Apart from the 10-years-younger and still surviving B B King, Muddy Waters (1915-1983) was arguably the most internationally renowned ambassador of the blues of the post-WW2 electrified generation, in his case a pivotal figure in the development of a southern rural upbringing and style translocated to, and transformed in, the urbanized setting of Chicago. Whereas the majority of subsequently well known migrating bluesmen made their recording debut after their move to a city, Muddy was first captured on tape in rural Mississippi in 1941 and '42 by Alan Lomax. 13 of those 'field' recordings open this 4CD set, allowing the listener to then hear how Muddy progressed, amplified and matured his performances once he had settled in Chicago, where he recorded briefly for Columbia in 1946 (the balance of Disc One) before being signed by the Chess brothers in 1947. It was as a Chess recording artist that he soon became top dog on the burgeoning Chicago blues scene. Discs 2-4 of this set cover all of his important recording up to end-1955, including the 12 R&B chart hits that put him at the forefront of that era's Chicago bluesmen and founded his international reputation.

King Of Chicago Blues - Waters, Muddy  

Disc 1

1. Country Blues 3:23
2. I Be's Troubled 3:03
3. Ramblin' Kid Blues 3:15
4. Rosalie 3:00
5. Joe Turner Blues 2:44
6. Pearly May Blues 3:22
7. Take A Walk With Me 3:02
8. Burr Clover Blues 3:10
9. I Be Bound To Write To You 3:20
10. You Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone 3:20
11. You Got To Take Sick And Die Some Of These Days 2:05
12. Why Don't You Live So God Can Use You 2:06
13. Country Blues (No.2) 3:31
14. Mean Red Spider 2:20
15. I'm Gonna Cut Your Head 2:52
16. Atomic Bomb Blues 2:29
17. Tomorrow Will Be Too Late 3:00
18. Jitterbug Blues 2:49
19. Hard Day Blues 2:44
20. Buryin' Ground Blues 2:41
21. Come To Me Baby 2:47
22. You Can't Make The Grade 2:51

Disc 2

1. Gypsy Woman 2:32
2. Little Anna Mae 2:30
3. Good Lookin' Woman 2:41
4. Mean Disposition 2:33
5. I Can't Be Satisfied 2:40
6. I Feel Like Going Home 3:07
7. Train Fare Home Blues 2:45
8. Down South Blues 2:52
9. Kind Hearted Woman 2:34
10. Sittin' Here And Drinkin' (Whiskey Blues) 2:32
11. You're Gonna Miss Me 2:33
12. Mean Red Spider 2:14
13. Stand Here Tremblin' 2:21
14. Streamline Woman 3:16
15. Hard Days 2:31
16. Muddy Jumps One 2:22
17. Little Geneva 2:45
18. Canary Bird 2:42
19. Burying Ground 2:32
20. Screamin' And Cryin' 3:03
21. Where's My Woman Been 3:05
22. Last Time I Fool Around With You 2:32
23. Rollin' And Tumblin' Pt.1 2:58
24. Rollin' And Tumblin' Pt.2 2:31

Disc 3

1. Rollin' Stone 3:05
2. Walking Blues 2:55
3. You're Gonna Need My Help I Said 3:04
4. Sad Letter Blues 3:00
5. Early Morning Blues 3:07
6. Appealing Blues (Hello Little Girl) 2:47
7. Louisiana Blues 2:52
8. Evans Shuffle 2:10
9. Long Distance Call 2:38
10. Too Young To Know 3:09
11. Honey Bee 3:20
12. Howling Wolf 2:39
13. Country Boy 3:08
14. She Moves Me 2:55
15. My Fault 2:39
16. Still A Fool 3:12
17. They Call Me Muddy Waters 3:21
18. All Night Long 2:54
19. Stuff You Gotta Watch 2:47
20. Lonesome Day 3:26
21. Please Have Mercy 3:10
22. Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man 3:02
23. Standing Around Crying 3:20
24. Gone To Main Street 2:26
25. Iodine In My Coffee 3:28

Disc 4

1. Flood 2:38
2. My Life Is Ruined 2:36
3. She's All Right 2:33
4. Sad, Sad Day 3:06
5. Turn The Lamp Down Low (Baby Please Don't Go) 2:46
6. Loving Man 2:24
7. Blow Wind Blow 3:09
8. Mad Love (I Want You To Love Me) 3:01
9. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man 2:49
10. She's So Pretty 2:15
11. Just Make Love To Me (I Just Want To Make Love To You) 2:48
12. Oh! Yeh 2:54
13. I'm Ready 3:01
14. Smokestack Lightning 3:06
15. I Don't Know Why 2:58
16. I'm A Natural Born Lover 2:48
17. Ooh Wee 2:42
18. This Pain 3:02
19. Young Fashioned Ways 2:58
20. I Want To Be Loved 2:28
21. My Eyes (Keep Me In Trouble) 3:05
22. Mannish Boy 2:54
23. I Got To Find My Baby 2:53
24. Sugar Sweet 2:28
25. Trouble No More 2:38
26. Clouds In My Heart 3:01

DISCOGRAPHY DISC ONE: P1505



MEAN RED SPIDER





Muddy Waters, voc, g

Stovallâ??s Plantation, Mississippi, circa August 24/31, 1941



4770-A-1LC COUNTRY BLUES

4770-A-2LC I BEâ??S TROUBLED



Son Simms Four: Muddy Waters, voc, g (-1) Percy Thomas, voc, g (-2); Son Simms (probably Henry Sims), vln; Louis Ford, voc, mandolin (-3); members of the group, foot tapping, vocal interjections (-1, -3)

Stovallâ??s Plantation, Mississippi, July 24, 1942



6628-A-6-LC RAMBLINâ?? KID BLUES (-1)

6620-A-7-LC ROSALIE (-1)

6620-A-8-LC JOE TURNER BLUES (-1-3)

6628-B-1-LC PEARLY MAY BLUES (-2)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Son Simms, g (-1); Charles Berry, g (-2) Stovallâ??s Plantation, July 24, 1942



6628-B-2-LC TAKE A WALK WITH ME (-1)

6628-B-3-LC BURR GLOVER BLUES (-1)

6629-A-1-LC I BE BOUND TO WRITE TO YOU (-2)

6629-A-3-LC YOU GONNA MISS ME WHEN Iâ??M GONE



Muddy Waters, voc, g

Clarksdale, Mississippi, possibly July 20/24, 1942



6666-A-3-LC YOU GOT TO TAKE SICK AND DIE SOME OF THESE DAYS

6666-B-1-LC WHY DONâ??T YOU LIVE SO GOD CAN USE YOU

6666-B-2-LC COUNTRY BLUES (No.2)



Muddy Waters (as James â??Sweet Lucyâ? Carter), voc, g; Alex Atkins, as; possibly Lee Brown or Sunnyland Slim, p; probably Homer Harris, g; unknown, b; unknown, d.

Chicago, 1946



1597 MEAN RED SPIDER



Muddy Waters, g; Homer Harris, voc, acc; James Clark, p; Ransom Knowling, b; Judge Riley, d.

Chicago, September 27, 1946



CCO 4649 Iâ??M GONNA CUT YOUR HEAD

CCO 4650 ATOMIC BOMB BLUES

CCO 4651 TOMORROW WILL BE TOO LATE



Muddy Waters, voc, g; James Clark, p; Ransom Knowling, b; Judge Riley, d.

Chicago, September 27, 1946



CCO 4652 JITTERBUG BLUES

CCO 4653 HARD DAY BLUES

CCO 4654 BURYINâ?? GROUND BLUES



James (Beale Street) Clark, voc, p; Muddy Waters, possibly Leroy Foster, g; Ransom Knowling, b; probably Judge Riley, d

Chicago, September 27, 1946



CCO 4655-1 COME TO ME BABY!

CCO 4656-1 YOU CANT MAKE THE GRADE







DISCOGRAPHY DISC TWO: P1506





ROLLINâ?? AND TUMBLINâ??





Muddy Waters, voc, g; Sunnyland Slim, p; Big Crawford, b; Unknown, d. (-1)

Chicago, circa November 1947



7058 GYPSY WOMAN

7059 LITTLE ANNA MAE (-1)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Alex Atkins, as (-1); Sunnyland Slim, p (-1); Big Crawford, b.

Chicago, circa April 1948



7108 GOOD LOOKINâ?? WOMAN (-1)

7109 MEAN DISPOSITION (-1)

7112 I CANâ??T BE SATISFIED

7113 I FEEL LIKE GOING HOME



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Big Crawford or Willie Dixon,b

Chicago, November 10, 1948



U7131R TRAIN FARE HOME BLUES

U7132 DOWN SOUTH BLUES

U7133 KIND HEARTED WOMAN

U7134R SITTINâ?? HERE AND DRINKINâ?? (WHISKEY BLUES)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Leroy Foster, g; Big Crawford, b.

Chicago, November 30, 1948



U7148R YOUâ??RE GONNA MISS ME (WHEN Iâ??M DEAD AND GONE)

U7149R MEAN RED SPIDER

U7150 STANDINâ?? HERE TREMBLINâ??

U7151R STREAMLINE WOMAN

U7152 HARD DAYS

U7153 MUDDY JUMPS ONE (Inst.)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Willie Dixon, b.

Chicago, July 12, 1949



U7199 LITTLE GENEVA

U7200 CANARY BIRD

U7201 BURYING GROUND



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Johnny Jones, p; Jimmy Rogers, g; Tampa Red, g (-1); Leroy Foster, g, d.

Chicago, 1949



U7215 SCREAMINâ?? AND CRYINâ??

U7216 WHEREâ??S MY WOMAN BEEN

U7217 LAST TIME I FOOL AROUND WITH YOU (-1)



Muddy Waters, voc, p; Big Crawford, b; possibly Elga Edmonds, d.

Chicago, circa February 1950



U7235 ROLLINâ?? AND TUMBLINâ??, PT.1

U7236 ROLLINâ?? AND TUMBLINâ??, PT.2







DISCOGRAPHY DISC THREE: P1507





SHE MOVES ME





Muddy Waters, voc, g; Big Crawford, b (-1)

Chicago, circa February 1950



U7237 ROLLINâ?? STONE

U7238 WALKING BLUES



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, hca; Big Crawford, b

Chicago, circa August 1950



U7261 YOU GONNA NEED MY HELP I SAID

U7262 SAD LETTER BLUES

U7263 EARLY MORNING BLUES

U7264 APPEALING BLUES (HELLO LITTLE GIRL)



Muddy Waters, voc (-1), speech (-2), g; Little Walter, speech (-1), hca, Big Crawford, b; Elga Edmonds, d (-1)

Chicago, October 23, 1950



U7275 LOUISIANA BLUES (-1)

U7276 EVANS SHUFFLE (-2)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, speech (-1), hca (-2), g (-3); Big Crawford, b

Chicago, January 23, 1951



U7304 LONG DISTANCE CALL (-1, -2)

U7305 TOO YOUNG TO KNOW (-2)

U7306 HONEY BEE (-3)

U7307 HOWLING WOLF (-2)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, hca, g (-1); Jimmy Rogers, g; (-1); Len Chess, bass-d

Chicago, July 11, 1951



U7357 COUNTRY BOY

U7358 SHE MOVES ME

U7359 MY FAULT

U7360 STILL A FOOL (-1)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, voc (-1), hca; Jimmy Rogers, voc (-1), g (-2); Elga Edmonds, d (-2)

Chicago, December 29, 1951



U7413 THEY CALL ME MUDDY WATERS (-2)

U7414 ALL NIGHT LONG

U7415 STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH (-1, -2)

U7416 LONESOME DAY



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, hca; Jimmy Rogers, g; Elga Edmonds, d.

Chicago, May 12, 1952



U7439 PLEASE HAVE MERCY



Muddy Waters, voc, g; probably Junior Wells, hca; Jimmy Rogers, g; Elga Edmonds, d

Chicago, September 17, 1952



U7476 WHOâ??S GONNA BE YOUR SWEET MAN

U7477 STANDING AROUND CRYING

U7478 GONE TO MAIN STREET

U7479 IODINE IN MY COFFEE







DISCOGRAPHY DISC FOUR: P1508





Iâ??M YOUR HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN





Muddy Waters, voc, g; probably Walter Horton, hca; Jimmy Rogers, g; Elga Edmonds, d.

Chicago, January 9, 1950



U4332 FLOOD

U4333 MY LIFE IS RUINED

U4334 SHEâ??S ALL RIGHT

U4335 SAD, SAD DAY



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, hca, Jimmy Rogers, g; Elga Edmonds, d

Chicago, May 4, 1953



U7501-A TURN THE LAMP DOWN (BABY PLEASE DONâ??T GO)

U7502 LOVING MAN



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Walter Horton, hca; Otis Spann, p; Jimmy Rogers, g; Elga Edmonds, d.

Chicago, September 24, 1953



U7551 BLOW WIND BLOW

U7552 MAD LOVE (I WANT YOU TO LOVE ME)



Muddy Waters, voc, g; Little Walter, hca; Otis Spann, p; Jimmy Rogers, g; Willie Dixon, b; possibly Fred Below, d.

Chicago, January 7, 1954



U7589 Iâ??M YOUR HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN

U7590 SHEâ??S SO PRETTY



Same personnel as above

Chicago, April 13, 1954



U7630 JUST MAKE LOVE TO ME (I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU)

U7631 OH! YEH



Same personnel as above, but Muddy Waters does not play g.

Chicago, September 1, 1954



U7697 Iâ??M READY

U7698 SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING

U7699 I DONâ??T KNOW WHY



Same personnel but add Francis Clay, d.

Chicago, circa October 1954



U7746 Iâ??M A NATURAL BORN LOVER

U7747 OOH WEE



Muddy Waters, voc; Little Walter, hca; Otis Spann, p; Jimmy Rogers, g; Willie Dixon, b (-1); Francis Clay,d.

Chicago, February 3, 1955



U7783 THIS PAIN (-2)

U7784 YOUNG FASHIONED WAYS (-2)

U7785 I WANT TO BE LOVED (-2)

U7787 MY EYES (KEEP ME IN TROUBLE)



Muddy Waters, voc; Junior Wells, hca; Jimmy Rogers, g; Willie Dixon, b; Francis Clay, d; chorus

Chicago, May 24, 1955



U7846 MANNISH BOY



Muddy Waters, voc; Little Walter, hca; Otis Spann, p; Jimmy Rogers, g; Willie Dixon, b; Francis Clay, d.

Chicago, circa November, 1955



U7937 I GOT TO FIND MY BABY

U7938 SUGAR SWEET

U7939 TROUBLE NO MORE

U7940 CLOUDS IN MY HEART