Albert King

Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) remains one of the most influential blues albums ever recorded, and Albert King's left-handed Flying V guitar style -- with his upside-down, upward bends -- created a sound that Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix all cited as transformational. King's session at Fillmore West with Stax Records made him a crossover star and defined soul-blues guitar.