Although the album failed to reach any music chart, it did receive positive reviews and is now regarded by critics as one of the greatest blues albums ever made. The guitar play on "Born Under a Bad Sign" influenced many guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. "Born Under a Bad Sign" was inducted into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2012, it was ranked at number 491 on "Rolling Stone" list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2021, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.