When the Blues Hall of Fame conducted balloting for the first group of inductees in 1980, Muddy Waters received more votes than any other artist. The kingpin of Chicago blues during its glory days, Muddy later emerged as godfather to generations of blues and rock musicians around the world who believed in the credo Muddy sang: “The blues had a baby and they named the baby rock ‘n’ roll.”
Muddy – whose real name was McKinley Morganfield, named after the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley — was born on a plantation near Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on April 4, 1913, or 1914, according to census documents and Social Security application (1915 is the date given in most biographies). He was raised on the Stovall plantation near Clarksdale, where he developed into one of the Delta’s leading bluesmen, brandishing a powerful style influenced by his idol, Son House, as well as by Robert Johnson. He first recorded in 1941 at his house on Stovall for the Library of Congress. Decades later the house became a tourist shrine, and now rests inside the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale.
Muddy left his job as Stovall’s top tractor driver when he moved to Chicago in 1943. There he began a long-lasting association with Aristocrat and Chess Records in 1947. He gathered top-notch band members such as Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and Otis Spann, and ruled the roost in Chicago during the 1950s and into the ’60s when he began to tour regularly on the college, concert and festival circuits for newfound young white audiences. The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, and many others not only adapted Muddy’s music to rock ‘n’ roll, but also recorded and performed with the master. Muddy Waters died in his sleep on April 30, 1983, content in the knowledge of his accomplishments, influence, and lasting legacy.
— Jim O’Neal
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