Born Under A Bad Sign

In 1967 while recording tracks for a new album at Stax records, Albert King needed one more song for the project. Stax R&B singer and songwriter William Bell had a song that he had intended to release himself. With additional music arranged by Stax musical director Booker T. Jones the result was "Born Under A Bad Sign". The song entered the R&B charts for Albert King in 1968 reaching number 49. Later the same year, the song was covered by the British blues/rock band Cream on their third album "Wheels of Fire". William Bell released his own version on Stax records in 1969. "Born Under A Bad Sign" has since become a blues classic and is a standard in every blues player's repertoire. In 2016, William Bell revisited his classic composition at the studios of Fordham University's WFUV. Accompanied on guitar by producer John Leventhal, William Bell presents a unique rendition of his blues classic.

William Bell and John Leventhal 2016


Albert King 1967