Born Under a Bad Sign is a soul blues tune recorded by Albert King in 1967. The lyrics were written by William Bell and the music by Booker T. Jones. It was released as a single on May 24, 1967 and appeared on the album Born Under a Bad Sign, released by Stax in August 1967. The track features an R&B style bass and rhythm guitar groove rather than a traditional twelve-bar blues, with King’s sharp guitar fills and a distinctive left-handed approach on a right-handed Gibson Flying V. The lyrics describe hard luck and trouble tempered by wine and women, with astrology imagery in the title. The song helped push King to wider fame and influenced many guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan; Cream later covered it on Wheels of Fire. The album Born Under a Bad Sign has been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the National Recording Registry.
