In Black America; A Musical Tribute to Muddy Waters

Thank you. In Black America, reflections of the Black experience in American society. Since my baby, she went away.

Because one guy named Johnny Brown, he was so good right now what we was. And I just want to play the harmonies. Everything I did, I kind of self-taught myself. I used to play my guitar, and let's go out to the same night, and he tried to listen to the boys, the guy was playing out, then come back and get my guitar and try to do it. And the same thing with the harmonies. And I tried to do the same thing with the harmonies. And I just liked myself. Most of what I know, I love you myself. Blues singer and guitarist, Muddy Waters, is considered by many the father of the blues. From the beginning, Muddy always had a drive to be the best. And in order to be the best, he learned from the best. His early musical influences included such great bluesman-ass, son house, Charlie Patton, Willie Brown, and Robert Johnson. In turn, Muddy's brand of Mississippi dealt to music influenced the generation of English and American rock and roll bands,

including the Rolling Stones, who took their name from a Muddy Waters tune. I'm John Hanson, and this week we pay tribute to the late Muddy Waters in Black America. When I was a little tight three or four-year-old, I used to be on Canes and Buckets, and sing my little song. And when I was seven, I started playing around with the harmonies. Nine I was doing a little bit better, 13 I was playing good. Muddy Waters was born McKinley Morganfield on April 4, 1915 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. The son of a sharecropper, he picked up this nickname,

playing at fish fries and other social gatherings. As long as Muddy could remember, he always wanted to be a singer. Around 1943, while Muddy was still working in the cotton fields in Mississippi, folklorists Alan Lomax discovered him and moved the singer to Chicago. In the early days of Muddy's performing when he was blowing harmonica, his popularity boosted him from 50 Cent a night plus a fish sandwich when he was 13 to $18 with another $10 thrown in from the side man for the night's work, which more often than not was from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during the 1930s. At age 17, Muddy began playing the guitar. He was influenced by and imitated the choke bottleneck style of older Delta bluesmen Eddie Sunhouse and Robert Johnson. By 1948, Muddy had a similar his own band, which included Little Walter On Hop and Jimmy Rogers on guitar. Despite his prominence as a blues singer, guitarist,

and living in the blues mecca of Chicago, Muddy barely earned a living throughout most of the 50s. He had to continue his work in a paper mill. A job he first took when he arrived in Chicago. Until the mid to late 1950s, the music of muddy waters and his fellow bluesmen were marketed as race music, aimed our most exclusively at the black communities. Today, however, his audience are largely young whites. Muddy's first big recording break came when the chest brothers took over the aristocrat record label for which Muddy had been recording. Muddy's early commercial recordings were responsible for lending vigor and passion, as well as a direction to the emerging post-war blues style. With chest record, Muddy, in 1960, recorded, got my mojo working. Got my mojo working was followed by sail on,

I'm a Rolling Stone, and seven sun. Some of the other songs that are well known were I just want to make love to you and Huchi Kuchi-Man. I got a black cat bone, I got a mojo too. I got the John the Conqueror, I'm going to mess with you.

I'm going to make you girls, leave me by my hand, then the well and all. I'm a Huchi Kuchi-Man, but you're gone here. Everybody go over here. We are the Huchi Kuchi-Man. Everybody go over here. In 1972, Muddy Waters received his first Grammy for best ethnic or traditional recording for the album, The London Muddy Waters Sessions. In the early 1960s, Muddy Waters finally achieved

national claim as part of a revival of American folk music, appearing several times at the Newport Jazz Festival in Roll Island, and the Ann Arrim Michigan Blues and Jazz Festival. Muddy Waters is perhaps the most imitated electric blues artists of all time. On Saturday, April 30, 1983, Muddy Waters died of a heart attack in Chicago. Muddy Waters headlined the world over, and some blues musician thought blues was on decline. Muddy was touring the world, becoming welcome in more towns and receiving more awards than any other blues performer. I spoke with Muddy in 1981, and asked him when he first made the decision to play the blues. Ever since I remember my own body, I've been trying to sing blues for my kid three years old. My grandma raised me, she said, I used to go and get old to little pains and things, and sit down and do my little singing with it.

And it must have been, when I was about seven, I was trying to do what this young man did with Tim Wilson from the Thunderbird. He played how about it, and I was seven. I was trying to learn how to play how about it myself. And I became 17. I switched into guitar. So I've been trying to do it all of my life. Did you have any formal musical training in playing harmonica or the guitar? No. There's one guy named Johnny Brown. He was so good right now what we was. And I just want to play the harmonica. Everything I did, I've kind of self-taught myself. I just took it around and played my guitar. And let's go out to the same night, please try and listen to the boys with the guy I was playing out, then come back and get my guitar and try to do it. And the same thing with the harmonica, then I tried to do the same thing with the harmonica.

And I just liked myself. Most of what I knew I learned myself. Who were the recording artists that you listened to when you were anticipating on being a blue singer? We should've known where we're back. I used to listen to all the good stuff, like Blind Lemon Jefferson, BBQ Bob, and Blind Blinks, Texan L.A. Zanzel, Tampa Red, Lana Johnson, and as a kid, I was trying to play my... I was playing harmonica when he came out, Mr. B. Sheik's. Well, Mr. B. Sheik, when one grade record, Tyler was setting on top of the world. You know about that, don't you? Yeah, right. But Mr. B. Sheik didn't know people did it. We were filled in the guitar. The old-time record I just listened to, like Victor's speedy. A little later, but just passed that long a couple years ago. She brought out the mean black snake. You heard of that thing, then.

I heard that. All right, then, okay. Well, we used to really listen to that good. And then T.B. I'd say she put that out before the other lady put out, T.B. is killing me. And this is the kind of stuff that we were listening to then. Chalipet was my man. He was a good top out of it, you know. And Pony Blues and Banny Rooster. That's the fake thing I ever heard that he recorded. And he recorded on down the line so many more, you know. But that's what we was at that time. I was. What did Muddy Waters do before he came to the Blue Singer? Well, he was always the Blue Singer, but he had some stuff to do. I lived on the plantation, and I had to go out and shut crop with everybody else. But I still sung my blues out there. I sung so many good blues, a lot of songs I put on record. I made them up behind a mule in the plow. And finally, I got changed to put them on record.

I'm gonna say something to you. And I don't care how you feel. You're just don't realize that you got yourself a good deal. She 19 years old. And she got way just like a baby child. And she got way just like a baby child. Nothing I can do to please her. To make this young woman feel so fine. Say it to you. And I don't care if you get mad. You're about to put it to go. And I have a head.

She only 19 years old now. She got way just like a baby child. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.

And I don't care if you get mad. And I don't care if you get mad.