Muddy Waters

How Muddy Waters Influenced the History of Blues
McKinley Morganfield or better known as Muddy Waters, was a blues musician who is often called the “father of modern Chicago blues”. Waters’ influence on blues was tremendous, as well as on R&B, rock and roll, hard rock, folk music, jazz and country music. Growing up in Issaquena County, Mississippi, Waters grew up immersed in the Delta blues, and in 1943, he moved to Chicago and began playing in clubs. A record deal followed, and his major hits like "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Rollin' Stone" made him an iconic Chicago blues man. (Deming, Mark. “Muddy Waters | Biography & History.”) He was given the nickname "Muddy Waters" because he liked to play in the swampy puddles of the Mississippi

His performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival was a particularly special point in his career, because it caught the attention of a new fan base. Waters continued to record with rock musicians throughout the 1960s and '70s, and won his first Grammy Award in 1971 for the album “They Call me Muddy Waters”. (Muddy Waters.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television) After his 30-year run with Chess Records, in 1975 he went his own way, suing the record company for a royalty fee after his final release with them: Muddy Waters Woodstock Album. Waters signed on with Blue Sky Label. He then captivated audiences with his appearance in The Band's farewell performance, known as "The Last

He died after suffering from a heart attack on April 30, 1983, in Downers Grove, Illinois. Since his death, Waters’ contribution to the jazz community or the music world as a whole, has continued to gain recognition. In 1987, Waters was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Five years later, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded him the musician a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. (“Music Makes Make the World Go Round.”) Lastly, some of the most recognizable jazz and blues names in music have named Muddy Waters as their single-greatest influence, including Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Johnny