Albert King Born Under A Bad Sign Tab Pdf
| 'Born Under a Bad Sign' | |
|---|---|
| Single by Albert King | |
| from the album Born Under a Bad Sign | |
| B-side | 'Personal Manager' |
| Released | 1967 |
| Format | 7-inch 45 rpm record |
| Recorded | May 17, 1967 |
| Studio | Stax, Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genre | Soul blues |
| Length | 2:44 |
| Label | Stax |
| Songwriter(s) | Booker T. Jones, William Bell |
Born Under A Bad Sign Chords by Albert King learn how to play chords diagrams. Born Under A Bad Sign chords by Albert King with chords drawings, easy version, 12 key variations and much more. Fresh tabs top tabs lessons submit videos. Born Under A Bad Sign - Albert King Chorus.
'Born Under a Bad Sign' is a blues song recorded by American blues singer and guitarist Albert King in 1967. Called 'a timeless staple of the blues',[1] the song also had strong crossover appeal to the rock audience with its bass and guitar harmony line and topical astrology reference.[2] 'Born Under a Bad Sign' became an R&B chart hit for King and numerous blues and other musicians have made it perhaps the most recorded Albert King song.[3]
Original song[edit]
The lyrics to 'Born Under a Bad Sign' were written by Stax Recordsrhythm and blues singer William Bell with music by Stax bandleader Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. & the M.G.'s). Bell recalled, 'We needed a blues song for Albert King ... I had this idea in the back of my mind that I was gonna do myself. Astrology and all that stuff was pretty big then. I got this idea that [it] might work.'[4] The lyrics describe 'hard luck and trouble' tempered by 'wine and women', with wordplay in the chorus in the turnaround:
Born under a bad sign, been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all
Similar lyrics are found in Lightnin' Slim's 1954 swamp blues song 'Bad Luck Blues':[5]
Lord if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all (2×)
You know bad luck has been followin' poor Lightnin', ever since I began to crawl
Now folks I was born in the last month of the year
Jones's arrangement for the song does not follow the typical twelve-bar blues I-IV-V progression. Rather, it is dominated by an R&B-style bass/rhythm guitar line, which Bell claimed that he came up with 'while fooling around on the guitar'.[4] Albert King provided his signature guitar fills around his vocals and solos during the break and outro, with backing by Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Memphis Horns.
'Born Under a Bad Sign' became a Billboard R&B chart hit for King, reaching number 49.[6] It was later included on his first album for Stax, also titled Born Under a Bad Sign. The album's cover depicts images of 'bad luck signs' or common superstitions, including a black cat, a Friday the 13th calendar page, skull and crossbones, ace of spades, and snake eyes. Subsequently, the song has appeared on numerous King and various artist collections.
Albert King recorded an updated version of 'Born Under a Bad Sign' with producer Allen Toussaint for his 1978 New Orleans Heat album. Live versions are included on Wednesday Night in San Francisco, Chicago 1978, In Session with Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Godfather of the Blues: His Last European Tour 1992, and Talkin' Blues (see Albert King discography for album details).
Cream version[edit]
| 'Born Under a Bad Sign' | |
|---|---|
| Song by Cream | |
| from the album Wheels of Fire | |
| Released | August 9, 1968 |
| Genre | Blues rock |
| Length | 3:09 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriter(s) | Booker T. Jones, William Bell |
| Producer(s) | Felix Pappalardi |
British rock group Cream recorded 'Born Under a Bad Sign' for their third album, Wheels of Fire (1968). The group's record company, which also distributed Stax records, requested that they record it, according to guitarist Eric Clapton. Cream's rendition follows Albert King's, except for bassist and singer Jack Bruce combining two verses into 'I've been down ever since I was ten' and an extended guitar solo by Clapton. Musicologist Robert Palmer described Clapton's playing as 'practically Albert King parodies'.[2]
Sample of Cream version from Wheels of Fire | |
| Problems playing this file? See media help. | |
Albert King Born Under A Bad Sign Tab Pdf Download
Cream recorded a live version for the BBC October 24, 1967, which was released on BBC Sessions in 2003. Another live version was recorded during their reunion performances in 2005 and included on Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005.
Recognition and influence[edit]
In 1988, Albert King's 'Born Under a Bad Sign' was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Writing for the Foundation, Jim O'Neal called it 'one of the signature hits of Albert King that started to win the left-handed string-bender a crossover following in 1967, as he began to break out of the chittlin circuit to invade rock venues like the Fillmore'.[1] King's song is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the '500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll'.[7] It has also been recorded by many artists in a variety of styles.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ abO'Neal, Jim (November 10, 2016). '1988 Hall of Fame Inductees: Born Under a Bad Sign – Albert King (Stax, 1967)'. The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ abPalmer, Robert (1982). Deep Blues. New York City: Penguin Books. p. 246. ISBN0-14006-223-8.
- ^ ab'Born Under a Bad Sign – Also Performed By'. AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
- ^ abBowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records. Music Sales Group. pp. 126–127.
- ^Numerous blues songs share this title, but with different lyrics.'Bad Luck Blues – Search Results'. AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ^Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 238. ISBN0-89820-068-7.
- ^'500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll'. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 1995. Archived from the original on 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
External links[edit]
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Bar Room Blues is an exclusive series of video guitar lessons by Steve “Red” Lasner covering classic blues songs from historically great guitarists like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, and many others. A new lesson will be released each week, so be sure to subscribe and check back often! Also, if you want more guitar lessons like these, be sure to check out Red’s Guitar Sherpa class.
“Born Under a Bad Sign” is a song written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell originally recorded by Albert King as the title track for the album Born Under a Bad Sign released in 1967. Several cover versions of the song exist, most notably by Chicago blues band Paul Butterfield Blues Band, British rock group Cream, Paul Rodgers, American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
The style of “Born Under a Bad Sign” is hallmark of Albert King in the late 60s. The lead guitar is bright, nasal and cutting, partly because of Albert King’s choice of a custom Gibson guitar with neck pickup selected. The looping bass line is composed of a C# pentatonic or blues scale while the piano and horn accompaniment remains major in its tonality. The unique mix of otherwise minor and major modes give the song a bright but harrowing sound.
The wide assortment of cover versions demonstrates Albert King’s ability to influence not only blues guitar, but also rock guitar. It is notable that Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “Born Under a Bad Sign” is essentially an extended guitar solo that explores King’s unique phrasing.
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Bar Room Blues is an exclusive series of video guitar lessons by Steve “Red” Lasner covering classic blues songs from historically great guitarists like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, and many others. A new lesson will be released each week, so be sure to subscribe and check back often! Also, if you want more guitar lessons like these, be sure to check out Red’s Guitar Sherpa class.