Muddy Waters Analysis

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Ethan Brownell 4815649 MUS 1013 Historical Analysis of Muddy Waters From the deep southern Mississippi Delta, and later the south side of Chicago, McKinley Morganfield, or Muddy Waters as he was known to the world, developed into one of the most influential and well-recognized blues artists in history. With his unique style and immeasurable musical character Muddy was able to bring his soul out in his music and share it with the world. Crossing boundaries that many artists couldn’t, he was able to connect to people through his music unlike almost anyone before him. Born in 1913 and growing up a plantation worker in the Mississippi Delta, Muddy was raised by is grandmother after his mother died when he was three. A hard working boy, Muddy…show more content…
The 1960’s were a testing time for his career because in reality, his audience was changing so quickly, he didn’t know how to handle it. With new white artists recognizing his deep passion and musical styling that they liked so much, they began to feed off of it and create their own sound. With the likes of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, who got their name from Muddy’s song “Rollin’ Stone”, taking his influence and becoming famous in their own right, Muddy got a lot more exposure to grow his ever-developing audience. Muddy commented that, “’these white kids was sitting down and thinking and playing the blues that my black kids was bypassing’ “ (Palmer, 1978). Muddy rolled with the change however, and by the 1970’s he was a household name, reaching even new heights with new releases, with the same old passionate sound. Confined to a chair during his concerts due to a near-fatal car accident in 1969, Muddy still was still belting out his lyrics that spoke to every single person because of their realism and playing his guitar the same way he always had. By this time he was just getting recognized for it, which was not only good for Muddy but good for music as…show more content…
He gave Buddy Guy, Walter Horton, and Jimmy Rogers exposure with his band. What the future of Rock and Roll would look like without Muddy Waters is hard to tell but it would not nearly be the same. His personal style brought change to music and influenced future groups. There is no telling how much influence he truly had but for what you can tell, it was massive and for that he has gotten ample recognition. From the 1987 posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the 1992 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the list is continuing to grow longer. Muddy is getting the recognition he deserved so much during his life. Muddy Waters died of heart failure in 1983, but his legacy of passion and soul that he put into his music carried on through rock ‘n’ roll. One of Muddy’s few regrets in his music was that “ ‘the world didn’t know me for 40 years’ “ (Waters, Interview, 2013). It is a shame that the world didn’t know and appreciate the music that he was putting out for all of those years, but for the years that the world did know him, he was playing music that would influence acts still today. Without Muddy Waters, it is certain that rock ‘n’ roll just wouldn’t be the

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