Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) was one
of the major forces in contemporary blues. He was instrumental
in bringing the sound of the Mississippi Delta to Chicago
in the 1940s, where his recordings for the Chess label exerted
an enormous influence on both blues and rock musicians from
the mid-'50s to the present day. Muddy made his first recordings
for the Library of Congress in the early 1940s, offering
a style that was highly influenced by the legendary Robert
Johnson. It was after World War II that Muddy, who had relocated
to Chicago, began recording electric versions of his blues.
Such well-known classics as "I Can't Be Satisfied",
"Hoochie Coochie Man", "Got My Mojo Workin'",
"I Just Want To Make Love To You" and many more
redefined the sound of blues for modern audiences. Over
the years his band included such musicians as Otis Spann,
Little Walter (aka Little Walter Jacobs), James Cotton,
Junior Wells, Willie Dixon and numerous legends of the blues.
He also inspired legions of young, white musicians to try
their hand at the blues, including Mike Bloomfield, Johnny
Winter, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Paul Butterfield,
many of whom covered Muddy's music.
