Born: - McKinley Morganfield,
4 April 1915, Rolling Fork, Mississippi, USA,
Passed: - 30 April 1983, Chicago,
Illinois, USA.
One of the dominant figures of
post-war blues, Muddy Waters was raised in the rural
Mississippi town of Clarksdale, in
whose juke-joints he came into contact with the
legendary Son House. Having
already mastered the rudiments of the guitar, Waters began
performing
and this early, country blues
period was later documented by Alan Lomax.
Touring the south making field
recordings for the Library Of Congress, this renowned
archivist taped Waters on three
occasions between 1941-42.
The following year Waters moved to
Chicago where he befriended
Big Bill Broonzy, whose influence
and help proved vital to the younger performer.
Waters soon began using amplified,
electric instruments and by 1948 had signed a recording
contract
with the newly founded Aristocrat
label, the name of which was later changed to Chess Records.
Waters' second release, 'I Feel
Like Goin' Home'/'I Can't Be Satisfied', was a minor
R&B hit and its understated
accompaniment from bassist Big Crawford set a
pattern for several further
singles, including 'Rollin' And Tumblin'', 'Rollin' Stone'
and 'Walking Blues'. By 1951 the
guitarist was using a full backing band and
among the musicians who passed
through its ranks were Otis Spann (piano),
Jimmy Rogers (guitar), Little
Walter, Walter 'Shakey' Horton and James Cotton (all
harmonica).
This pool of talent ensured that
the Muddy Waters Band was Chicago's most influential
unit and a score of seminal
recordings, including 'Hoochie Coochie Man',
'I've Got My Mojo Working',
'Mannish Boy', 'You Need Love' and 'I'm Ready',
established the leader's abrasive
guitar style and impassioned singing.
Waters' international stature was
secured in 1958 when he toured Britain at the behest
of jazz trombonist Chris Barber.
Although criticized in some quarters for his use of
amplification,
Waters' effect on a new generation
of white enthusiasts was incalculable.
Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner
abandoned skiffle in his wake and their subsequent combo,
Blues Incorporated, was the
catalyst for the Rolling Stones, the Graham Bond
Organisation,
Long John Baldry and indeed
British R&B itself. Paradoxically, while such groups
enjoyed
commercial success, Waters
struggled against indifference.
Deemed 'old-fashioned' in the wake
of soul music, he was obliged to update his sound
and repertoire, resulting in such
misjudged releases as Electric Mud, which featured a
reading of the Rolling Stones'
'Let's Spend The Night Together', the ultimate artistic
volte-face.
The artist did complete a more
sympathetic project in Fathers And Sons on which he was
joined
by Paul Butterfield and Mike
Bloomfield, but his work during the 60s was generally
disappointing.
The London Sessions kept Waters in
the public eye, as did his appearance in the Band 's The Last
Waltz,
but it was an inspired series of
collaborations with guitarist Johnny Winter that signalled a dramatic
rebirth.
This pupil produced and arranged
four excellent albums that recaptured the fire
and purpose of Muddy's early
releases and bestowed a sense of dignity to this musical giant's
legacy.
Waters died of heart failure in
1983, his status as one of the world's most influential musicians
secured.
