HOT blues CD of the week (1/26/2013) (Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign)

Albert King’s been on the pop’ular blues circuit for a long, LONG time… I’ve been listening to him for most of that time, & I’m sure you have too if you follow blues artists; here’s a very cool album from him:

A few words from the WIKIPEDIA entry about the CD:

Born Under a Bad Sign was the first album by Albert King for Stax Records and his second album overall. It is composed of singles released by King recorded between March 3, 1966 and June 9, 1967, with additional studio tracks. Providing accompaniment to Albert King, who sang and played lead guitar, were the Stax in-house recording session band, Booker T. and the MGs, featuring The Memphis Horns.^[3][4]

The release of Born Under a Bad Sign in 1967 “would change the face of American music, modernizing the blues”.^[5] “‘It was the great divide of modern blues, the point at which the music was rescued from slipping into derivative obscurity'”.^[5] Part of the album’s success has been attributed to Booker T. and the MGs who “gave his blues a sleek, soulful sound [which] gave King crossover appeal”.^[2] Four of the album’s songs became modern blues classics: “Born Under a Bad Sign“, “Oh Pretty Woman”, “The Hunter“, and “Crosscut Saw” (although an older song, it was given a new treatment by King). Together with “Personal Manager” and “Laundromat Blues”,^[6] they “form the very foundation of Albert King’s musical identity and legacy”.^[1] The title track was one of the last songs by Stax to feature the imprint “Produced by Staff”; future songs were later attributed to the writers.^[7]

Albert King’s guitar work on the album “directly influenced legions of guitar players who studied its every subtlety and nuance”^[5] and was “profoundly influential, not just in blues, but in rock & roll”.^[1] Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan have acknowledged King’s influence; indeed, some of their guitar solos are close approximations to those found on Born Under a Bad Sign