“I play chords on the bass like a bluegrass or country picker would. It really works with the 12-string”: Dug Pinnick on pushing hard rock’s boundaries with King’s X

Portrait of Doug Pinnick of Kings X in a photo studio in Chicago, Illinois, September 20, 1991. .

In the league of progressive power trios – Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mountain, Rush, and Primus – King's X is an unsung MVP. Since the 1980s, the Houston-based group has pushed hard rock's boundaries with drop tunings, lush vocal harmonies, and heavy blues-based riffs delivered with soul music's stomp and swagger. 

Among its three talented vocalist/instrumentalists, dUg Pinnick can be loosely described as the band's frontman. But the lanky southpaw's commanding onstage presence – made even more compelling by his unusual 12-string basses – is undeniably captivating.