Greenville native and Grammy-nominated musician Marcus King talks music
No genre of music is off-limits: Grammy-nominated musician Marcus King listens to it all.
“I just like honest music, and I think you can tell in the first few bars, in the first few seconds of a tune, where the intention is. I listen to any kind of music, from Wu-Tang Clan to Miles Davis and everything in between,” the Greenville native says.
While crisscrossing the country on his latest tour, King came home to play a special set for The Fine Arts Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration and to be inducted into the public arts high school’s inaugural Hall of Fame. Before taking the stage, the former FAC student sat down in the Peace Center’s green room to talk music and FAC’s impact on his career.
“The only school spirit I ever had was for the Fine Arts Center,” he says. “I had teachers who really cared about me and helped me and pushed me toward something I was passionate about.
“It means a great deal to be here. Anytime they invite me, I always try to make sure I can fit it into my schedule because I owe a great deal to [FAC] and the belief that they had in me that I’d be successful, academically or in any way,” he adds. “For me, success is not about anything other than earning an honest living and not being strung out on something or in prison.”
The Accolades of Marcus King
Born into a family of musicians—his father, Marvin King, is a well-known blues guitarist, and his grandfather was a regionally popular guitarist—King always knew he’d also play music. “It’s the only thought I ever had. This is what I wanted to do from the down beat,” he says.
His career includes releasing three full-length albums with the Marcus King Band and three solo albums. The first, El Dorado, was nominated for Best Americana Album at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards after being released in 2020.
King worked with noted record producer and author of The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, on his latest album, Mood Swings. It was an experience that King called “as rewarding as it was challenging.”
“[Rubin is] a lot more about the intention of why we create and who we’re creating for. And making sure we’re being a vessel, allowing ourselves to be as honest and open as possible with our art. I really appreciate him for that,” King says. “I read his book after we cut the record, and it was nice to retrospectively apply some of the teaching in that book to situations he and I had together. It was a really beautiful learning experience.”
Discover more about Marcus King by visiting his website, marcuskingofficial.com, or following him @realmarcusking on Instagram.
A Few Favorites
While King says he doesn’t make it back to Greenville as often as he’d like, there are some restaurants he loves to visit when he’s in town: Pita House, Lewis Barbecue, Henry’s Smokehouse, Home Team BBQ, and Petee’s Drive In. Pete’s has the “best cheeseburger in the world,” he says.
King also loves the Peace Center, where he’s performed several times. “It’s one of my favorite venues in the country and not just because I’m from here,” he says. “I came here as a kid. I saw B.B. King here. I saw Crosby, Stills & Nash at this venue, and Béla Fleck & The Flecktones.”
“[The Peace Center] has always kind of been like my Carnegie Hall, and if I ever could play here, I knew that I was doing something right.”
The Next Family Reunion
Want to see Marcus King in concert?
He and his band will perform during the Marcus King Band Family Reunion on August 23 and 24 at Firefly Distillery in North Charleston. The festival will also feature Jamey Johnson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Molly Tuttle, Miss Golden Messenger, Joshua Ray Walker, Leah Blevins, Pearl, and Henry’s Pocket. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit the Curfew Foundation, which King established to raise funds for various causes close to his heart and to develop a support system for musicians facing mental health and addiction challenges.
For tickets and more information, visit marcuskingfamilyreunion.com or follow @mkbfamilyreunion on Instagram.
