King Ernest - Blues Got Soul (2000)

Tragically, singer King "Ernest" Baker only got to hear the final mixes of this album, Blues Got Soul, before he was killed in an automobile accident a few days later. Ernest was a fiery vocalist in the soul/blues vain of Little Milton or Bobby Bland, incorporating a mixture of gospel and gritty funk inspiration. While Ernest had been performing off and on throughout his life, he decided after retiring from his job with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to continue pursuing music. It's a shame that his career ended just as he was making promising steps forward. Highlights include the Ernest originals "Suffer and Stay," "Fallin' Down on My Face With the Blues," and the haunting Tom Waits-penned "House Where Nobody Lives."