Riding with the King

About Riding with the King

Riding with the King was singer-songwriter John Hiatt's sixth album, released in 1983. It was his second of three albums with Geffen Records. Ron Nagle and Scott Mathews (credited as "Scott Matthews") produced side one of the album at The Pen in San Francisco, with Mathews himself playing all instruments (except guitar) and providing all the background vocals. The second side of the album was produced by Nick Lowe at Eden Studios in London with a group of crack pub rock musicians backing Hiatt. "I always kind of look at Riding with the King as the first album where I really put it altogether. I finally figured out what I was all about and found three or four styles I liked to work in", Hiatt observed about the album. Although the album failed to chart in the US, it received considerable critical acclaim with Robert Christgau observing "...this is his best album because the songs are so much his catchiest and pithiest. Most of them reflect smashed hopes." The album's title track was taken from an odd dream Scott Mathews had, although he was never credited as a co-writer. It was later covered by B. B. King and Eric Clapton on their album of the same name. Hiatt reworked the lyrics for the King and Clapton collaboration more »