Muddy Waters, Windy City

On this day, April 4, in 1913, a baby boy named McKinley Morganfield was born in Issaquena County, Mississippi. His mother died shortly after he was born, and he was raised in a log cabin by his grandmother, Della Grant — she called him “Muddy.”

When he was 17, Muddy sold his grandmother’s last horse for $15, splitting the money with her. He used his share of the money to buy his first guitar, a Stella from Sears-Roebuck in Chicago. Muddy began to perform in juke joints around the county, in particular at a plantation owned by Colonel William Howard Stovall.

In 1943, Muddy followed the migration of southern African Americans to the opportunities available in wartime Chicago. His plan? Become a full-time professional musician. Working during the day and performing at night, Muddy quickly made a name for himself in Chicago’s south side music scene. He began to open for one of Chicago’s leading bluesmen, Big Bill Broonzy, in some of the city’s rowdiest clubs.

Faced with the challenge of playing in front of large, loud audiences, Muddy bought his first electric guitar in 1944. “When I started in the clubs, the first thing I wanted was an amplifier,” remembered Muddy. “Couldn’t nobody hear you with an acoustic.” The amplified Delta blues created a sound of its own — a sound that reflected the muscular, vibrant image of the Windy City. Along with amplification, Muddy played a more upbeat style of blues. This loud, energetic version of the Delta blues captured the growing postwar optimism of African Americans in Chicago, and the Chicago blues were born.

Robert Gordon, the author of Can’t Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters, explained it this way: “Muddy’s rural sound of the South mutates into a northern, urban sound with a rural accent.” He also wrote, “There’s this vast world of people in Chicago who have that same accent and immediately identify with the music.”

Over the next decade, the Chicago blues would grow in popularity, propelling Muddy to superstar status and putting Chicago on the blues map. By 1954, Muddy’s “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Just Make Love to Me,” and “I’m Ready” had broken through to the Top 5 of Billboard’s R&B charts.

Muddy’s influence on the new Chicago blues genre was enormous. His song “Rollin’ and Tumblin'” featured vocal lines that were note-for-note matches to his guitar part. This technique is still used by contemporary guitarists today.

With “Mannish Boy,” Muddy brought the call-and-response style of blues to the Chicago stage. He would sing the lines of this song, with an enthusiastic audience shouting back an answer.

Even the bands themselves were transformed. Muddy’s grouping of guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, and piano became the template for the sound Chicago’s blues artists had been searching for. The Chicago blues scene exploded, drawing fans from everywhere into clubs such as the Zanzibar on the west side and Pepper’s Lounge, the 708 Club, and Smitty’s Corner on the south side.

Of course, a steady stream of Delta blues musicians continued to make their way to Chicago. When they arrived, going to hear Muddy was a rite of passage. Roy Hytower (a.k.a. Doktu Rhute), Eddie Campbell, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith all remember seeing the Father of Chicago Blues early in their careers.

Eventually Muddy became a part of the city itself, buying a home at 4339 South Lake Park Avenue. Muddy converted the basement into a makeshift rehearsal room — hosting some of the best blues concerts never heard. When the weather turned warm, the jam sessions would spill out onto the front lawn, treating the residents of South Lake Park Avenue to impromptu concerts that rivaled anything happening on the south side’s legendary Maxwell Street. The stately Victorian home became a boarding house for blues musicians. Otis Spann, Howlin’ Wolf, and even a young Chuck Berry all spent time at Muddy’s home.
Eventually, the Chicago blues sound would give way to rock ‘n’ roll, as younger audiences began to chase the very artists that Muddy’s Chicago blues had inspired, including Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. During that time, Muddy toured less and played smaller venues. But his influence was far from over.

Groups such as the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and the Yardbirds all started their careers by performing Muddy’s Chicago blues. The Rolling Stones even named their band after a song on one of Mick Jagger’s albums, The Best of Muddy Waters. More recently, ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons and AC/DC’s Angus Young both credited Muddy with heavily influencing their playing style and sound. As a matter of fact, Billy Gibbons built a strong relationship with Muddy and even had a guitar built out of some of the wood from the plantation cabin Muddy grew up in. It’s no surprise that some of ZZ Top’s greatest hits come straight out of Muddy’s songbook.

From the plantations of the Mississippi Delta to center stage of Chicago’s legendary blues movement, Muddy Waters left an indelible mark on the music we love to play. Happy birthday, Muddy. We know as long as there are guitars and amps, your music will keep on rolling.
Muddy Waters is forever remembered in history as a blues legend. His influence runs deep into the history and progression of all music and continues to grow and thrive. He will forever live on in his music and in the music of those he inspires. Take a moment to listen to one of the world’s most influential musicians, and try to draw the connection for yourself. All the following artists and groups claim that Muddy was one of their key influences when deciding to play and write music.

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