|
Muddy Waters Blues as an art form gave Blacks a medium to manifest their
feelings. Feelings ranging from humorous to silly to depressed. Fortunately for
a entire genre of music, the only way for Mckinley Morganfield to express
himself was through song. Morganfield better known as Muddy Waters became a
legendary blues vocalist /guitarist. When the Blues industry saw commercial
success many of its artists also saw rising fame. Muddy Waters enjoyed success
in the industry up until and even after his death in 1983. Morganfield was born
April 4, 1915 to Ollie Morganfield and Bertha Jones. He was born in Rollingfork,
Mississippi. Near their two room shack in Rollingfork there was a creek, Deer
Creek. As a youngster he used to play in the creek and get all dirty and muddy.
It was at this point when his sisters gave him the nickname ‘Muddy Waters’.
Bertha died when he was about three. After her death he had to move in with his
grandmother in Clarksdale.
Raised in Clarksdale, he also went to school there.
He went to school until he was old enough to work in the fields. Much like all
of the other field laborers Muddy Waters hollered in the fields to pass time or
just to get things off of your chest. Waters would also teach himself to play
instruments. When he was fifteen he knew how to play the harmonica and he would
later teach himself the guitar. The young Waters followed in his fathers
musician footsteps. He was part of a band at fifteen, with Scott Bowhandle on
guitar and Sonny Simms playing the violin. They would play some Saturday nights
in downtown Clarksdale and others he would sell fried fish on nights. And other
nights he would watch the greats like Son House, Robert Johnson and Charlie
Patton were great musical influences on Waters. The main influence on Waters was
Son House, although Waters style of play was more similar to that of Robert
Johnson. Muddy Waters was first recognized by word of mouth. Alan Lomax of The
Library of Congress went to Clarksdale to record Robert Johnson. But to his
dismay, he found out that Robert Johnson was dead and had been for two years.
The word on the street at that time led Lomax to Muddy Waters. Waters would
record two songs with them in 1941, far before he became famous. His name would
not reach household status until 1947 when he recorded his first hit single, ”I
can’t be satisfied.” Muddy Waters style of blues was considered rough and
uncompromising. It was different from all of the other too ‘polished’ for the
South musicians.
|
