I have mentioned here before that Eric Clapton is one of my all time favorite guitar players. It was through Clapton that I came to appreciate the blues. Muddy Waters was one of the early bluesmen that influenced Clapton. I had the pleasure of seeing Muddy as the opening act for Clapton at the Capital Centre in Landover MD. It remains one of the best shows that I have ever seen. My choice for Music Monday this week is Muddy Waters performing one of his greatest hits.
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I am going to stick with a little blues guitar for my Music Monday choice this week. Last week, I went with my favorite guitarist of all time, Eric Clapton. This week I have selected Robert Cray, who I happened to catch in concert once as the opening act for Clapton. During Clapton's encore that night, Cray stood on the floor just below where I was sitting. I called down to him, he looked up and shook my hand when I told him what a great show he had.
Here Young Bob reminds us that when we are faced with a choice between right or wrong, there are "Consequences" if we choose the wrong path.
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I have always been a huge fan of the blues, partly because it is primarily a guitar driven style of music and partly because of its raw emotion. One of my favorites, is the legendary BB King. His guitar and vocal stylings are unique. His classic song "The Thrill is Gone" is one that I can never get tired of hearing.
A few years ago, he did a duet album of several of his hits called "Deuces Wild." Performing "The Thrill is Gone" on that album was singer Tracy Chapman. Now, I can't say that I am a fan of Chapman's, but I don't dislike her. I enjoyed listening to her early hits like "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason."
In this version of the "The Thrill is Gone," I think their voices work really well together. I hope you agree.
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I love me some blues. Nobody exemplifies the blues more than Mr. McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters. Muddy was regarded as the Father of Chicago Blues. His influence, however, stretched way beyond Chicago.
Muddy was one of the first bluesmen to use the electric guitar. He had a profound influence in the world of rock and roll. He helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract. Jimi Hendrix covered Muddy's "Catfish Blues."
Across the pond, legendary rock band The Rolling Stones took their name from his song "Rolling Stone." His songs were covered by The Allman Brothers Band, Cream, Foghat, and Humble Pie. Perhaps nobody was influenced more by Muddy Waters, than one of my favorite artists, Eric Clapton. I had the pleasure of seeing Muddy open for Clapton at the old Capital Center in Largo, MD.
Like a lot of the old delta bluesmen, Muddy led a colorful life to say the least. Robert Gordon wrote a great biography of Muddy called "Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters." It is a must read for any lover of the blues.
Here is one of my favorite Muddy Waters tunes, recorded at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival. Nearly fifty years later, it hold up well. Enjoy.
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I haven't done one of these in a while. I first heard this song when George Thorogood recorded it in 1977. John Lee Hooker recorded it before that, and I like his version a better because he uses a lot less distortion in his guitar playing.
I have always been a huge Eric Clapton fan. Most of what I would hear on the radio would be songs like "Layla", "Wonderful Tonight", and other rock songs. However, through his albums I came to develop a deep appreciation for the Blues. Through Clapton, I came to appreciate Muddy Water, Robert Johnson, and B.B. King. Here is EC performing Maceo Merriweather's "Worried Life Blues."
83 years ago today, B.B. King was born into a sharecroppers family in Bene, Mississippi. In 1949, he made his first recording, and he is still recording today. BB is best known for his biggest hit "The Thrill Is Gone" and his black Gibson guitar, Lucille. BB has won a total of 14 Grammy Awards, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Below are two videos of the King in action. The first is from the Tonight Show and features BB with Jeff Beck performing "Paying the Cost to be the Boss." The second video is from a duet with two of my all time favs, Eric Clapton and BB King, with the title track of their joint effort "Riding With the King."
In December 1968, the Rolling Stones put together an event called the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. At that event, John Lennon performed "Yer Blues" from the Beatles White Album, with a superstar band dubbed The Dirty Mac, which featured Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums. Here they are, introduced by Lennon and Mick Jagger.
Over the years, I sometimes look back and remember who introduced me to various musical acts. My old high school friend, David Mills, over at the Undercoverblackman blog introduced me to the music of Prince back in thearly 80's. My youngest brother first introduced me to the music of Robert Cray.
I have always been a huge fan of Eric Clapton, and my earliest blues exposure was through EC. As fate would have it, Clapton was touring and Cray was opening up for him. My brother, bought me a pair of tickets for the concert, and one for himself. The tickets we had were great. We weren't on the floor, but we were in the front row off to one side of the stage.
Both men were spectacular. My brother decided to leave during Clapton's encore, but my buddy and I stayed. We were glad we did, because during the encore, we noticed someone was standing on the floor beneath us. It was Robert Cray. Needless to say, we shouted out to him and he turned around. We told him how much we enjoyed the show, and he reached up and shook our hands. I guess my brother left a little too early.
The first CD I ever owned of Robert Cray was Strong Persuader, and it remains my favorite Cray CD. Here he is performing the song that gave the disc its title.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Cray's appearance in the classic comedy National Lampoon's Animal House. Watch for Cray as the bass player for Otis Day & the Knights performing Shout at the Delta House.
A couple years ago, my brother in law introduced me to the music of Keb Mo'. I became a big fan of his style of blues. In addition to the blues, I enjoy several different styles of music, so I am also a fan of country music, both modern and classic. So when I found this version of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" performed by Keb Mo' in a more traditional blues fashion, I fell in love with it. So here is this weeks Blues Song of the Week, Keb Mo' singing Folsom Prison Blues.
I first was exposed to Muddy Waters in the 1970's when he released his album "Hard Again" and the song "Mannish Boy" from the album was part of the Risky Business soundtrack. I had the pleasure of seeing him open up for Eric Clapton at the Capital Centre in Largo MD. What a thrill it was to see this old blues man, sitting on a stool, and just blowing the place away with traditional blues.
B.B King is often called the King of the Blues. I love B.B. King, but with all due respect, if he is the King of the Blues, then he inherited the title from Muddy Waters. Muddy had a profound influence on the rock world. He was one of the first blues musicians to incorporate the electric guitar. The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, among others, were heavily influenced by Muddy Waters.
I highly recommend the biography "Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters" by Robert Gordon. It covers the life of Muddy from his birth in the Mississippi Delta and covers his entire career until his death in 1983.
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