Waters acquired his nickname (and later stage name) because as a young child he liked to play in the mud. [5] He was recorded in Mississippi by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941. [40] The album proved controversial; although it reached number 127 on the Billboard 200 album chart, it was scorned by many critics, and eventually disowned by Muddy Waters himself: That Electric Mud record I did, that one was dogshit. He didnt say, Keep my music alive. He said, Keep the blues alive. So, it was important to him to keep the blues on the forefront. Waters' recording fortunes soon changed when a talent scout from Aristocrat Records heard him. The heirs, however, asked for that citation not to be pursued. Personal life. The rivalry was, in part, stoked by Willie Dixon providing songs to both artists, with Wolf suspecting that Muddy was getting Dixon's best songs. Blues singer, songwriter and musician Muddy Waters was born McKinley Morganfield on April 4, 1913 in Issaquena County, Mississippi. He eagerly absorbed the classic Delta blues styles of Robert Johnson, Son House, and others while developing a style of his own. [29] 1956 also saw the release of one of his best-known numbers, "Got My Mojo Working", although it did not appear on the charts. Tell students that they will be talking about Blues musician Muddy Waters, and the ways his music changed after moving to a new city. [27] Also in 1958, Chess released his first compilation album, The Best of Muddy Waters, which collected twelve of his singles up to 1956.[30]. In 1944 he bought his first electric guitar, which cut more easily through the noise of crowded bars. However, Waters' passion for blowing the harp was at odds with hisgrandmother's strict religious beliefs. On April 30, 1983, just over three weeks after his 70th birthday, McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, the father of Chicago blues, died of cardiorespiratory arrest and carcinoma of the lungs. The same year, he participated in the first annual European tour and performed additional acoustic-oriented numbers. The AC/DC song title "You Shook Me All Night Long" came from lyrics of the Muddy Waters song "You Shook Me", written by Willie Dixon and J. Taking the stage at Buddy Guy's Checkerboard Lounge, Waters was joined by the Rolling Stones. Diagnosed with cancer, he underwent surgery to remove part of his lung. Yet, by 1956, blues sales were in rapid decline thanks largely to the advent of rock 'n' roll and artists such as Chuck Berry,whom Waters had referred to Chess Records just a year before. [32] Korner and Davies' own groups included musicians who would later form the Rolling Stones (named after Muddy's 1950 hit "Rollin' Stone"), Cream, and the original Fleetwood Mac. Daddy never talked about which songs he liked more than others, but Im gonna tell you about one of the songs where he absolutely made the guitar talk, and thats Long Distance Call says Morganfield. In 1967, he re-recorded many blues standards with Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley for the album Super Blues. After this, Waters album Electric Mud was released under the label Cadet Concept. [42][bettersourceneeded], Later in 1969, he recorded and released the album Fathers and Sons, which featured a return to his classic Chicago blues sound. When Waters was just 3 years old, his mother, Bertha Jones, died, and he was subsequently sent to Clarksdale to live with his maternal grandmother, Delia Jones. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Muddy Waters/Parents In 1943, Muddy headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician. Which "bottleneck" players did he listen to? His performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 was recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960. The band Cream covered "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on their 1966 debut album, Fresh Cream. six children However, Alan Lomax(pictured)was no revenue agent. [48][49], In 1981, Muddy Waters was invited to perform at ChicagoFest, the city's top outdoor music festival. [32], In the 1960s, Muddy Waters' performances continued to introduce a new generation to Chicago blues. It could have been from the colour of his skin, or because he played in the mud. When it comes to vices, Muddy Waters didnt live the wild rocknroll lifestyle. I have to say it kind of hit me when I was 13 years old and my father was coming to pick me up from the airport, says Morganfield. Muddy Waters arrived in Chicago in 1943 with a suitcase and guitar. Although the emergence of rock had nearly ended his career, Muddy Waters' influence would mark its continuing evolution. It might not be the music of today, but the music of today was birthed from the blues, explains Morganfield. He was joined onstage by Johnny Winter and Buddy Miles, and played classics like "Mannish Boy", "Trouble No More", and "Mojo Working" to a new generation of fans. They went out and brought him some Asti Spumante [Italian sparkling wine], and he would not go on stage until he got his champagne. "He brought his stuff down and recorded me right in my house," Muddy told Rolling Stone magazine, "and when he played back the first song I sounded just like anybody's records. Just played it and played it and said, 'I can do it, I can do it'. In the early 1930s, Muddy Waters accompanied Big Joe Williams on tours of the Delta, playing harmonica. By the time he died, on April 30, 1983, Muddy Waters had truly changed the course of popular music, and the best Muddy Waters songs are an essential introduction to the electric blues and proto . He had many kids, including sons Big Bill Morganfield, Larry Mud Morganfield, and Joseph Joe Morganfield. There were fans that were waiting to get an autograph and so thats when I realised, maybe my fathers famous. He is also the actual father of blues musician Big Bill Morganfield. Muddy toured England with Spann in 1958, where they were backed by local Dixieland-style or "trad jazz" musicians, including members of Chris Barber's band. Howlin' Wolf moved to Chicago in 1954 with financial support earned through his successful Chess singles, and the "legendary rivalry" with Muddy Waters began. [31] He recalled: They thought I was a Big Bill Broonzy [but] I wasn't. Embodying the struggles of Black Americans in the early 20th century, the blues has evolved from a music of the oppressed to a genre enjoyed across lines of race, wealth, and nationality. He soon broke with country blues by playing electric guitar in a shimmering slide style. What about Muddy Water? Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in long-time fan Martin Scorsese's movies, including The Color of Money, Goodfellas, and Casino. "Hoochie Coochie Man", was covered by Allman Brothers Band, Humble Pie, Steppenwolf, Supertramp and Fear. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. His father, Ollie Morganfield, was a farmer and a blues guitar player who separated from the family shortly after Waters was born. As Morganfield sees it, her father saved it all for the stage. McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983),[1][2] known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". I had my amplifier and Spann and I was going to do a Chicago thing. Plantations functioned as privately owned towns, often with their own money good only at the farm owner's store. According to biographer Robert Gordon, Waters had misgivings about the project from the beginning, but knowing that you "don't cross the boss," he merely shook his head and went along. In 1946, Muddy recorded some songs for Mayo Williams at Columbia Records, with an old-fashioned combo consisting of clarinet, saxophone and piano; they were released a year later with Ivan Ballen's Philadelphia-based 20th Century label, billed as James "Sweet Lucy" Carter and his Orchestra Muddy Waters' name was not mentioned on the label. Your email address will not be published. A 1955 interview in the Chicago Defender is the earliest in which he stated 1915 as the year of his birth, and he continued to state that year in interviews from that point onward. The late 1940s-mid-1950s record releases by Aristocrat Records and Chess Records sometimes used "Muddy Waters and His Guitar" as well as Muddy Waters. Robert Palmer wrote for Rolling Stone that it was an invention of childhood friends. This album was the most successful work of Waters' music career. Angus Young, of the rock group AC/DC, has cited Muddy as one of his influences. Waters released the single Juke with Little Walter. In the early 1940s, Muddy Waters went to Chicago and started living with his relative. No one was as hard on the experimental album as Waters himself, who said, "That Electric Mud record I did, that one was dogs***. He had at least six children, most illegitimate; mistresses and a daughter were lost to drugs. In the late 1950s, Waters career began to decline and his single "Close to You" became the only one of his songs to reach the charts in 1958. His last performance took place at a concert in the summer of 1982. Music was a tonic for the hard lives of the sharecroppers, and they made it any way they could. Then in 1987, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He recorded his album Fold Singer in 1963. In 1981, he played live at the Checkerboard Lounge with the Rolling Stones. How many illegitimate children did Muddy Waters have? I was definitely too loud for them. In 1969, Muddy Waters recorded the album titled Fathers and Sons that included performances by his longtime fans Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield who had wanted to work with Waters from a long time. Couldn't nobody hear you with an acoustic." [citation needed], In 1981 ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons went to visit the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale with The Blues magazine founder Jim O'Neal. Muddy Waters/Wife. Big Bill Morganfield, Larry "Mud" Morganfield, and Joseph "Joe" Morganfield were among the many children he had while he was alive. Muddy Waters longtime partner, Geneva Wade, died of cancer on March 15, 1973. McKinley Morganfield would grow up in the care of his grandmother, 32-year-old Della Grant. As a young man, he drove a tractor on the sharecropped plantation, and on weekends he operated the cabin in which he lived as a juke house, where visitors could party and imbibe moonshine whiskey made by Waters. Muddy Waters's band became a proving ground for some of the city's best blues talent,[25][bettersourceneeded] with members of the ensemble going on to successful careers of their own. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. In 1967, he re-recorded several blues standards with Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf, which were marketed as Super Blues and The Super Super Blues Band albums in Chess' attempt to reach a rock audience. "Rollin' and Tumblin'" was also covered by Canned Heat at the Monterey Pop Festival and later adapted by Bob Dylan on his album Modern Times. He went to work as a truck driver and played house parties and small clubs at night. Q: How many children did muddy waters have? On November 22, he performed live with three members of British rock band the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood) at the Checkerboard Lounge, a blues club in Bronzeville, on the South Side of Chicago, which was established in 1972 by Buddy Guy and L.C. Mabel Berrym. One of Led Zeppelin's biggest hits, "Whole Lotta Love", has its lyrics heavily influenced by the Muddy Waters hit "You Need Love" (written by Willie Dixon). "The lady that lived across the field from us had a phonograph when I was a little bitty boy," Waters told Robert Palmer, author of "Deep Blues." June 23, 1983. Muddy was recorded by Alan Lomax and John Work, two musicologists working for Fisk University and the Library of Congress to study the folk traditions in rural communities. In exchange for a small plot of land and meager living quarters, a sharecropper was expected to work in the cotton fields from sunup to sundown. Muddy Waters' place and date of birth are not conclusively known. During the 1960s, the American artists career experienced a revival as his works gained appreciation from a new generation of music lovers. Tony Evans/timelapse Library Ltd./Getty Images, the blues is a uniquely American art form, Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters, ordered from the Sears and Roebuck catalog, Feel Like going Home: Portraits in Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. Stomping around in the dirty Delta water was one of the few pleasures for a child growing up on a plantation. Shortly after, Waters released The Blues of Otis Spann with Spann. So, I had to say, Yall gotta find some decent champagne, you cant come back here with Korbel. Later, when Muddys illness progressed, Morganfield says her stepmother Marva would hide all the champagne in the house; Mercy would sneak into the wine cellar to get him bottles of his favourite bubbly. She died of cancer in March 1973, leaving him a widower. Muddy Waters was born as McKinley Morganfield on 4 April 1913 (his birth year is stated to be 1915 in some sources) in the city of Rolling Fork in Mississippi. Muddy Waters/Wife [65], Muddy Waters' Chicago Home in the Kenwood neighborhood is in the process of being named a Chicago Landmark. On April 30, 1983, the American musician died in his sleep from heart failure. In 2010, his heirs were petitioning the courts to appoint Mercy Morganfield, his daughter, as administrator who would then control the assets of Morganfield's estate, which mainly comprise copyrights to his music. The list of these. He later tied the knot with Marva Jean Brooks, his second wife, in the year 1979. It was more than just his music. Toward the end of his career, Waters concentrated on singing and played guitar only occasionally. "These boys are top musicians, they can play with me, put the book before 'em and play it, you know," he told Guralnick. Waters' father was Ollie Morganfield, an amiable, burly man who made his living as a muleskinner hauling timber across the state to the sawmill in Vicksburg. Bertha Jones William Kennedy, "What Happened To Muddy Waters' Estate After His Death? Name: Muddy Waters. In the segregated South, such an act was unthinkable. Although some purists were turned off by Waters' wild, amplified Chicago blues,others were paying careful attention. "I always felt like I could beat plowin' mules, choppin' cotton, and drawin' water," Waters told Robert Palmer. The last court date was held on July 10, 2018,[60] and, as of 2023, the disputed arrangement remained unchanged.[61]. Throngs of blues musicians and fans attended his funeral at Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. "We called ourselves The Headhunters, 'cause we'd go in and if we got a chance we were gonna burn 'em.". This is the true story of Muddy Waters, father of the Chicago Blues. Muddy Waters's first 78 rpm record in 1941 listed him using his birth name, McKinley Morganfield. However, the Chicago music scene was not at all what he'd expected. His repertoire, much of which he composed, included lyrics that were mournful (Blow Wind Blow, Trouble No More), boastful (Got My Mojo Working, Im Your Hoochie Coochie Man, and Mannish Boy), and frankly sensual (the unusual 15-bar blues Rock Me). He was 21, a father, and recently separated from his wife when he met Muddy Waters' mother, Berta Grant, in the summer of 1912. At 14, Waters experienced a blues epiphany when he saw Son House play at a juke joint outside of Clarksdale. Soon, he was back on Stovall, driving a tractor for 22 cents an hour. Gaining custody of his three children, Joseph, Renee, and Rosalind, he moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in Westmont, Illinois. I dont think he thought he started a rocknroll revolution, even though history has shown that he did. However, an attempt to modernize and repackage Waters as a rock artist failed with the 1968 release of "Electric Mud." He died from heart failure in his sleep at the age of 70. Originally released as a 10 in 1951, Long Distance Call also features famed harmonica player Paul Butterfield, guitar prodigy Mike Bloomfield and Stax Records session bassist Donald Duck Dunn. It would be his final performance. He then recorded a follow-up album titled After the Rain that came out on May 12, 1969. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Able-bodied children were required to work. [Part 2]", "The Super Super Blues Band Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley", "Muddy Waters: After the Rain Album Review", "Reviving the Classic R&B Sound: Miami Herald", "Checkerboard Lounge: Live Chicago 1981 [DVD] The Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters". "She used to let us go over there all the time, and I played it night and day." Muddy Waters was first married to a lady named Geneva. An' if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man." He was a 26-year-old ethnomusicologist on a mission from the Library of Congress to document the vanishing folk music of the American South. When he began his musical career he adopted Muddy Waters as his legal . In March 1973, she passed away from cancer. Later in 1972, he flew to England to record the album The London Muddy Waters Sessions. We never looked at him as a historical figure, he was always Daddy growing up.. Muddy Waters is quoted as saying; "I made Chess Records, and they made me." In the early days and through the glory days of Chicago Blues, the 1950s, Chess Records paid their recording artists in Cadillacs. He had at least six children, most illegitimate; mistresses and a daughter were lost to drugs. Ultimately, the conditions on a plantation were contingent on the character of the owner. At age seven, Muddy Waters made his first tentative steps as bluesman when he picked up the harmonica. In 1951, Muddy Waters used the vocal melody and guitar figure from "Rollin' Stone" for "Still a Fool". How many kids did Muddy Waters and Geneva have? [8] In the 1930s and 1940s, before his rise to fame, the year of his birth was reported as 1913 on his marriage license, recording notes, and musicians' union card. Muddy Waters/Parents. [33] At the Newport Jazz Festival, he recorded one of the first live blues albums, At Newport 1960, and his performance of "Got My Mojo Working" was nominated for a Grammy award. Life as a sharecropper on a plantation in the early 20th century was barely a step above slavery. "[41], Nonetheless, six months later he recorded a follow-up album, After the Rain, which had a similar sound and featured many of the same musicians. H OT RED AND GREEN chili peppers, okra, turnip greens, cabbage and tomatoes grow in immaculate, carefully nurtured rows all . 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His cancer was back, and it would worsen over the course of a year. In the city, the young boy's world opened up. Your name could be Dawn and they would nickname you Junebug.. There he began playing clubs and bars on the citys South and West sides while earning a living working in a paper mill and later driving a truck. With the help of several seasoned harp players, Waters was proficient on the harmonica by 13 and began playing local picnics and fish fries with his friend, guitar player Scott Bohaner. He had at least six children, most illegitimate; mistresses and a daughter were lost to drugs. What happened to Geneva Muddy Waters wife? Muddy Water (Japanese: Muddy River) is a damage-dealing Water-type move introduced in Generation III. In an interview quoted by author Robert Gordon, Waters recalled the transformative moment. "I stone got crazy when I seen somebody run down them strings with a bottleneck," Waters said. Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Workin'. "I did all that, and I never did like none of it. Maureen O'Donnell and Miriam Di Nunzio, "Singer Joseph 'Mojo' Morganfield, son of blues legend Muddy Waters, has died at 56", "Late bluesman Muddy Waters at center of legal dispute in DuPage", "Muddy Waters' heirs back off on contempt claim as dispute over bluesman's estate continues in DuPage". So, we're going to pray and we're going to pray for some of these things that are on the wall here because we believe in a miracle working God who can change things, who can give people the the highs and but he's also there with them in the valleys as well. Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in Martin Scorseses films, including Goodfellas, The Color of Money, and Casino.. From The Animals to The Yardbirds, British blues became the sound of rock 'n' roll in the 1960s, with loud electric guitars as its driving force. He was so deeply engrossed in a marriage with the blues, thats pretty much how he thought of himself. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Shortly after the historic performance, Waters, a long-time sufferer of hypertension, collapsed. The same year, he also released his album titled The Best of Muddy Waters. He had heard Waters was as good as the recently deceased bluesman Robert Johnson and wanted to record his music. When Wolf was a child his grandfather would tell him stories of wolves in Mississippi. "I sold the last horse we had," Waters recalled to Robert Palmer. Farm Blues" by Muddy Waters. In 1980, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. Willie Dixon said that "There was quite a few people around singing the blues but most of them was singing all sad blues. In 1993, Paul Rodgers released the album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters, on which he covered a number of his songs, including "Louisiana Blues", "Rollin' Stone", "(I'm your) Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready" in collaboration with guitarists such as Gary Moore, Brian May and Jeff Beck. Listen to the best of Muddy Waters on Apple Music and Spotify. Muddy Waters, byname of McKinley Morganfield, (born April 4, 1913?, near Rolling Fork, Mississippi, U.S.died April 30, 1983, Westmont, Illinois), dynamic American blues guitarist and singer who played a major role in creating the post-World War II electric blues. Updates? He started playing the harmonica when he was five and began performing music on the streets as a teenager. "My first instrument, which a lady give me, was an old squeeze box, old accordion," Waters told "Deep Blues"author Robert Palmer. [64] He also received a plaque on the Clarksdale Walk of Fame. His father abandoned the family shortly after Waters was born. She died of cancer in March 1973, leaving him a widower. [54] Eric Clapton served as best man at their wedding in 1979. Who were Muddy Waters parents? He sang for the tracks "I Feel Like Going Home" and I Can't Be Satisfied" which became huge hits. Gaining custody of his three children, Joseph, Renee, and Rosalind, he moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in Westmont, Illinois. The albums were critical and commercial successes, with all but King Bee winning a Grammy. [59] The petition to reopen the estate was successful. Jimi Hendrix recalled that "I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death". On a personal note, Waters married twice in his lifetime and had many children.