MUDDY WATERS DIED ON THIS DAY in 1983 at 70 years old, leaving behind perhaps the most profound legacy in blues. He was an influence on every blues artists who came to Chicago after him, and much of the 60s rock world, from the Rolling Stones to Paul Rodgers to Z.Z. Top, and on to the White Stripes and Black Keys. (Dan Auerbach has a framed Chess promotional photo of Muddy in pomade in his studios control room.) From his first recordings on Stovall Plantation to his early and late work for Chess to his Columbia recordings with Johnny Winter, McKinley Morganfields big voice was THE sound of the Delta — broad, open and the emotional equivalent of the regions fertile soil. Hearing him sing and play slide guitar remains a sublime experience. In Waters estimable hands, songs like Got My Mojo Working and Mannish Boy were extraordinary statements of power — not only of the blues but of the African-American male that white Anglo culture had done its best to emasculate for, at that point, 300 years. When Muddy sang, Im a Man, it was not just in play; it drew a line in the sand of Jim Crow. There are many excellent examples of Muddys mastery, but one of my favorites is his recoding of My Home Is In The Delta, where you can hear all the beautiful complexity of his voice. (By Ted Drozdowski) Listen and be transported:
Posted on: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 20:20:10 +0000
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