Albert King

If you need a starting place for your blues collection and lean towards electric guitar, then look no further than this revamped classic. It's one-stop shopping and re-mastered to boot, with such staples as the title track. Albert King was perhaps the most important blues guitarist ever and Born Under A Bad Sign was perhaps the most significant electric guitar-driven blues album ever recorded. Now re-mastered, this monumental recording sounds as fresh as it did upon its release in 1967. At the time of the album's recording, Stax had a house band by the name of Booker T and the MG's which included Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Alan Jackson, Jr. on drums and Booker T Jones on keyboards, all of who played on Born Under A Bad Sign. With help from Isaac Hayes on piano and the fat sound of the renowned Memphis Horns, Born Under A Bad Sign had a rich and textured atmosphere that had not been heard on a blues album before. The soulful foundation gave King crossover appeal, as evidenced by his R&B chart hits - "Laundromat Blues" (1966) and "Cross Cut Saw" (1967) both went Top 40, while "Born Under a Bad Sign" (1967) charted in the Top 50. Moreover, this was the record that caught the collective consciousness of the rock'n'roll mainstream and Albert's sharp-edged style of playing the guitar captured the attention of many up-and-coming pickers, most notably Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton who copied Albert's "Personal Manager" guitar solo on the Cream song, "Strange Brew." The title track has been recorded well over a hundred times by artists ranging from Paul Butterfield, Magic Slim, Pat Travers and even on a musical spin-off CD of the animated television series, The Simpsons. Even though Albert King continued to record into the 1980's, Born Under A Bad Sign will forever be the groundbreaking guitar players swan song. Even after his death in 1992, King continues to influence young blues players and will for years to come.