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Muddy Waters and the band play ‘You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had’ at a railroad station setting in Manchester, England in 1964.
American Folk Blues Festival: The British Tours 1963 – 1966
The above video is taken from the DVD American Folk Blues Festival: The British Tours 1963 – 1966
Editorial Review:
The latest installment of this encyclopedic look at the ’60s blues scene features the UK tour appearances by some of the Blues world’s legends. The R & B movement in the UK, led by the likes of Cream, The Yardbirds and The Stones, had created a huge thirst for all things authentically American and bluesy. At the same time, the market in the US itself was waning as the new Motown and Stax soul sounds rendered the Blues a little ‘dad-ish’. The old bluesmen found new wind, their careers taking second legs across the pond and young concert goers here were treated to a never-ending parade of the world’s top bluesmen and women. Here, captured live in concert before adoring European audiences, are Lonnie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Sugar Pie Desanto, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Joe Turner with Otis Rush, Junior Wells and the inimitable blues nun, Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield known as Muddy Waters (born April 4, 1913 in Issaquena County, Mississippi, died April 30, 1983 in Westmont, Illinois) – American bluesman, representative of Chicago blues and Delta blues.
One of the pioneers of electric blues. Next to B.B. King was the “godfather” of blues-rock known as “white blues”.
The first recording was made by Muddy Waters in 1941, still on a plantation in the so-called Mississippi Delta, for Alan Lomax, who records tapes for the Library of Congress. Waters later moved to Chicago. He switched from an acoustic guitar to an electric one and added a rhythm section and a harmonica to the band. His band played in the western districts of Chicago before joining Chess Records, which later launched many blues stars.
The influence of Muddy Waters’ work was enormous, and it was on such diverse genres as blues, rhythm and blues, rock, folk, jazz and country. Waters personally helped Chuck Berry and many others kick-start his musical career.
Famous musicians and groups such as Jimi Hendrix, The Band, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and Ten Years After admitted their inspiration with Waters’ music.
The 1958 tour of Muddy Waters’ band around England had a lot of publicity as it was probably the first band to play music other than pop there. No wonder The Rolling Stones took their name from the title of Waters ‘1950 song “Rollin’ Stone”, and Led Zeppelin based his hit “Whole Lotta Love” on the song “You Need Love”. Many of Waters’ songs were written by his band’s double bass player, the famous bluesman Willie Dixon.
In 1980, Muddy Waters was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and in 1987 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.