Ed King


King in 1973

Background information
Birth name: Edward Calhoun King
Born: September 14, 1949; Glendale, California, U.S.
Died: August 22, 2018 (aged 68); Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres: Southern rock, psychedelic rock
Occupation: Musician
Instrument(s): Guitar, bass
Years active: 1965–1996, 2005–2006
Formerly of: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Strawberry Alarm Clock

Edward Calhoun King (September 14, 1949 – August 22, 2018 was an American musician. He was a guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and guitarist and bassist for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975, and again from 1987 to 1996.

Strawberry Alarm Clock


King (third from left) with a reunited Strawberry Alarm Clock in 2007

King was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, California. He was one of the founding members of the LA-based Strawberry Alarm Clock, a mid-1960s pop psychedelic rock band. The band's largest success was with the 1967 single "Incense and Peppermints", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. While with the band he played both electric guitar and bass guitar. The band's popularity waned considerably in the early 1970s. Faced with the loss of their recording contract with Uni Records and with internal conflicts over musical direction, Strawberry Alarm Clock disbanded in early 1972. King opted to relocate in the South, inspired by an up-and-coming band called Lynyrd Skynyrd (who opened for Strawberry Alarm Clock on their tour of the South).

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Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense & Peppermints (1967)

moondoggy
81.2K subscribers

7,214,634 views Nov 23, 2015
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moondoggy
81.2K subscribers

Leon came back pretty quickly, but since everybody liked Ed, they asked him to stay on and add a 3rd guitarist.
So, to fans of the band, Ed is mostly thought of as a lead guitarist.
I was never a big fan but I learned a lot about them watching the roc-doc "If I Leave Here Tomorrow".
It's a really good doc, even for non-fans.