Joe King (guitarist)

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Joe King
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Singing the National Anthem at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 12, 2013.
Background information
Born (1980-05-25) May 25, 1980 (age 43)
Origin Rochester, N.Y.
Genres Pop rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s) Guitarist, musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals, bass
Years active 2002–present
Labels Epic, Sony
Associated acts The Fray
Website thefray.net
Notable instruments
Guitar

Joe King (born May 25, 1980) is the guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter and co-founder of Denver-based rock band the Fray.[1]

Early life

Joe King was born on May 25, 1980, in Colorado. He attended Faith Christian Academy in Arvada, Colorado.[2] Before his success with the Fray, King attended school while he worked as an auto damage appraiser.

He learned to play the piano at an early age, but later dropped it and started playing the guitar instead. He states that it was because "the coolest guys in my eighth grade class all played guitar. I wanted to fit in."[3]

Career

Forming The Fray

In the spring of 2002, King ran into vocalist/pianist Isaac Slade in a record store.[4] King and Slade were former schoolmates who then began regular jam sessions that led to writing songs. Before forming the Fray, King had previously been in bands of his own, which were called "Spruce" and "Fancy's Show Box".

The duo added Dave Welsh and Ben Wysocki to form the Fray.

Mainstream success

The band released Movement EP in 2002. King sang lead on two songs on the EP - It's for You and Where You Want To.

The band released Reason EP in 2003, to some local acclaim in Denver. This prompted Epic Records to sign the band in 2004.

The band's first album, How to Save a Life, released in 2005, brought the band mainstream success. Apart from playing guitar, King sang lead on the song, "Heaven Forbid", which was about his sister.[5] He also gave backing vocals on "How to Save a Life", "Look After You" and "Trust Me".

The band released their second album, The Fray, in 2009. The second single from the album, "Never Say Never", was written primarily by King from his perspective of his marriage.[6] Apart from guitar, the second album also saw King singing a lot more: he supplied lead vocals on the song "Ungodly Hour" and on the bonus track "Uncertainty", and backing vocals on "Syndicate" and "Absolute".

The band released Scars & Stories in 2012, with King singing lead on "Rainy Zurich".

Vocal characteristics and songwriting

While the Fray has been lyrically spearheaded by Slade, King co-writes almost all of the songs. In an interview, King stated that his lyrics were mainly inspired by his experiences with the band: "With success, you have a lot more drama. For me, it was extreme highs in career and extreme lows in a relationship. There were really obvious things to write about."[7]

Commenting on the lyrics on the second album, King said: "A lot of really big realizations about ourselves are on this record. We're singing about real things that we've experienced. I'm not really comfortable talking about it, but I'm a lot more comfortable singing about it. It's a different side of me."[7]

Work outside The Fray

King sang in the song "Undertow" off the Timbaland album Shock Value 2. He also co-wrote and co-produced the song, "Alright With Me", which was included on American Idol winner Kris Allen's debut album, Kris Allen. Commenting on his working with Allen, King said that there was "a good vibe in the studio".[8]

Recently, King released his single "Need a Woman by Friday", which features Trombone Shorty, under the name "King".

Personal life

King married for the first time when he was 19 years old.[9] He and his first wife had two daughters together, Ava and Elise, prior to divorcing.[10]

King began dating actress Candice King (née Accola) after they met at a Super Bowl event in February 2011.[11] They became engaged in May 2013,[12] and married on October 18, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana.[10] In August 2015, it was announced that they are expecting their first child together.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ [1][dead link]
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.sonybmg.com.au/artist/artistBiography.do?artistId=107128
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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