|
Waters, Muddy (1915-1983), American blues musician. Originally named
McKinley Morganfield, he was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, where
he was discovered in 1940 by folk music archivists Alan Lomax and
John Work, who urged him to give up farming and make a career of music.
In 1943, under the name Muddy Waters, he settled in Chicago. He began
to appear in clubs in the area; in 1946 he made his first recording.
With his own band in the 1950s he became a staple of the rhythm and
blues circuit, playing most of the major theaters that featured black
performers, including the Apollo Theater in New York City. Beginning
in the late 1950s, the band also appeared at the folk and jazz festivals
of Newport, Rhode Island, and Monterey, California, and similar gatherings.
A songwriter as well as guitarist and singer, Waters led his band
on numerous recordings, including They Call Me Muddy Waters (1971)
and London Sessions (1972), both of which won Grammy Awards. A 1971
public television film documents Waters's rehearsal and performance
styles.
|
