Muddy Waters reminds me of the Mississippi River after a heavy rain as the water is rushing muddy and very powerful; however, the Muddy Waters I am referring to is none other then the Father of Chicago Blues, McKinley Morganfield, more famously known as Muddy Waters.
Muddy waters was born as McKinley Morganfield back in 1913 or 1914, or 1915, as there is much debate as to when Muddy was actually born. Born into a sharecropper family in Issaquena County, Mississippi, Muddy’s mother died when he was only 5 years old leaving his grandmother, Della Grant to raise him. He had been dubbed Muddy at an early age because he loved to play in the mud. He later added Water to “Muddy” and finally ended up calling himself “Muddy Waters”.
Like most blues artists, he started out playing the harmonica but switched to the guitar. By the age of seventeen, he was playing the guitar at parties imitating two popular blues artists, Son House and Robert Johnson.
In 1940, Waters moved to Chicago but a year later found himself back in Mississippi. In the early 1940’s Waters ran a juke joint complete with gambling, moonshine, and a jukebox, where he often performed himself. In 1943 he went back to Chicago with the hopes of become a full time musician. He drove a truck, worked in a factory during the day, and performed at night. A leading bluesman, Big Bill Broonzy, helped Waters break into the business by allowing him to be the opening act for his shows. In 1945, Waters received his first electric guitar, which allowed him to be heard over the noise of the audience.
The first few times Waters recorded music it wasn’t released. The first recording was for Columbia and later for Aristocrat, which was a new label run by Leonard and Phil Chess. In 1948 two hits, “I Can’t Be Satisfied” and “I Feel Like Going Home” accelerated his popularity in the clubs. Aristocrat changed their name to “Rollin’ Stone” which was a Waters smash hit directed by Chess.
The Chess brothers tried to keep Waters from using his own musicians but by September 1953, they gave up trying. With Waters playing second guitar and singing he was joined by Little Walter Jacobs on the harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elga Edmonds on drums, and Otis Spann on piano. Bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon helped too. The group recorded a series of classics including ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’, and ‘I’m Ready.’ These songs were not his usual style but they were so extraordinary that it helped him to break out of the local mold and made him a national star.
By 1954, Waters was at the top of his career. His singing had taken on a shouting quality and the band’s music resembled a throbbing rhythm. As members of his band left for solo careers Waters’ style went with them and continued to evolve. Waters was forced to replace his band members with various studio musicians and some of the magic was lost.
In 1958, he shocked the audiences in England. Patrons, expecting to hear folksy blues, were bombarded with Muddy’s booming loud electric guitar and a deafening beat. At the 1960, Newport Jazz Festival, Muddy’s performance was recorded and released as his first live album. Although it was a hit he was saddened by the fact that his own race were turning their backs on his style of music even though it had the white audience looking at the blues with a new respect. Waters’ sound literally electrified the Delta blues.
On November 25, 1976, Muddy Waters performed at The Bands farewell concert in San Francisco. The following year Waters signed on the Blue Sky label (a Columbia Records subsidiary), and was off and running again with an LP Hard Again. Johnny Winter had convinced Blue Sky to Sign Waters, and he produced his final four albums including Hard Again, ¬I’m Ready, King Bee ¬ and Muddy “Mississippi” Waters – Live.
His influence was notable across a multitude of music types including the blues, rhythm and blues, rock n roll, folk, jazz and country. Because of ill health Waters’ last public performance took place in Florida in the fall of 1982 when he sat in with Eric Clapton’s band during a Clapton concert.
Waters received six Grammy Awards and five Blues Foundation Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed four of his songs in the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Muddy Waters died quietly in his sleep on April 30, 1983 at his home in Westmont, Illinois.
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