What is the best album by Albert King?

Albert King's massive Flying V guitar tone and emotionally charged string-bending made him one of the Three Kings of the Blues alongside B.B. and Freddie. His Stax Records output in the late 1960s and 70s produced some of the most soulful and deeply influential blues albums ever recorded.

Born Under a Bad Sign

1967 Stax Records debut album and undisputed masterpiece, featuring 'Cross Cut Saw' and the title track that became two of the most covered songs in blues history.

1/12

Live Wire/Blues Power

1968 Stax live album recorded at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco with Steve Cropper, capturing King's powerful stage presence at the height of his powers.

2/12

Years Gone By

1969 Stax studio album showcasing King's fat Flying V guitar tone and melismatic vocal style across a collection of original blues and soul-blues tracks.

3/12

I'll Play the Blues for You

1972 Stax soul-blues album featuring the title track that became one of his most beloved songs, blending his blues guitar mastery with sophisticated soul arrangements.

4/12

Blues at Sunrise

1973 live album recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, capturing King's commanding performance in front of a European audience at the peak of his career.

5/12

I Wanna Get Funky

1974 Stax album that pushed King's sound into funky soul territory with horn-heavy arrangements, reflecting the era's move toward more danceable blues-soul fusion.

6/12

Truckload of Lovin'

1976 Utopia Records album featuring a more polished, commercial approach while retaining King's distinctive string bending and powerful vocal delivery.

7/12

New Orleans Heat

1978 Tomato Records album recorded in New Orleans with local musicians, bringing a swampy Southern groove to King's Texas-meets-Chicago blues style.

8/12

I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby

1984 live Fantasy Records album presenting King in his element on stage, demonstrating that his incendiary guitar style remained undiminished decades into his career.

9/12

Wednesday Night in San Francisco

1990 live Stax reissue album from a 1968 Fillmore performance, expanding on the Live Wire sessions to present an even fuller picture of King's electrifying stage show.

10/12

King of the Blues Guitar

1969 Atlantic Records compilation of Albert King's pre-Stax recordings, documenting his early development and introducing him to a wider audience.

11/12

Lovejoy

1971 Stax album recorded at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, featuring lush soul-blues production and some of King's most polished studio performances.

12/12