King & Queen, released in 1967 by Stax Records, is a duets album by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, two of the label's most successful artists. The LP was Redding's sixth album, and Thomas's fourth, and the final studio album released by Redding before his death. Influenced by Marvin Gaye's duets, the album features ten covers of soul classics and the eleventh finishing song co-written by Redding.

The album includes crossover hits "Tramp" and "Knock on Wood". Following Redding's death in December 1967, the single "Lovey Dovey" was also released. The original LP's liner notes were written by Tennessee Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr.^[1]

Background and recording [link]

Jim Stewart had the idea to produce a duet album with Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, as he thought it would help their musical careers progress, and that "[Redding's] rawness and [Thomas's] sophistication would work" well together.^[1] Another reason to combine the two artists was in the hopes of achieving a success similar to that which Motown singer Marvin Gaye had with both Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston.^[2][3] Carla Thomas was already successful in the R&B business; she had already had many singles appear in both the Pop and R&B charts, most recently her 1966 song "B-A-B-Y". Redding agreed to record with Thomas, simply stating, "Well, hey, you from Memphis, you from Tennessee, you can hang". At the time the album was recorded in January 1967, Thomas was studying at Howard University in Washington D.C. for an M.A. in English. Recorded in about six days, the album features eleven songs: ten covers of soul classics, and an eleventh song, "Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis", that Redding co-wrote.^[3] It features house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, pianist Isaac Hayes, and the brass section The Memphis Horns.^[3][4]

Release [link]

Six out of eleven songs were cut during their session; the rest were overdubbed by Redding in the following days owing to their concert obligations. Three singles were released from the album: "Tramp", the first cut song, was released as a single in April and peaked at number two on Billboard R&B chart and at number twenty-six on Billboard Hot 100; "Knock on Wood" peaked in September at number eight on the R&B and number thirty on the Pop charts; and "Lovey Dovey" was released late in 1968, and charted at number twenty-one on the R&B list and number sixty on the Hot 100.^[4] The album was released on March 16, 1967.^[3]

Reception [link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	A− [5]
BBC	(favourable) [3]

King & Queen was given a positive critical reception by reviewers. Jason Ankeny from Allmusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5. He stated that "Redding and Thomas enjoy an undeniable chemistry, and they play off each other wonderfully", and summarized the album as follows: "Otis Redding never recorded a lighter, more purely entertaining record than King & Queen".^[2] Robert Christgau gave it an "A-"; although he said the album was "pretty ephemeral", he praised the exciting music, and wrote that it sounded "vivacious, catchier and funnier [than] most soul music".^[5]

Track listing [link]

Personnel [link]

• Source: Allmusic

Charts [link]

References [link]

• Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York, NY: Schirmer Trade. ISBN 978-0-8256-7284-2. OCLC 36824884. https://books.google.com/books?id=XLdsRwpZ9oYC&lpg=PA62&dq=Soulsville%20USA%20Rob%20Bowman%20steve%20cropper&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false.