Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, and by age 17 was playing the guitar and the harmonica, emulating the local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson. He was recorded in Mississippi by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941 In 1943, he moved to Chicago to become a full-time professional musician. In 1946, he recorded his first records for Columbia Records and then for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by the brothers Leonard and Phil Chess.
In the early 1950s, Muddy Waters and his band—Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elgin Evans on drums and Otis Spann on piano—recorded several blues classics, some with the bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon. These songs included "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "I'm Ready". In 1958, he traveled to England, laying the foundations of the resurgence of interest in the blues there. His performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960 was recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960.
Muddy Waters' influence was tremendous, not just on blues and rhythm and blues but on rock and roll, hard rock, folk music, jazz, and country music. His use of amplification is often cited as the link between Delta blues and rock and roll .
Awards and recognition
Grammy Awards
| Muddy Waters Grammy Award History[48] | |||||
| Year | Category | Title | Genre | Label | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording | They Call Me Muddy Waters | folk | MCA/Chess | winner |
| 1973 | Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording | The London Muddy Waters Session | folk | MCA/Chess | winner |
| 1975 | Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording | The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album | folk | MCA/Chess | winner |
| 1978 | Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording | Hard Again | folk | Blue Sky | winner |
| 1979 | Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording | I'm Ready | folk | Blue Sky | winner |
| 1980 | Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording | Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live | folk | Blue Sky | winner |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed four songs of Muddy Waters among the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.[49]
| Year recorded | Title |
|---|---|
| 1950 | "Rollin' Stone" |
| 1954 | "Hoochie Coochie Man" |
| 1955 | "Mannish Boy" |
| 1957 | "Got My Mojo Working" |
Blues Foundation Awards
| Muddy Waters: Blues Music Awards[50] | ||||
| Year | Category | Title | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Reissue Album of the Year | The Complete Plantation Recordings | Winner | |
| 1995 | Reissue Album of the Year | One More Mile | Winner | |
| 2000 | Traditional Blues Album of the Year | The Lost Tapes of Muddy Waters | Winner | |
| 2002 | Historical Blues Album of the Year | Fathers and Sons | Winner | |
| 2006 | Historical Album of the Year | Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Recordings, Volume 2, 1952–1958 | Winner | |
Inductions
| Year Inducted | Title |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Blues Foundation Hall of Fame |
| 1987 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
| 1992 | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award |
MUDDY WATERS BEST BLUES VIDEOS
