Seventh Son

Album: Mose Allison Sings (1957)
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Songfacts®:

  • This was written by the legendary Blues songwriter Willie Dixon, who often wrote about mystical themes in his songs like "Hoochie Coochie Man." Dixon explained to Paul Zollo in a 1988 interview: "The seventh son is part of the scriptures of the Bible. 'The seventh son of the seventh son born on the seventh hour of the seventh day of the seventh month.' I was born in the seventh month and I was the seventh child of my family."
    Mose Allison told Zollo: "I thought that was a great song of that type. One of the common things is to feel that you are supernatural sometimes. And most people have felt that at one time or another." (this appears in Zollo's book Songwriters On Songwriting)

Comments: 1

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 30th 1965, Johnny Rivers' covered version of "Seventh Son" entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #63; four weeks later on June 27th, 1965 it would peak at #7 {for 3 weeks} and stayed on the chart for 11 weeks...
    And on July 19th, 1965 it reached #1 {for 1 week} on the Canadian RPM Singles chart...
    Between 1964 and 1977 he had twenty-nine Hot Top 100 records; eight made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Poor Side of Town" for one week in 1966...
    He just missed having a second #1 record when his debut record, "Memphis", peaked at #2* {for 2 weeks} in 1964...
    Johnny Rivers, born John Henry Ramistella, will celebrate his 73rd birthday in six months on November 7th {2015}...
    * The first week "Memphis" was at #2, the #1 record was "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys; and for its second week at #2 "Rag Doll" by the Four Seasons was in the top spot.
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