| "The Seventh Son" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Willie Mabon | ||||
| B-side | "Lucinda" | |||
| Released | 1955 | |||
| Recorded | Chicago, 1955 | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Willie Dixon | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Willie Mabon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Seventh Son" (also listed as "Seventh Son") is a rhythm and blues song written by Willie Dixon. The title refers to the seventh son of a seventh son of folklore, which Dixon referenced previously in his "Hoochie Coochie Man". The lyrics include:
Now everybody's talkin' about the seventh son
But in the whole round world, there is only one
I'm the one, yes, I'm the one
I'm the one they call the seventh son
In 1955, Willie Mabon was the first to record it. The jazz pianist and singer Mose Allison released it as a single in 1959 and on an album in 1964, calling it one of his "featured numbers".[1] Johnny Rivers recorded the song as the lead track for his album Meanwhile Back at the Whisky à Go Go in 1965. Also released as a single, "The Seventh Son" was one of Rivers most popular singles.