Watch Muddy Waters play ‘Honey Bee’ in 1970
There’s no consensus as to who mastered the blues, but in terms of cultural impact, it’s hard to find anyone bigger than Muddy Waters. The Chicago singer and guitarist is synonymous with the blues, so much so that even generations who never listened to the genre can recognise his name. He’s ubiquitous, but sometimes his stature can overshadow his actual music. That’s why it’s important to sit down and see Muddy Waters in action every once in a while.
Waters was a master of intimacy. No matter how big a venue was, Waters could make it feel like he was always in a smokey club just off the South Side of Chicago. Whatever he was singing, he could make it feel as though he was singing to you directly. Waters had a quietly commanding presence that seemed warm and gentle until he opened his mouth and let the pain come rushing out.
But blues is much more than just being blue. It’s about maximising the amount of motion you can pull out of three chords. Waters didn’t even need that – one of his most famous tracks, ‘Mannish Boy’, is a relentless one-chord vamp. Muddy Waters never sounded stale or predictable. With just a single word or a little slide on the guitar, Waters could communicate what most writers and singers couldn’t over an entire career’s worth of work.
By the 1970s, Waters was in prime legacy mode. He was one of the last remaining original bluesmen, keeping the form alive and contemporary through his adoption of electric instruments and his willingness to play with younger musicians. Generations of guitarists, from Keith Richards and Jimi Hendrix to Robbie Robertson and Billy Gibbons, all learned essential tricks from Waters’ unique playing style.
Waters never stopped touring and continued to perform all the way up until 1982, when a sharp decline in his health sidelined him before he passed away in April of 1970. The legacy he left is iconic, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. To hear what Muddy Waters really meant to music, you actually have to hear Muddy Waters play.
Watch Muddy Waters perform ‘Honey Bee’ in 1970 down below.
