"The Hunter" is a blues song first recorded by Albert King in 1967 for his landmark album Born Under a Bad Sign. It was written by Stax Records' house band, Booker T. and the MGs, and Carl Wells. Along with "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Crosscut Saw", "The Hunter" is one of King's best-known and most recorded songs. In 1969, Ike & Tina Turner had top 40 hit with the tune on the R&B singles chart.
Composition and lyrics
"The Hunter" is a mid-tempo twenty-four bar blues in the key of A. Although the music reflects more modern trends in blues, the lyrics contain some of the swagger of the verses Willie Dixon wrote for Muddy Waters in the 1950s:
Recording and releases
The song was recorded on June 9, 1967, at the Stax Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Albert King sings and plays lead guitar. The backing is provided by Booker T. Jones on organ, Steve Cropper on rhythm guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Al Jackson, Jr. on drums; plus members of the Memphis Horns, Wayne Jackson on trumpet, Andrew Love on tenor saxophone, and Joe Arnold on baritone sax. "The Hunter" was first released on Albert King's 1967 album, Born Under a Bad Sign, which "became one of the most popular and influential blues albums of the late '60s". Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "The Hunter" as one of the songs that "form the very foundation of Albert King's musical identity and legacy. In 1969, the song was released as a single, but did not reach the charts. The song later appeared on various Albert King compilation albums, including King of the Blues Guitar and The Ultimate Collection.
released their rendition of "The Hunter" on Blue Thumb Records in 1969. It was produced by Blue Thumb co-founder Bob Krasnow. The single is shorter than the album track, which is over six minutes. Reviewing the single, Record World wrote: Ike and Tina really tear it up on this, originally done by Albert King; and it's funky and great." The single reached No. 37 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Hunter" was the lead single from Ike & Tina Turner's 1969 album, The Hunter, which is one of their most blues-oriented albums. The album earned Tina Turner a Grammy nomination. The song later appeared on the compilation albums The Best Of Ike & Tina Turner and .
Chart performance
Other covers
Early versions of "The Hunter" include those by Blue Cheer, Pacific Gas & Electric, Free, and Blues Magoos. Canned Heat recorded a demo version in 1967, but re-recorded it as "Amphetamine Annie" using the same music. Led Zeppelin used some of the lyrics from "The Hunter" during the "How Many More Times" medley on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. In his autobiography, Paul Stanley explained that the idea for the 1977 Kiss song "Love Gun" came from King's song.
