Muddy Waters was born Mckinley Morganfield in 1913. He was an American blues and singer-songwriter became one of the most important figures in music in the postwar blues community. Muddy Waters is often cited as one of the creators of the Chicago blues even though his humble beginnings have him hailing from Clarksdale Mississippi.
He started his craft at a young age and was playing the harmonica and guitar at the age of 17. Some of his first influences were Robert Johnson and Son House. Muddy Waters recorded in the studio for the Library of Congress in 1943 before he moved to Chicago to follow his calling to become a professional musician.
In year 1946 he recorded his first original records with Columbia records signing to aristocrats later on. Throughout the 1950s Muddy Waters would go on to create his own band including such blues greats as Jimmy Waters, elegant and men’s, Otis Spann and Willie Dixon. He and his band were known for “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “I’m Ready”.
Muddy Waters would eventually take his show internationally and traveled England in the year 1958. Some of his most notable performances were at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1964 he released and recorded his first live album.
Many American artists include Muddy Waters as some of their top influences in blues and rock ‘n roll. He’s won multiple American music awards including multiple Grammy awards and inducted into the blues foundation and the rock ‘n roll Hall of Fame.
Muddy Waters would pass away in the year 1983 due to cancer related complications which would set off a legal battle raining on until 2018 for the rights to his music amongst his heirs. Two years after his death Chicago paid tribute to Muddy Waters by designating a full section between 901,000 E. 43rd Street as the Muddy Waters Drive.
