Written by 
Editors Note: Check out our “Nothin’ but the Blues” Spotify playlist to hear this and other iconic tracks from the legends of Blues.
Sunday Blues this week Celebrates the Third of the “Three Kings” of Electric Blues Guitar – Albert King.
Here’s a great LIVE recording of Albert King performing “Born Under A Bad Sign” at a gig in Sweden in 1980. Written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell. I have included the lyric lines, cause Sunday is for Blues singing!
Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), one of 13 children born to an itinerant preacher and his wife in Indianola, Mississippi. Known professionally as Albert King he was an American blues guitarist and singer who created a unique string-bending guitar style that has influenced three generations of musicians.
He was known as one of the “Three Kings” of electric blues guitar, along with Freddie King and B.B King.
Albert King played a second Flying V, a 1966 model, after his beloved 1958 model was stolen. Reportedly the replacement was a gift from Gibson; he used this replacement guitar in 1967 to record his best known single “Born Under A Bad Sign”. Happily the stolen 1958 V was recovered at a later date.
Albert King was also nicknamed “The Velvet Bulldozer” because of his smooth singing and large size. Reportedly he stood over 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) some claim he was 6 ft 7 (2.01 m), and weighed 250 lb (110 kg). And Bulldozer? This was because he drove a bulldozer in one of his day jobs early in his career.
King died of a heart attack on December 21, 1992, at the age of 69 yrs in his Memphis home. His final concert had been in Los Angeles two days earlier.
King was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in May 2013
Text: Pia Sonne-Schmidt
Images:Albert King (musician) – Wikimedia Commons – and (c) info: all rights go to original recording artist/owner/photographer(s) – YT Video: aristotele77
Lyrics:
Born under a bad sign
Been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn’t for bad luck, you know I wouldn’t have no luck at all
Hard luck and trouble is my only friend
I been on my own ever since I was ten
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
I can’t read, haven’t learned how to write
My whole life has been one big fight
Born under a bad sign
I been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I said, I wouldn’t have no luck at all
That ain’t no lie
You know if it wasn’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have no kind o’ luck
If it wasn’t for real bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all
You know wine and women is all I crave
A big legged woman is gonna carry me to my grave
Born under a bad sign
I been down since I begin to crawl
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all
Yeah, my bad luck boy
Been havin’ bad luck all of my days, yes
Last modified: July 15, 2018
