Muddy Waters When people think of Chicago blues they think of Muddy Waters. Mckinley Morganfield or Muddy Waters was a very popular and influential blues artist during the mid 1900’s. Even though he was from Mississippi, most of his adult life and musical career was centered around Chicago. Muddy Waters was a very famous and influential blues artist whose legacy is still known today. Muddy Waters, or Mckinley Morganfield was born in Rollin Folk Mississippi on April 4, 1915 (Tirro). As a child he would hop around and jump in muddy puddles of water which is what led to him getting the nickname, Muddy Waters (“Biography.com”). Muddy’s family life wasn’t all that great. His father left before he was born, and mother died before he was even three years old, which led to him living with his maternal grandmother in Clarksdale Mississippi …show more content…
His first instrument was actually a harmonica which was given to him at the age of five, which he became quite good at (“Biography.com”). He didn't get his first guitar until the age of 17 and taught himself how to play by listening to recordings of Mississippi blues legends such as Charley Patton and a mix of other artists (“Biography.com”). Muddy, by the age of 17 was playing songs at parties and fish fries as entertainment while he spent his days picking cotton for very little pay on sharecropping fields (“History.com”). His music was a country blues singer using an traditional acoustic guitar. His music didn't get exemplified until he moved to chicago during the Great Migration and changed his ole country blues to aggressive chicago blues (“History.com”). Muddy signed with Chess Records in 1946 which is really where his career took off (“Biography.com”). By 1951 muddy had establish an entire band with Otis Spann on piano, Little Walter on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on second guitar, and Elgin Evans on drums