"The Stumble" is a blues guitar instrumental composed and recorded by American blues artist Freddie King, for his 1961 album Let's Hide Away and Dance Away with Freddy King.
[1] It is considered a blues classic and follows in a string of popular instrumentals recorded by King in the early 1960s, including "Hide Away", "San-Ho-Zay", and "Sen-Sa-Shun".
[2] King uses a melodic guitar line and a chord progression that differs somewhat from that of the typical I–IV–V 12-bar format, such as starting on the IV (or subdominant) chord and a vi–ii–V–I turnaround.
[3] In comparison to the more widely-known "Hide Away", music writer Dave Ruben describes it as "a virtuosic recording, with only [King's] 'Remington Ride' hot on its tail in the chops-required department".
[5] As perhaps King's second most popular instrumental,[4] "The Stumble" has been recorded by many artists.