Muddy Waters

Happy Birthday Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield)  1913-1983...He took the musical influences of the Deep South and infused them with fierce, electrical energy, pioneering the Chicago Blues style and burning his name in the history books as a peerless singer, a gifted songwriter, consummate guitar player and an undeniable influence on rock and roll, hard rock, folk, jazz, country and of course, the blues.

The details of the year and place of his birth are often debated but it is known that his mother died when he was 3 and he was raised by his grandmother in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The south was a hotbed for the blues in the 1920's and 30's and Waters got his first eduction by listening to his neighbor's recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson and Tampa Red. He began playing the harmonica at fish fries and house parties at the age of 13, switching to the guitar at the age of 17 after hearing Son House, Robert Johnson and Charley Patton.

In 1940, Waters spent a short time in Chicago, moving back to Mississippi to run a juke joint with gambling, moonshine and a jukebox. In 1941, Alan Lomax, the great ethnomusicologist, came to Mississippi and recorded Waters for the first time. He later sent him a couple of the records and $20. Hearing his recorded voice for the first time had a huge impact. In Water's words, "He sent me two copies of the pressing and a check for 20 bucks, and I carried that record up to the corner and put it on the juke box. Just played it and played it and said, "I can do it, I can do it." Lomax recorded Waters again in 1942 and those recordings would be released as "Down on Stovall's Plantation" and re-released in the 90's.

Waters headed back to Chicago in 1942 to try to make it as a professional musician but the going was tough. He pulled day jobs and played any house party or bar that would have him. Big Bill Broonzy took a liking to him and had him open for him in the rough and rowdy clubs he played. In 1945 his uncle bought him his first electric guitar and his artistry could finally be heard above the noisy crowds.

In 1946, Waters had recorded for two small labels with no success but he caught the attention of the Chess brothers and in 1948 he had his first hit recordings with "I Can't be Satisfied", "Going Home" and "Rollin' Stone". Initially the Chess brothers insisted on providing their choice of a back up band for him but by 1953 they had relented and Waters was recording with his own legendary band with  Little Walter Jacobs, Jimmy Rogers, Elgin Evans,  Otis Spann and with the occasional help of Willie Dixon. Little Walter went on to form his own group but continued to support Waters on recordings. Waters. Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf would rein over the Chicago blues scene in the early 50's and Water's bands would be a proving ground for  musicians who would go on to form their own bands.

By the end of the 50's, rock and roll had supplanted blues and Waters found his career floundering. A tour of England in 1958 shocked audiences with his amplified sound and an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 left him in dismay after realizing that his African-American audience was turning away from his music. Chess records was making a move toward rock music too and Waters flowed with the times, recording rock influenced albums but to not much success.

In 1975, Chess records folded and Johnny Winter was instrumental in signing Waters onto Blue Sky Records. In 1977 he would record "Still Hard", a masterful album that would rekindle new interest in his music and earn him a Grammy. He also performed a stunning rendition of "Mannish Boy" with The Band during their last concert in San Francisco, caught on film in Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" which boosted his career and had him touring again sharing the stage with Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones (who took their name from his song).

He continued to record and tour through the 70s but his health began to fade n the 80's. His final live performance was with Eric Clapton in Florida in the fall of 1982.