Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters remains the Father Of Electric Blues. His music is ageless and he single-handedly dragged the ethnic folk music of the Delta north to Chicago, electrifying it like never before. His legacy is rich, owing in part to his on-going blues farm team created from up and coming musicians who, having survived the rigid schooling of McKinley Morganfield, went on to contribute sizeably to the pantheon of Chicago blues: Earl Hooker, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, James Cotton, Willie Dixon, Junior Wells and Little Walter. This album's line-up is no exception, recorded in 1971 from the Universities of Washington and Oregon, featuring the road-tested talents of George “Harmonica” Smith, Pinetop Perkins on piano, Pee Wee Madison and Sammy Lawhorn on guitars, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones on bass and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums. All the classics are here: “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Long Distance Call,” “Got My Mojo Working,” “Mannish Boy” and “Crawlin' Kingsnake.” And the Master's in fine form, with his deep, mannish voice and slashing slide guitar. The humorous introduction to "She's 19 Years Old" adds a further glimpse into the soul of this consummate performer. There are flaws and burrs in this recording, and some of the passion is missing, but with so little of Muddy's live music on tape, this is something of a coup for this aggressive San Francisco-based blues label. Experiencing Muddy live is a must for serious blues students and, in that, this CD is something of a coup for your collection.