As for King Curtis, the Texas-born musician (whose real name was Curtis Ousley) was among the best of the many fine saxophonists who have inhabited R&B music through the years. First rising to prominence in the 1950s and perhaps best known for backing up the Coasters, he just about owned the charts until his untimely death in 1971 at age 37, the victim of a street knifing witnessed by Aretha Franklin and Sam Moore.
During his career he recorded a lot of good stuff, including his 1969 Grammy-winning performance on "The Games People Play." And even if "Night Train" wasn't one of his chart-busters, it's still a good song and a special favorite of mine — although when I hear it I can still feel the tight collar of that itchy band uniform.
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