There has been a lot of talk, rightfully so, about the impact on music that Dylan going electric had. But you seldom hear anyone reference the same of Muddy Waters. In 1943, Waters moved from Mississippi to Chicago with his country/folk/delta blues acoustic style. He had a hard time being heard over the loud crowds in Chicago and in 1945, he got his first electric guitar from his uncle. A full 20 years before Dylan went electric, Muddy set the blues world on it's ear. He brought a full band in to make thumpin', hollarin' loud, electric Chicago blues and the world was never the same. The lineage of so much of popular music and popular culture passes right through Muddy Waters. Dylan himself got the insperation for 'Like a Rolling Stone' (considered the greatest Rock song of all time) from the Waters song 'Rollin' Stone.' The Rolling Stones (one of the greatest rock bands of all time) got their name from the same place. Then there is the nominclature ingrained in music and popular culture, from "got my mojo workin'" to "I'm your Hootchie Cootchie Man" Then there are the songs that have been an inspiration to many and have been covered by hundreds of other acts. Songs like "Baby Please Don't Go", "Mannish Boy", and "I Just Wanna Make Love To You." Muddy Waters is prbably one of the most influential artists in all of popular music and certainly one of the most overlooked.
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