 No. 11 (742): 16. 2001-12-10.
- ^ "Sum 41 - It's What We're All About (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Sum-41-Its-What-Were-All-About/release/1890384. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
Slayer - Tom Araya
- Jeff Hanneman
- Kerry King
- Dave Lombardo
Studio albums - Show No Mercy
- Hell Awaits
- Reign in Blood
- South of Heaven
- Seasons in the Abyss
- Divine Intervention
- Diabolus in Musica
- God Hates Us All
- Christ Illusion
- World Painted Blood
Live albums - Live Undead
- Decade of Aggression
- The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax)
Cover albums Box sets - Soundtrack to the Apocalypse
- The Vinyl Conflict
Extended plays Songs Video albums - Live Intrusion
- War at the Warfield
- Still Reigning
- The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax)
Related articles Tours - Clash of the Titans Tour
- The Unholy Alliance Tour
- American Carnage Tour
- European Carnage Tour
- World Painted Blood Tour
- Book:Slayer
- Category:Slayer
- Portal:Heavy metal
- Commons:Slayer
Categories:- Slayer members
- American heavy metal guitarists
- American atheists
- Musicians from California
- People from Los Angeles, California
- Lead guitarists
- Living people
- 1964 births
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