Soldier for the Blues is an album by the American musician Little Jimmy King, released in 1997. He was backed by his band, the King James Version Band. The album is dedicated to B. B. King. King supported it with a North American tour.
Recorded at Royal Recording, in Memphis, the album was produced by Willie Mitchell, who also found six of the songs. King played his Gibson Flying V lefthanded, with the strings upside down, and in standard tuning. Leroy Hodges played bass on the album.
The Toronto Star said that "King rips off rugged songs in rock-blues territory with a pleasing light voice andâÂÂabove allâÂÂan outstanding searing guitar sound". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised the "funky instrumental approach [and] smoky vocals". Guitar Player noted that King's "snarling, nasal-toned leads and squealing overbends cut through his band's rolling, mid-tempo grooves with fierce conviction".
The Commercial Appeal called "We'll Be Together Again" "a bona fide classic". The Tampa Tribune deemed the album "an impressive collection of soul and electric blues". Knight Ridder lamented King's lack of "natural funk". Robert Christgau likened the best songs to the work of Robert Cray.