View source for Muddy Waters

{{Short description|American blues musician (1913–1983)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name         = Muddy Waters
| image        = Muddy Waters november 1976.jpg
| caption      = Waters performing in 1976
| birth_name   = McKinley Morganfield
| alias        =
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1913|04|04}}
| birth_place  = [[Issaquena County, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1983|04|30|1913|04|04}}
| death_place  = [[Westmont, Illinois]], U.S.
| genre        = {{flatlist|
* [[Blues]]
* [[Chicago blues]]
* [[Delta blues]]
}}
| discography  = [[Muddy Waters discography]]
| occupation   = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* songwriter
* bandleader}}
| instrument   = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* harmonica}}
| years_active = 1941–1982
| label        = {{flatlist|
* [[Aristocrat Records|Aristocrat]]
* [[Chess Records|Chess]]
* [[Blue Sky Records|Blue Sky]]}}
| website      = {{URL|muddywatersofficial.com}}
}}
'''McKinley Morganfield''' (April 4, 1913{{snd}}April 30, 1983),<ref>{{cite news |last=Palmer |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Palmer (American writer) |date=May 1, 1983 |title=Muddy Waters, Blues Performer, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0404.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 4, 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Gordon|2002|pp=4–5}} better known as '''Muddy Waters''', was an American [[blues]] [[singer-songwriter]] and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern [[Chicago blues]]".<ref name="cantbe-dvd">{{cite AV media |title=Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied |type=[[DVD]] |year=2003 |publisher=[[Winstar Communications]]}}</ref> His style of playing has been described as "raining down [[Mississippi Delta|Delta]] beatitude".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cogan |first1=Jim |title=Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios |date=2003 |page=10 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=9780811833943 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hO-KQ4o_B2MC |access-date=July 16, 2019}}</ref>

Muddy Waters grew up on [[Stovall, Mississippi|Stovall Plantation]] near [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]], and by the age of 17 was playing the guitar and the [[harmonica]], copying local blues artists [[Son House]] and [[Robert Johnson]].<ref name="Guralnick">"His thick heavy voice, the dark colouration of his tone, and his firm, almost solid, personality were all clearly derived from House," wrote the music historian [[Peter Guralnick]] in ''Feel Like Going Home'', "but the embellishments, which he added, the imaginative [[slide guitar|slide technique]] and more agile rhythms, were closer to Johnson."</ref> In 1941, [[Alan Lomax]] and Professor [[John W. Work III]] of [[Fisk University]] recorded him in Mississippi for the [[Library of Congress]].<ref name="Palmer">{{cite magazine |last=Palmer |first=Robert|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/muddy-waters-the-delta-son-never-sets-102670/ |author-link=Rolling Stone |date=October 5, 1978 |title=Muddy Waters: The Delta Son Never Sets |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |page=55 }}</ref><ref name="PBS">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/muddy-waters-cant-be-satisfied/730/ |title=Muddy Waters: Can't Be Satisfied |last=Gordon |first=Robert |date=May 24, 2006 |publisher=[[PBS]] |access-date=January 6, 2015 }}</ref> In 1943, he moved to Chicago to become a full-time professional musician. In 1946, he recorded his first records for [[Columbia Records]] and then for [[Aristocrat Records]], a newly formed label run by brothers [[Leonard Chess|Leonard]] and [[Phil Chess]].

In the early 1950s, Muddy Waters and his band—[[Little Walter Jacobs]] on harmonica, [[Jimmy Rogers]] on guitar, [[Elga Edmonds]] (also known as Elgin Evans) on drums and [[Otis Spann]] on piano—recorded several songs that became blues classics, some with the bassist and songwriter [[Willie Dixon]]. These songs included "[[Hoochie Coochie Man]]," "[[I Just Want to Make Love to You]]" and "[[I'm Ready (Muddy Waters song)|I'm Ready]]". In 1958, he traveled to England, laying the foundations of the resurgence of interest in the  blues there. His performance at the [[Newport Jazz Festival]] in 1960 was recorded and released as his first live album, ''[[At Newport 1960]]''.

Muddy Waters' music has influenced various [[Music of the United States|American music]] genres, including [[rock and roll]] and subsequently [[Rock music|rock]].

==Early life==
Muddy Waters' place and date of birth are not conclusively known. He stated that he was born in 1915 at [[Rolling Fork, Mississippi|Rolling Fork]] in [[Sharkey County, Mississippi]], but other evidence suggests that he was born in the unincorporated community of Jug's Corner, in neighboring [[Issaquena County, Mississippi|Issaquena County]], in 1913.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=3}} In the 1930s and 1940s, before his rise to fame, the year of his birth was reported as 1913 on his marriage license, recording notes, and musicians' union card. A 1955 interview in the ''[[Chicago Defender]]'' is the earliest in which he stated 1915 as the year of his birth, and he continued to state that year in interviews from that point onward. The 1920 census lists him as five years old as of March 6, 1920. The Social Security Death Index, relying on the [[Social Security card]] application submitted after his move to [[Chicago]] in the mid-1940s, lists him as being born April 4, 1913. His gravestone gives his birth year as 1915.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/stairway-to-heaven-240073/muddy-waters-book-of-dead-gallery-rs-983-9-8-05-large-17311/ Image at ''Rolling Stone'']</ref>

His grandmother, Della Grant, raised him after his mother died shortly after his birth. Grant gave him the nickname "Muddy" at an early age because he loved to play in the muddy water of nearby [[Deer Creek (Mississippi)|Deer Creek]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chilton|first1=Martin|title=Muddy Waters: Celebrating a Great Blues Musician|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/muddy-waters-celebrating-a-great-blues-musician/|date=April 4, 2016|access-date=January 25, 2017|work=[[The Telegraph (UK)|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> "Waters" was added years later, as he began to play harmonica and perform locally in his early teens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/delta/blues/people/muddy_waters.htm |title=Trail of the Hellhound: Muddy Waters |publisher=U.S. [[National Park Service]]|access-date=December 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702223742/http://www.nps.gov/history/delta/blues/people/muddy_waters.htm |archive-date=July 2, 2014}}</ref> He taught himself to play harmonica.<ref>{{cite web|title=Muddy Waters |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muddy-Waters|accessdate=July 19, 2022}}</ref> The remains of the cabin on Stovall Plantation where he lived in his youth are now at the [[Delta Blues Museum]] in [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Muddy Waters Cabin and Statue|publisher=[[Delta Blues Museum]] |url=https://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/muddycabin.asp|access-date=January 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=What's on View at the Delta Blues Museum|work=NEA |date=July 6, 2011 |url=https://www.arts.gov/blue-star/2011/whats-view-delta-blues-museum|publisher=[[National Endowment for the Arts]]|access-date=January 25, 2017}}</ref>

He had his first introduction to music in church: "I used to belong to church. I was a good Baptist, singing in the church. So I got all of my good moaning and trembling going on for me right out of church," he recalled. By the time he was 17, he had purchased his first guitar. "I sold the last horse that we had. Made about fifteen dollars for him, gave my grandmother seven dollars and fifty cents, I kept seven-fifty and paid about two-fifty for that guitar. It was a [[Stella (guitar)|Stella]]. The people ordered them from [[Sears-Roebuck]] in Chicago."{{sfn|Szatmary|2014|p=8}} He started playing his songs in joints near his hometown, mostly on a plantation owned by Colonel [[William Howard Stovall]].{{sfn|Palmer|1982|p=4}}

==Career==
===Early career, 1930s–1948===
In the early 1930s, he accompanied [[Big Joe Williams]] on tours of the Delta, playing harmonica. Williams recounted to Blewett Thomas that he eventually dropped Muddy "because he was takin' away my women [fans]".

In August 1941,<ref name="PBS" /> [[Alan Lomax]] went to [[Stovall, Mississippi]], on behalf of the Library of Congress to record various [[country blues]] musicians. "He brought his stuff down and recorded me right in my house," Muddy told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine, "and when he played back the first song I sounded just like anybody's records. Man, you don't know how I felt that Saturday afternoon when I heard that voice and it was my own voice. Later on he sent me two copies of the pressing and a check for twenty bucks, and I carried that record up to the corner and put it on the jukebox. Just played it and played it and said, 'I can do it, I can do it'."<ref name="Palmer" /> Lomax came back in July 1942 to record him again. Both sessions were eventually released by [[Testament Records (USA)|Testament Records]] as ''Down on Stovall's Plantation''.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=196}} The complete recordings were reissued by Chess Records on CD as ''Muddy Waters: The Complete Plantation Recordings. The Historic 1941–42 Library of Congress Field Recordings'' in 1993 and remastered in 1997.

In 1943, he headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician. He recalled arriving in Chicago as the single most momentous event in his life.{{sfn|Palmer|1982|p=13}} He lived with a relative for a short period while driving a truck and working in a factory by day and performing at night.{{sfn|Palmer|1982|p=14}} [[Big Bill Broonzy]], then one of the leading bluesmen in Chicago, had Muddy open his shows in the rowdy clubs where Broonzy played. This gave him the opportunity to play in front of a large audience.{{sfn|O'Neal|Van Singel|2002|pp=172–173}} In 1944, he bought his first electric guitar and then formed his first electric combo. He felt obliged to electrify his sound in Chicago because, he said, "When I went into the clubs, the first thing I wanted was an amplifier. Couldn't nobody hear you with an acoustic." His sound reflected the optimism of postwar African Americans. [[Willie Dixon]] said that "There was quite a few people around singing the blues but most of them was singing all sad blues. Muddy was giving his blues a little pep."{{sfn|Szatmary|2014|p=8}}

In 1946, he recorded some songs for [[Mayo Williams]] at [[Columbia Records]], with an old-fashioned combo consisting of clarinet, saxophone and piano; they were released a year later with Ivan Ballen's Philadelphia-based 20th Century label, billed as James "Sweet Lucy" Carter and his Orchestra – Muddy Waters' name was not mentioned on the label.<ref name="clemson">{{cite web|title=Ebony, Chicago, Southern, and Harlem: The Mayo Williams Indies|url=http://campber.people.clemson.edu/ebony.html|access-date=June 25, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622191207/http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~campber/ebony.html|archive-date=June 22, 2009}}</ref> Later that year, he began recording for [[Aristocrat Records]], a newly formed label run by the brothers [[Leonard Chess|Leonard]] and [[Phil Chess]]. In 1947, he played guitar with [[Sunnyland Slim]] on piano on the cuts "Gypsy Woman" and "Little Anna Mae". These were also shelved, but in 1948, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home" became hits, and his popularity in clubs began to take off.{{sfn|Palmer|1982|pp=159–160}} Soon after, Aristocrat changed its name to [[Chess Records]]. His signature tune "[[Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters song)|Rollin' Stone]]" also became a hit that year.

=== Commercial success, 1948–1957 ===
Initially, the Chess brothers would not allow Muddy Waters to use his working band in the recording studio;{{sfn|Palmer|1982|p=163}} instead, they provided him with bass backing by [[Ernest "Big" Crawford]] or by musicians assembled specifically for the recording session, including [["Baby Face" Leroy Foster]] and [[Little Johnny Jones (pianist)|Johnny Jones]]. Gradually, Chess relented, and by September 1953 he was recording with one of the most acclaimed blues groups in history: [[Little Walter Jacobs]] on harmonica, [[Jimmy Rogers]] on guitar, [[Elga Edmonds]] (also known as Elgin Evans) on drums, [[Otis Spann]] on piano and sometimes, bassist and songwriter [[Willie Dixon]].{{Sfn|Palmer|1982|p=167}} The band recorded a number of blues songs which have become classics including "[[Hoochie Coochie Man]]", "[[I Just Want to Make Love to You]]", and "[[I'm Ready (Muddy Waters song)|I'm Ready]]".

His band became a proving ground for some of the city's best blues talent,<ref name="allmusic-waters-bio">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/muddy-waters-mn0000608701/biography|title=Muddy Waters {{!}} Biography & History|author=Mark Deming|website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=April 2021}} with members of the ensemble going on to successful careers of their own. In 1952, Little Walter left when his single "[[Juke (song)|Juke]]" became a hit, although he continued working with Muddy long after he left the band, appearing on most of the Muddy's classic recordings in the 1950s. In 1954, [[Howlin' Wolf]] moved to Chicago with money that he earned through the success of the singles he recorded at [[Sun Records]] which Chess released, and the legendary rivalry with Muddy began. The rivalry was, in part, stoked by Willie Dixon providing songs to both artists, with Wolf suspecting that Muddy was getting Dixon's best songs.<ref name="musicradar-life-times-wolf">{{Cite web|title=The life and times of Howlin' Wolf |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-life-and-times-of-howlin-wolf-254631|author=Ed Mitchell|date=June 10, 2010|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> In 1955, Jimmy Rogers left to work exclusively with his own band which had been a sideline until that time.

In the mid-1950s, his singles were frequently on [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] magazine's various [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Rhythm & Blues charts]]{{sfn|Whitburn|1988|p=435}}<ref name=pc4>{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19750/m1/ |title=Show 4 – The Tribal Drum: The Rise of Rhythm and Blues. [Part 2] |publisher=Digital.library.unt.edu|accessdate=January 6, 2015}}</ref> including "Sugar Sweet" in 1955 and "[[Trouble No More (song)|Trouble No More]]", "[[Forty Days and Forty Nights]]", and "Don't Go No Farther" in 1956.{{sfn|Dahl|1996|p=}} 1956 also saw the release of one of his best-known numbers, "[[Got My Mojo Working]]", although it did not appear on the charts. However, by the late 1950s, his singles success had come to an end, with only "Close to You" reaching the chart in 1958.{{sfn|Whitburn|1988|p=435}}  Also in 1958, Chess released his first compilation album, ''[[The Best of Muddy Waters]]'', which collected twelve of his singles up to 1956.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|pp=163–164}}

=== Performances and crossover, 1958–1970 ===
Muddy toured England with Spann in 1958 where they were backed by local [[Dixieland]]-style or "[[trad jazz]]" musicians, including [[Chris Barber]] and members of his band. At the time, English audiences had only been exposed to acoustic folk blues, as performed by artists such as [[Sonny Terry]], [[Brownie McGhee]], and [[Big Bill Broonzy]].  Both the musicians and audiences were unprepared for his performance, which included electric [[slide guitar]] playing.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|pp=157–159}}  He recalled:

{{blockquote|They thought I was a Big Bill Broonzy [but] I wasn't. I had my amplifier and Spann and I was going to do a Chicago thing. We opened up in Leeds, England. I was definitely too loud for them. The next morning we were in the headlines of the paper, 'Screaming Guitar and Howling Piano'.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|pp=157–159}}}}

Although his performances alienated the old guard, some younger musicians, including [[Alexis Korner]] and [[Cyril Davies]] from Barber's band, were inspired to go in the more modern, electric blues direction. Korner and Davies' own groups included musicians who would later form [[the Rolling Stones]] (named after Waters's 1950 hit "Rollin' Stone"), [[Cream (band)|Cream]], and Peter Green's [[Fleetwood Mac]].{{sfn|Eder|1996|p=377}}

In the 1960s, his performances continued to introduce a new generation to Chicago blues.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=167}}  At the [[Newport Jazz Festival]], he recorded one of the first live blues albums, ''[[At Newport 1960]]'', and his performance of "Got My Mojo Working" was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]].{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=169}} In September 1963, in Chess' attempt to connect with [[folk music]] audiences, he recorded ''[[Folk Singer (album)|Folk Singer]]'', which replaced his trademark electric guitar sound with an acoustic band, including a then-unknown [[Buddy Guy]] on acoustic guitar.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=183}} ''Folk Singer'' was not a commercial success, but it was lauded by critic [[Joe Kane]], and in 2003 ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' magazine placed it at number 280 on its list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 greatest albums of all time]].<ref>{{cite news
|date=December 11, 2003|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]]|issue=937|pages=83–178|publisher=Straight Arrow|issn=0035-791X|oclc=1787396}}</ref> In October 1963, Waters participated in the first of several annual European tours, organized as the [[American Folk Blues Festival]], during which he also performed more acoustic-oriented numbers.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|pp=184–185}}

In 1967, he re-recorded several [[blues standards]] with [[Bo Diddley]], Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf, which were marketed as ''[[Super Blues]]'' and ''The Super Super Blues Band'' albums in Chess' attempt to reach a rock audience.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=197}} ''The Super Super Blues Band'' united Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, who had a long-standing rivalry.<ref name="musicradar-life-times-wolf" /> It was, as Ken Chang wrote in his [[AllMusic]] review, flooded with "contentious studio banter [...] more entertaining than the otherwise unmemorable music from this stylistic train wreck".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-super-super-blues-band-mw0000313000|title=The Super Super Blues Band – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|author=Ken Chang|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=April 2021}} In 1968, at the insistence of [[Marshall Chess]], he recorded ''[[Electric Mud]]'', an album intended to revive his career by backing him with [[Rotary Connection]], a [[psychedelic soul]] band that Chess had put together.{{sfn|Gordon|2002|pp=205–207}} The album proved controversial; although it reached number 127 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] album chart, it was scorned by many critics, and eventually disowned by Muddy himself:

{{blockquote|That ''Electric Mud'' record I did, that one was dogshit.  But when it first came out, it started selling like wild, and then they started sending them back.  They said, "This can't be Muddy Waters with all this shit going on – all this [[wah-wah pedal|wow-wow]] and [[distortion (music)|fuzztone]]."{{sfn|Gordon|2002|p=207}}}}

Nonetheless, six months later he recorded a follow-up album, ''[[After the Rain (Muddy Waters album)|After the Rain]]'', which had a similar sound and featured many of the same musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/after-the-rain-mw0000867041|title=Muddy Waters: After the Rain – Album Review|last=Eder|first=Bruce|publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=April 2021}}

Later in 1969, he recorded and released the album ''[[Fathers and Sons (album)|Fathers and Sons]]'', where he returned to his classic Chicago sound. ''Fathers and Sons'' had an all-star backing band that included [[Mike Bloomfield|Michael Bloomfield]] and [[Paul Butterfield]], longtime fans whose desire to play with him was the impetus for the album.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Paige |first=Earl |date=August 16, 1969 |title=A Chess Album That May Set a Trend |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=46 |access-date=September 12, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qSkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Fathers+and+Sons%22+Muddy+Waters&pg=RA1-PA46}}</ref> It was the most successful album of Muddy Waters' career, reaching number 70 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

===Resurgence and later career, 1971–1982===
[[File:Muddy Waters.jpg|thumb|Muddy Waters with [[James Cotton]], 1978]]
In 1971, Chess recorded a show at [[Mister Kelly's]], an upscale Chicago nightclub. The album signaled Muddy's return to form and cemented his appeal with white audiences.

In 1972, he won his first [[Grammy Award]], for [[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording]] for ''They Call Me Muddy Waters'', a 1971 album of old but previously unreleased recordings.

Later in 1972, he flew to England to record the album ''[[The London Muddy Waters Sessions]]''. The album was a follow-up to the previous year's ''[[The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions]]''. Both albums were the brainchild of Chess Records producer Norman Dayron, and were intended to showcase Chicago blues musicians playing with the younger British rock musicians whom they had inspired. He brought with him two American musicians, harmonica player Carey Bell and guitarist [[Sammy Lawhorn]]. The British and Irish musicians who played on the album included [[Rory Gallagher]], [[Steve Winwood]], [[Rick Grech]], and [[Mitch Mitchell]]. Muddy was dissatisfied by the results, due to the British musicians' more rock-oriented sound. "These boys are top musicians. They can play with me, put the book before 'em and play it, you know," he told Guralnick. "But that ain't what I need to sell my people. It ain't the Muddy Waters sound. An' if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man." He stated, "My blues look so simple, so easy to do, but it's not. They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play."{{sfn|Palmer|1982|p=103}} Nevertheless, the album won another Grammy, again for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording.

He won another Grammy for his last LP on Chess, ''[[The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album]]'', recorded in 1975 with a new band, guitarist [[Bob Margolin]]; pianist [[Pinetop Perkins]] and [[Paul Butterfield]] on harmonica with [[Levon Helm]] and [[Garth Hudson]] of [[the Band]] on drums, organ, accordion and saxophone.<ref name="Grammy">{{cite web|last=Dahl|first=Bill|title=Muddy Waters|website=Blues Finland|url=http://www.blues-finland.com/english/muddy_waters_biography_3|year=2008}}</ref> In November 1976, he appeared as a featured special guest at the Band's [[Last Waltz]] farewell concert, and in the subsequent 1978 [[feature film]] documentary of the event.

He performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1972, 1974 and 1977. An album, CD, and streaming release featuring many of his best known songs from these performances was compiled in 2021 as ''Muddy Waters: The Montreux Years''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smotroff |first=Mark |date=2021-12-15 |title=Listening Report: Muddy Waters' The Montreux Years on Vinyl, CD, Streaming. - Audiophile Review |url=https://audiophilereview.com/audiophile/listening-report-muddy-waters-the-montreux-years-on-vinyl-cd-streaming/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1974, his backing musicians in Montreux included Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, [[Junior Wells]], and Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Wyman and Perkins also performed with him in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-19 |title=Album Review: Muddy Waters -- The Montreux Years |url=http://blog.musoscribe.com/index.php/2022/04/19/album-review-muddy-waters-the-montreux-years/ |access-date=2023-05-14 |website=Musoscribe: Bill Kopp's Music Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

From 1977 to 1981, blues musician [[Johnny Winter]], who idolized Muddy since childhood and who had become a friend,{{sfn|O'Neal|Van Singel|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Jfa3AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 155]}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Slide Guitar: Know the Players, Play the Music |first1=Pete |last1=Madsen |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4768-5322-2 |page=53 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_UhMAgAAQBAJ}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=_UhMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT53 Extract of page 53]</ref> produced four albums for him, all on the [[Blue Sky Records]] label: the studio albums ''[[Hard Again]]'' (1977), ''[[I'm Ready (Muddy Waters album)|I'm Ready]]'' (1978) and ''[[King Bee (album)|King Bee]]'' (1981), and the live album, ''[[Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live]]'' (1979). The albums were critical and commercial successes, with all but ''King Bee'' winning a Grammy. ''Hard Again'' has been especially praised by critics, who have tended to describe it as his comeback album.<ref name="AM">{{AllMusic |class=album|id=r123341|tab=review|label=Review: ''Hard Again'' by Muddy Waters|first=Daniel|last=Gioffre|access-date=February 6, 2011}}</ref><ref name="RS">{{cite magazine |last=Oppenheimer |first=Dan |date=March 24, 1977 |title=Album Review: ''Hard Again'' by Muddy Waters |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=February 6, 2011 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/hard-again-19770324}}</ref>

In 1981, he was invited to perform at [[Chicago Fest]], the city's top outdoor music festival. He was joined onstage by Johnny Winter and [[Buddy Miles]], and played classics like "Mannish Boy", "Trouble No More", and "Mojo Working" to a new generation of fans. [[Shout! Factory]] made the performances available on DVD in 2009. On November 22, he performed live with three members of [[the Rolling Stones]] ([[Mick Jagger]], [[Keith Richards]] and [[Ronnie Wood]]) at the [[Checkerboard Lounge]], a blues club in [[Bronzeville, Chicago|Bronzeville]], on the [[South Side, Chicago|South Side]] of [[Chicago]], which Buddy Guy and L.C. Thurman opened in 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB3647D20AFAB35&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Reviving the Classic R&B Sound : Miami Herald |date=February 20, 1986 |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |access-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>Parnell, Sean, "The New Checkerboard Lounge", ''The Chicago Bar Project''.</ref> A DVD of the performance, ''[[Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981]]'', was released in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/checkerboard-lounge-live-chicago-1981-dvd-mw0002380039|title=Checkerboard Lounge: Live Chicago 1981 [DVD] – The Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 6, 2015}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=April 2021}}

In 1982, he cut way back on performing due to declining health. His last public performance took place when he sat in with [[Eric Clapton]]'s band at a concert in Florida in the summer of 1982.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/muddy-waters/biography|title=Muddy Waters|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=January 6, 2015}}</ref>

==Personal life, death and estate==

Muddy Waters was married to his first wife, Mabel Berry, from 1932 to 1935.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dicytrends.com/mabel-berry-facts-about-muddy-waters-wife/ | title=Mabel Berry: Facts About Muddy Waters' Wife - Dicy Trends | date=July 14, 2022 }}</ref>

His second wife, whom he married in the 1940s, Geneva Wade, died of cancer on March 15, 1973. Gaining custody of three of his children, Joseph, Renee, and Rosalind, Muddy Waters moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in [[Westmont, Illinois]]. In 1977, he met Marva Jean Brooks, whom he nicknamed "Sunshine", at a Florida hotel;<ref>[http://www.blues-finland.com/english/muddy_waters_biography_3.html Muddy Waters Biography – Part 3]. Blues-Finland.com. Retrieved January 6, 2011.</ref> [[Eric Clapton]] served as best man at their wedding in 1979.<ref>[[Jet (magazine)|''Jet'']], June 28, 1979.</ref>

He had at least six children, including illegitimate children.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/30/books/books-of-the-times-untangling-muddy-waters-and-his-blues.html | title=BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Untangling Muddy Waters and His Blues | newspaper=The New York Times | date=July 30, 2002 | last1=Pareles | first1=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles}}</ref>

Two of his sons [[Mud Morganfield|Larry "Mud" Morganfield]] and [[Big Bill Morganfield]] are also blues singers and musicians. In 2017, his youngest son, Joseph "Mojo" Morganfield, began publicly performing the blues, and played occasionally with his brothers;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.josephmojomorganfield.com |title=Mojo Morganfield|last=Morganfield|first=Joseph Mojo|website=Mojo Morganfield|language=en-US|access-date=October 5, 2018}}</ref> he died in 2020 at the age of 56.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-and-culture/2020/12/10/22168310/joseph-mojo-morganfield-dead-muddy-waters-son-blues-obituary |first=Maureen |last=O'Donnell |author2=Miriam Di Nunzio|title=Singer Joseph 'Mojo' Morganfield, son of blues legend Muddy Waters, has died at 56|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun Times]]|date=10 December 2020|access-date=December 11, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Muddy Waters Grave.jpg|thumb|The cemetery plot of Waters under his real name, McKinley Morganfield, in Restvale Cemetery, [[Alsip, Illinois]] ]]

Muddy Waters died in his sleep at his home in [[Westmont, Illinois]], on April 30, 1983, from [[heart failure]] and cancer-related complications, aged 70.<ref>{{cite web |first=Robert|last=Palmer|date=May 1, 1983|title=Muddy Waters, Blues Performer, Dies |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0404.html |website=Archive.nytimes.com}}</ref> He was taken from his Westmont home, where he lived for the last decade of his life, to Good Samaritan Hospital in [[Downers Grove, Illinois|Downers Grove]], Illinois,<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Clifford |title=Late bluesman Muddy Waters at center of legal dispute in DuPage |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-muddy-waters-estate-suit-met-20150415-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |date=April 15, 2015 |access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> where he was pronounced dead. His funeral was held on May 4, 1983. Throngs of blues musicians and fans attended his funeral at [[Restvale Cemetery]] in [[Alsip, Illinois|Alsip]], Illinois. He is buried next to his wife, Geneva.

After his death, a decades-long court battle ensued between his heirs and Scott Cameron, his manager at the time. In 2010, his heirs were petitioning the courts to appoint Mercy Morganfield, his daughter, as administrator who would then control the assets of his estate which were mainly copyrights to his music.<ref name="auto"/> The petition to reopen the estate was successful. Following Cameron's death, the heirs' lawyers, in May 2018, sought to hold Scott Cameron's wife in contempt for allegedly diverting royalty income. The heirs, however, asked for that citation not to be pursued. The last court date was held on July 10, 2018,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Clifford |title=Muddy Waters' heirs back off on contempt claim as dispute over bluesman's estate continues in DuPage |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-met-muddy-waters-estate-dispute-update-20180509-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune|date=May 9, 2018 }}</ref> and, as of 2023, the disputed arrangement remained unchanged.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grunge.com/905284/what-happened-to-muddy-waters-estate-after-his-death/ |first=William |last=Kennedy|title=What Happened To Muddy Waters' Estate After His Death?|website=Grunge.com|date=June 23, 2022|access-date=January 23, 2023}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Two years after his death, the city of [[Chicago]] paid tribute to him by designating the one-block section between 900 and 1000 East 43rd Street near his former home on the south side "Honorary Muddy Waters Drive".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagoancestors.org/downloads/honorary.pdf |title=List of honorary Chicago street designations |publisher=Chicagoancestors.org |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325223611/http://www.chicagoancestors.org/downloads/honorary.pdf |archive-date=March 25, 2009}}</ref> In 2017, a ten-stories mural commissioned as a part of the [[Chicago Blues Festival]] and designed by Brazilian artist [[Eduardo Kobra]] was painted on the side of the building at 17 North State Street, at the corner of State and Washington Streets.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Massive Muddy Waters Mural To Be Dedicated in Chicago |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/massive-muddy-waters-mural-to-be-dedicated-in-chicago-w486055|first=Jon |last=Blistein |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 6, 2017}}</ref> The Chicago suburb of Westmont, where he lived the last decade of his life, named a section of Cass Avenue near his home "Honorary Muddy Waters Way".

In 2008,  the Mississippi Blues Commission marked the site of his cabin with a marker as part of the [[Mississippi Blues Trail]] in [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues_trail/|title=Mississippi Blues Commission&nbsp;– Blues Trail|publisher=Msbluestrail.org|access-date=May 28, 2008}}</ref> He also received a plaque on the [[Clarksdale Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://memphismagazine.com/February-2011/Clarksdale-Moving-Past-the-Crossroads/|title=Clarksdale: Moving Past the Crossroads|date=March 3, 2011|website=Memphis magazine|language=en-us}}</ref>

Muddy Waters' Chicago Home in the Kenwood neighborhood is in the process of being named a Chicago Landmark.<ref name="Evans">{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Maxwell |title= Muddy Waters' Kenwood Home Clears Major Hurdle Toward Chicago Landmark Status |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/08/05/muddy-waters-kenwood-home-clears-major-hurdle-toward-chicago-landmark-status/ |website=Block Club Chicago |access-date=September 4, 2021 |date=August 5, 2021}}</ref>

[[Waters (crater)|A crater]] on [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] was named in his honor in 2016 by the [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/15086 |title = Waters |publisher = [[NASA]] |work = Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |accessdate = 18 January 2020}}</ref>

In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked him at number 72 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=January 1, 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/muddy-waters-5-1234643085/|access-date=July 10, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Influence==
The British band [[The Rolling Stones]] named themselves after Muddy Waters' 1950 song, [[Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters song)|"Rollin' Stone"]]. [[Jimi Hendrix]] recalled that "I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death". Eric Clapton was a big fan of Muddy Waters growing up and his band [[Cream (band)|Cream]] covered "[[Rollin' and Tumblin']]" on their 1966 debut album, ''[[Fresh Cream]]''. [[Canned Heat]] also covered the song at the [[Monterey Pop Festival]] and later  [[Bob Dylan]] played it on his album [[Modern Times (Bob Dylan album)|''Modern Times'']]. Many bands recorded "[[Hoochie Coochie Man]]" including [[The Allman Brothers Band]], [[Humble Pie (band)|Humble Pie]], [[Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf]], [[Supertramp]] and [[Fear (band)|Fear]]. The [[Led Zeppelin]] hit "[[Whole Lotta Love]] has lyrics and a melody heavily influenced by the Muddy Waters hit "[[You Need Love (Muddy Waters song)|You Need Love]]" (written by [[Willie Dixon]]). [[Angus Young]] has cited Muddy as an influences and the AC/DC song "[[You Shook Me All Night Long]]" came from lyrics of his song "[[You Shook Me]]", written by Dixon and [[J. B. Lenoir]].

In 1981, [[ZZ Top]] guitarist [[Billy Gibbons]] went to visit the [[Delta Blues Museum]] in Clarksdale with ''The Blues'' magazine founder, Jim O'Neal. The museum's director, Sid Graves, brought Gibbons to visit Muddy's original house, and encouraged him to pick up a piece of scrap lumber that was originally part of the roof. Gibbons eventually converted the wood into a guitar. Named Muddywood, the instrument is now exhibited at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://billygibbons.com/2017/06/bfg-muddy-waters/|title=BFG & Muddy Waters|website=Billygibbons.com|date=June 17, 2017}}</ref> In 1993, [[Paul Rodgers]] released the album ''Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters'', on which he covered a number of his songs, including "Louisiana Blues", "Rollin' Stone", "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready" in collaboration with guitarists [[Gary Moore]], [[Brian May]] and [[Jeff Beck]].

Following Muddy's death, fellow blues musician [[B.B. King]] told ''[[Guitar World]]'', "It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music." The bluesman [[John P. Hammond|John Hammond]] told ''Guitar World'', "Muddy was a master of just the right notes. It was profound guitar playing, deep and simple ... more country blues transposed to the electric guitar, the kind of playing that enhanced the lyrics, gave profundity to the words themselves."<ref>{{cite web |title=Muddy Waters funeral |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-waters16funeral-20150416-photo.html |website=Chicago Tribune|date=November 5, 2023 }}</ref>

In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' included ''[[The Anthology: 1947-1972]]'' on its list of greatest albums.<ref>{{cite magazine| title=Greatest Albums List (published 2003)| magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-beatles-please-please-me-2-167343/}}</ref> They ranked him 17th on their list of the greatest artists of all time. Gibbons wrote:<blockquote> It was all supposed to be disposable. Just noise on a shellac disc. And here we are in the 21st century still trying to figure out how such a simple art form could be so complicated and subtle. It's still firing brain synapses around the world. You've got the Japanese Muddy Waters Society corresponding with fans in Sweden and England, and his music can still propel a party in the U.S. He made three chords sound deep, and they are.<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Gibbons| first=Billy| title=100 Greatest Artists: Muddy Waters| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/marvin-gaye-28661/|magazine=Roolling Stone|date=December 3, 2010}}</ref></blockquote>

==In film==
Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in long-time fan [[Martin Scorsese]]'s movies, including ''[[The Color of Money]]'', ''[[Goodfellas]]'', and [[Casino (1995 film)|''Casino'']]. A 1970s recording of "Mannish Boy" was used in ''Goodfellas'', ''[[Better Off Dead (film)|Better Off Dead]]'', ''[[Risky Business]]'', and the [[rockumentary]] ''[[The Last Waltz]]''. In 1988 "Mannish Boy" was also used in a Levi's 501 commercial and re-released in Europe as a single with "Hoochie Coochie Man" on the flip side.

Waters is a central character in the 2008 American [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[drama (film and television)|drama film]] 
''[[Cadillac Records]]''. The role of Muddy Waters is played by [[Jeffrey Wright]]. Wright recorded "[[(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man]]" for the movie soundtrack.

==Awards and recognition==

'''Grammy Awards'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| '''Muddy Waters Grammy Award History'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx |title=Grammy Awards search engine |publisher=Grammy.com |date=February 8, 2009 |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620171801/http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx |archive-date=June 20, 2009}}</ref>
|-
! Year
! Category
! Title
! Genre
! Label
! Result
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Grammy Awards of 1972|1972]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording]]
| ''They Call Me Muddy Waters''
| [[folk music|folk]]
| [[MCA Records|MCA]]/[[Chess Records|Chess]]
| winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Grammy Awards of 1973|1973]]
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
| ''[[The London Muddy Waters Sessions]]''
| folk
| MCA/Chess
| winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Grammy Awards of 1975|1975]]
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
| ''[[The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album]]''
| folk
| MCA/Chess
| winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Grammy Awards of 1978|1978]]
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
| ''[[Hard Again]]''
| folk
| Blue Sky
| winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Grammy Awards of 1979|1979]]
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
| ''[[I'm Ready (Muddy Waters album)|I'm Ready]]''
| folk
| Blue Sky
| winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Grammy Awards of 1980|1980]]
| Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
| ''[[Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live]]''
| folk
| Blue Sky
| winner
|}

'''Rock and Roll Hall of Fame'''

The [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] listed four songs of Muddy Waters among the [[500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs-wz/ |title=500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll |publisher=Rockhall.com |access-date=July 18, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209134210/http://rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs-wz |archive-date=February 9, 2009 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year recorded
! Title
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1950
| "[[Rollin' Stone (Muddy Waters song)|Rollin' Stone]]"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1954
| "[[Hoochie Coochie Man]]"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1955
| "[[Mannish Boy]]"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1957
| "[[Got My Mojo Working]]"
|}

'''Blues Foundation Awards'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| '''Muddy Waters: [[Blues Music Award]]s'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blues.org/search/handys.php |title=The Blues Foundation Database |publisher=Blues.org |access-date=July 18, 2009}}</ref>
|-
! Year
! Category
! Title
! Result
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1994
| Reissue Album of the Year
| ''The Complete Plantation Recordings''
| Winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1995
| Reissue Album of the Year
| ''One More Mile ''
| Winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2000
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year
| ''The Lost Tapes of Muddy Waters''
| Winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2002
| Historical Blues Album of the Year
| ''Fathers and Sons''
| Winner
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 2006
| Historical Album of the Year
| ''Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Recordings, Volume 2, 1952–1958''
| Winner
|}

'''Inductions'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year Inducted
! Title
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1980
| [[Blues Hall of Fame|Blues Foundation Hall of Fame]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1987
| [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1992
| [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]
|}

'''U.S. postage stamp'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Stamp
! USA
! Note
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1994
| 29-cent commemorative stamp
| [[List of people on stamps of the United States|U.S. Postal Service]]
| Photo<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muddywaters.com/prod11.html |title=29 cents Commemorative stamp |publisher=Muddy Waters |access-date=July 18, 2009}}</ref>
|}

==Discography==
{{Main|Muddy Waters discography}}
'''Studio albums'''
* ''[[Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill"]]'' ([[Chess Records|Chess]], 1960)
* ''[[Folk Singer (album)|Folk Singer]]'' (Chess, 1964)
* ''[[Muddy, Brass & the Blues]]'' (Chess, 1966)
* ''[[Electric Mud]]'' ([[Cadet Records|Cadet]], 1968)
* ''[[After the Rain (Muddy Waters album)|After the Rain]]'' (Cadet, 1969)
* ''[[Fathers and Sons (album)|Fathers and Sons]]'' (Chess, 1969)
* ''[[The London Muddy Waters Sessions]]'' (Chess, 1972)
* ''[[Can't Get No Grindin']]'' (Chess, 1973)
* ''[[Mud in Your Ear]]'' ([[Muse records|Muse]], 1973)
* ''[[London Revisited]]'' (Chess, 1974) split album with [[Howlin' Wolf]]
* ''[["Unk" in Funk]]'' (Chess, 1974)
* ''[[The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album]]'' (Chess, 1975)
* ''[[Hard Again]]'' ([[Blue Sky Records|Blue Sky]], 1977)
* ''[[I'm Ready (Muddy Waters album)|I'm Ready]]'' (Blue Sky, 1978)
* ''[[King Bee (album)|King Bee]]'' (Blue Sky, 1981)

== See also ==

* ''[[The Essential Collection (Muddy Waters album)|The Essential Collection]]''

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite encyclopedia
| last = Dahl
| first = Bill
| editor-last = Erlewine
| editor-first = Michael
| editor-link = Michael Erlewine
| encyclopedia = [[All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues|All Music Guide to the Blues]]
| title = Muddy Waters
| year = 1996
| location = San Francisco
| publisher = [[Miller Freeman, Inc.|Miller Freeman Books]]
| isbn = 0-87930-424-3
| url = https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidetob00erle
}}
* {{cite book
| last1 = Dixon
| first1 = Willie
| author-link1 = Willie Dixon
| last2 = Snowden
| first2 = Don
| title = I Am the Blues
| publisher = [[Da Capo Press]]
| year = 1989
| isbn = 0-306-80415-8
| url = https://archive.org/details/iamblueswilliedi00dixo
}}
*{{Cite encyclopedia
| last1 = Eder
| first1 = Bruce
| year = 1996
| title = British Blues
| editor1-last = Erlewine
| editor1-first = Michael
| editor1-link = Michael Erlewine
| editor2-last = Bogdanov
| editor2-first = Vladimir
| editor2-link = Vladimir Bogdanov (editor)
| editor3-last = Woodstra
| editor3-first = Chris
| editor4-last = Koda
| editor4-first = Cub
| editor4-link = Cub Koda
| encyclopedia = [[All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues|All Music Guide to the Blues]]
| location = San Francisco
| publisher = [[Miller Freeman, Inc.|Miller Freeman Books]]
| isbn = 0-87930-424-3}}
* {{cite book
| last = Gillett
| first = Charlie
| author-link = Charlie Gillett
| title = The Sound of the City
| url = https://archive.org/details/soundofcity00char
| url-access = registration
| year = 1972
| edition = 2nd. Laurel printing 1973
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[Dell Publishing]]
| isbn = 9780440381556
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Gioia
| first = Ted
| author-link = Ted Gioia
| title = Delta Blues
| edition = Norton Paperback 2009
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[W. W. Norton]]
| year = 2008
| isbn = 978-0-393-33750-1
| url = https://archive.org/details/deltablueslifeti00gioi
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Gordon
| first = Robert
| title = Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters
| url = https://archive.org/details/cantbesatisfied00robe_0
| url-access = registration
| location = New York City
| publisher  = [[Little, Brown and Company|Little, Brown]]
| year = 2002
| isbn = 0-316-32849-9
}}
* {{cite encyclopedia
| last = Herzhaft
| first = Gerard
| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Blues
| section = Muddy Waters
| year = 1992
| location = Fayetteville, Arkansas
| publisher = [[University of Arkansas Press]]
| isbn = 1-55728-252-8
| url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofbl00herzh
}}
* {{cite book
| last1 = O'Neal
| first1 = Jim
| author-link1 = Jim O'Neal
| last2 = Van Singel
| first2 = Amy
| title = The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from [[Living Blues]] Magazine
| publisher = [[Routledge]]
| location = Oxford, Mississippi
| year = 2002
| page = 208
| isbn = 978-0-415-93654-5
}}
* {{cite book |last1=O'Neal |first1=Jim |last2=Van Singel |first2=Amy |title=The Voice of the Blues: Classic Interviews from Living Blues Magazine |edition=illustrated |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-136-70741-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jfa3AAAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book
| last = Palmer
| first = Robert
| author-link = Robert Palmer (American writer)
| title = Deep Blues
| year = 1982
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[Penguin Books]]
| isbn = 0-14006-223-8
| url = https://archive.org/details/deepblues00palm
}}
* {{cite AV media notes
| title = Muddy Waters: Chess Box
| others = Muddy Waters
| year = 1989
| last = Palmer
| first = Robert
| author-link = Robert Palmer (American writer)
| type = boxed set booklet
| location = Universal City, California
| publisher = [[Chess Records]]/[[MCA Records]]
| id = CHD3-80002
| oclc = 154264537
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Szatmary
| first = David P.
| year = 2014
| title = Rockin' in Time: A Social History of Rock-and-Roll
| location = Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
| publisher = [[Pearson Education]]
| isbn = 978-0205675043
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Wald
| first = Elijah
| author-link = Elijah Wald
| title = Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues
| year = 2004
| edition = 1st.
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[HarperCollins]]
| isbn = 978-0060524272
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Whitburn
| first = Joel
| author-link = Joel Whitburn
| title = Top R&B Singles 1942–1988
| year = 1988
| location = Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
| publisher = [[Record Research]]
| isbn = 0-89820-068-7
| url = https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whit
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1 = Wight
| first1 = Phil
| last2 = Rothwell
| first2 = Fred
| title = The Complete Muddy Waters Discography
| journal = [[Blues & Rhythm]]
| location = England
| issue = 200
| year = 1991
}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Sister project links|d=Q220707|c=category:Muddy Waters|n=no|q=no|s=no|wikt=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}}
* {{Rockhall}}
* {{IMDb name|0914149}}

{{Muddy Waters|state=expanded}}
{{1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muddy Waters}}
[[Category:Muddy Waters| ]]
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American blues guitarists]]
[[Category:American blues singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American street performers]]
[[Category:Blind Pig Records artists]]
[[Category:Blues musicians from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Blues revival musicians]]
[[Category:Burials at Restvale Cemetery]]
[[Category:Chess Records artists]]
[[Category:Chicago blues musicians]]
[[Category:Delta blues musicians]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]
[[Category:Electric blues musicians]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Illinois]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Mississippi]]
[[Category:American lead guitarists]]
[[Category:Mississippi Blues Trail]]
[[Category:Muse Records artists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Clarksdale, Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Issaquena County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Westmont, Illinois]]