King Biscuit Boy

King Biscuit Boy
King Biscuit Boy in 1970
Background information
Birth name	Richard Alfred Newell
Born	(1944-03-09)March 9, 1944 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Died	January 5, 2003(2003-01-05) (aged 58) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Blues, country blues, R&B, soul
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1961–2003
Associated acts	King Biscuit Boy & Gooduns the Barons Son Richard and the Chessmen And Many Others Ronnie Hawkins Crowbar

Richard Alfred Newell (March 9, 1944 – January 5, 2003), better known by his stage name, King Biscuit Boy, was a Canadian blues musician. He was the first Canadian blues artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S..

King Biscuit Boy played with artists such as Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Allen Toussaint and The Meters.

Newell was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and played guitar and sang, but he was most noted for his harmonica playing. His stage name was taken from the King Biscuit Time, an early American blues broadcast. He was given the name by Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins, a pioneering rock and roll musician, while Newell was part of Hawkins's back-up band.

Newell reportedly started his career by stealing his first harmonica (Marine Band, key of B) from a joke shop near his home on Hamilton Mountain, Hamilton, Ontario.

Newell played with the Barons (later renamed Son Richard and the Chessmen) from 1961 to 1965 and then with the Midknights. In the summer of 1969 he helped to form And Many Others, which was Ronnie Hawkins's backing band at that time. After one LP and several U.S. appearances, Hawkins fired the entire band in early 1970, upon which the members, including Newell, formed their own band, which they named Crowbar. Newell recorded an album with Crowbar, then embarked on a solo career, but he played with Crowbar off and on for the rest of his career.