Muddy Waters is a popular and even cult personality. The musician stood at the origins of the formation of the blues. In addition, a generation remembers him as a renowned guitarist and icon of American music. Thanks to the compositions of Muddy Waters, American culture has been created for several generations at once.
The American musician was a real inspiration for the British blues of the early 1960s. Muddy was ranked 17th among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time on Rolling Stone's list.
Many remember Muddy thanks to the song Mannish Boy, which eventually became the hallmark of the artist. Without Waters' declaiming powerful vocals, as well as his piercing guitar parts, perhaps Chicago would not have become a musical city.
The artist's work definitely did not have an "expiration date". Waters' compositions can be heard in films and TV series. A significant number of cover versions have been created for the musician's tracks.
Matty Waters was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In the early 1990s, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, the US Postal Service placed an image of the musician on a 29-cent stamp.
Childhood and youth of Muddy Waters
In the last years of his life, the musician spoke of being born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in 1915. However, this information cannot be called reliable.
The future celebrity was born in Jug's Corner in neighboring Issaquena County (Mississippi) in 1913. Documents have been found that confirm that in the 1930s and 1940s Muddy reported being born in 1913. This date is indicated in the marriage certificate.
It is known that Maddy was raised by her own grandmother. His mother died immediately after the birth of her son. Grandmother named her grandson Muddy, which means "dirty" in English, for his love to play in the mud. Building a creative career, the young musician took the creative pseudonym Muddy Water. A little later, he performed under the name Muddy Waters.
With music, Muddy got acquainted with the harmonica. At the age of 17, the young man was already playing the guitar. Then he did not have his own manner of singing songs. He imitated the bluesmen of the 1940s and 1950s.
The love for the blues began after listening to the compositions of Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, and Sun House. The latter was a real Muddy idol. Soon, the young musician independently mastered the battleneck guitar game. The young man put a broken bottle neck on his middle finger. I learned to “ride” them with a ringing along the guitar strings.
The creative path of Muddy Waters
In 1940, Muddy went to conquer Chicago. The young musician played with Silas Green. A year later, he returned to Mississippi. It was not the best period in the artist's life. Waters used moonshine, spent a lot of time in a bar with a jukebox.
1941 changed everything. This year Alan Lomax came to Stovall, Mississippi on behalf of the Library of Congress. He was entrusted with recording various country musicians and bluesmen. Alan managed to record a song performed by Waters Muddy.
A year later, Lomax returned again to re-record Muddy. Both sessions were included on the Down On Stovall's Plantation compilation on the popular Testament label. The complete recordings can be found on the disc Muddy Waters: The Complete Plantation Recordings.
Two years later, Muddy again went to Chicago. He tried to get a full-time job as a singer. At first, the guy took on any job - he worked as a driver, and even a loader.
Big Bill Broonzy contributed to the fact that Muddy quit a job unworthy of his talent. He helped the young talent get a job at a local Chicago club. Soon Joe Grant (Uncle Muddy) bought him an electric guitar. Finally, Waters' talent was noticed.
A year later, the musician managed to record several tracks for Mayo Williams at Columbia University. However, the compositions were not published at that time. In 1946, the performer tried to collaborate with Aristocrat Records.
In 1947, the musician played with pianist Sunnywell Slim on the cuts of Gypsy Woman and Little Anna Mae. Unfortunately, it cannot be said that Muddy's popularity has increased. He still remained unnoticed by blues fans.
The arrival of popularity
The situation changed in 1948 after the presentation of the tracks I Can't Be Satisfied I Feel Like Going Home. The mentioned compositions became real hits. Muddy's popularity has increased several hundred times. After that, the label Aristocrat Records changed its name to Chess Records, and Muddy's song Rollin' Stone became a real hit.
The label owners did not allow Muddy to use his own guitar playing during the recording of the tracks. To do this, they invited "their" bassist or musicians gathered specifically for recording the session.
Founding of the group
But the label owners soon relented. Muddy joined one of the most iconic blues bands on the planet. Waters played harmonica, Jimmie Rodgers played guitar, Elga Edmonds played drums and Otis Spann played piano.
Music lovers enjoyed the compositions: Hoochie Coochie Man, I Just Want to Make Love to You, I'm Ready. After the presentation of these songs, all musicians, without exception, woke up popular.
With Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf, Waters reigned in the early 1950s in the Chicago blues scene. Other young talents joined the group of musicians.
The band's recordings were very popular in New Orleans, Chicago and the Delta region of the United States. In the late 1950s, the band brought their electric blues to England. Then Muddy gained the status of an international star.
After a successful tour of England, Muddy significantly expanded the audience of listeners. Including the musician attracted the attention of the rock and roll community. A performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 took Waters' career to the next level. The musician kept up with the times, so his electric blues fit perfectly into the new generation.
"Electro Witchcraft" by Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters is the "father" and creator of the powerful electro blues. This innovation influenced the emergence of future rock artists. Musical compositions Mannish Boy, Hoochie Coochie Man, Got My Mojo Workin, I'm Ready and I Just Want to Make Love to You formed around the performer the image of a quasi-mystical and sexual artist. Actually, this image formed the basis of a rock star. The next generation sought to create just such a trail around itself.
In 1967, the musician teamed up with Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolfe. Soon the musicians released several worthy collections.
Five years later, Muddy returned to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions with Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Ric Grech and Mitch Mitchell. Critics noted that the musicians' performance fell short of certain standards. Experts felt that the public would not like such tracks.
In 1976, Waters played a farewell tour with his band. The concert was released as a film by The Last Waltz. However, this was not the last performance of the artist on stage.
A year later, Johnny Winter and his Blue Sky label signed an agreement with Muddy. It was a fruitful collaboration. Soon the artist's discography was replenished with LP, Hard Again. Despite the efforts of the musician, he failed to repeat the success of the last 10 years.
Personal life of Muddy Waters
On November 20, 1932, the musician married Mabel Bury. Despite vowed declarations of love, the woman left Maddy three years later. She could not forgive her husband for treason.
The reason for the divorce was the birth of a child from another woman, 16-year-old Leola Spain. She was one of his girlfriends and admirers. The musician never promised the girl to marry her, she was his faithful woman and friend.
Soon after, Muddy's friend passed away from cancer. The musician was very upset by the loss of a loved one. He even had to seek medical help.
He met his second wife in Florida. His chosen one was 19-year-old Marva Jean Brooks, whom he called Sunshine.
Muddy Waters: interesting facts
- One of Muddy's first Rolling Stone tracks gave the name to a famous music magazine. Over time, under this name, a collective already known to the whole world began to perform.
- Several of the musician's tracks were included in the list - 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
- In 2008, the Cadillac Records movie was released, the role of Muddy Waters was played by Jeffrey Wright.
- The famous statement of the artist sounds: “My blues is the most difficult blues in the world that can be played…”.
Death of Muddy Waters
In the early 1980s, the artist's health deteriorated sharply. Muddy's last performance was at a concert by the Eric Clapton band in Florida in the fall of 1982.
On April 30, 1983, Muddy Waters' heart stopped. The musician's body was buried at Restvale Alsip Cemetery (Illinois). The funeral was public. Fans and colleagues on the stage came to the last journey of the artist.
