Episode 6 Muddy Waters Later Career

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 6  MUDDY WATERS Later Career

 Episode 6 is a continuation of the previous episode about the life and musical career of Blues Master Muddy Waters. This episode is about the later years of his career.  Muddy was born in Mississippi and is known as the ‘King of Chicago Blues’. 

 The titles of releases on my label Big Guitar Music the songs are taken from in this episode include Rhythm and Western by the Howlers, Big Town Playboy, World Wide Open, and The Screamin' Cat. 

 A music track playlist for this podcast is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple, and YouTube for your listening pleasure.

 The musicians featured in the tracks on this episode are B E “Frosty” Smith, Bobby “Crow” Field, Chris Searles, Danny Dozier, Gary Clark Jr, Hugh Garraway, Jimmy Barnett, Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne, Mark Hallman, Nick Connolly, Paul Jr, Robert McEntee, Ronnie James, Steve Kilmer, Tommy Conner, and Wes Starr.

 Omar’s Picks for further study of copyrighted music not used in Episode 6 are Can’t Get No Gridin’, Chess Records, Muddy Mississippi Waters Live, Blue Sky Records, and One More Mile, MCA/Chess Records.

Visit my website for more info  www.omarandthehowlers.com

Thank you to Matthew Garza (Upwork.com) for his work mastering this podcast.

Transcript

EPISODE 6 MUDDY WATERS Later Career

Omar Dykes: In December of 1979, my friend Bobby Barnett and I went to Antone's Blues Club when it was on 6th Street in Austin to hear Muddy Waters. I was grateful that he was performing in Austin and that I had the night off. I knew Antones would be a perfect setting to see this prestigious Blues King and his band.

Here's a Muddy Waters' song called "I Got My Mojo Workin" by the original Howlers.

Bobby and I arrived early and found a great table in the middle of the venue, not too close and not too far from the stage. We were excited and looking forward to the entire experience. Not long after we sat down, the front door of the club opened and in walked Muddy Waters, bigger than life. He was wearing a muted vest with matching slacks and a loud Hawaiian shirt. He looked great, and he looked strong enough to wrestle a bull to the ground. Bobby and I were astonished over his presence. 

Muddy had to pass right by our table to get to the stairs that led up to the dressing room. Just as he walked by us, he flicked his head in our direction and saw us gaping at him. We were gaping, just staring. He got a big smile on his face and stuck out his hand to greet us, saying how wonderful it was to see us like we were some old long-lost friends. Bobby and I were stunned and looked like deer in the headlights. I'm sure neither one of us could make a sentence. With that Muddy turned and said, "I've got to get upstairs. Great to see you." And off he went. We were speechless.

I have reflected on that event many times, and I think Muddy was a southern gentleman and that was just the way he was. I'm sure he could spot the Mississippi written all over my face. Whatever it was, it will always be a treasured moment in time for me.

We soon saw musicians coming down the stairs to enter the stage. The band consisted of Bob Margolin and Luther Johnson on the guitars, Pinetop Perkins on the piano, Jerry Portnoy on harmonica, Calvin Fuzz Jones on bass, and Willie Big Eyes Smith on drums. Now that's a band. They started off the festivities and were great beyond words.

They played instrumentals and did vocals that switched between Fuzz Jones to Luther Johnson, and they'd hand it over to Pinetop. We were so impressed with the band, we were wondering, 'how could it be any better than that?' It was so good. They were playing, and it was just great. I'm a blues guy, and I was in heaven listening to blues of that caliber. I was going, how can it possibly be better? Then Muddy Waters walked out on stage with his red Fender Telecaster and plugged it into a Fender Super Reverb amp. He sat down on a stool and retrieved a little short metal slide from his vest pocket, and with the wink of an eye, he hit the first loud, high metallic notes of his "Long Distance Call" song. Who comes out and starts the show with a bone chilling, slow blues song? I'll tell you who. Muddy Waters. He brought the dust of the Mississippi Delta right into Antones. With every note he played, you could see the cotton fields and soybean patches right before your eyes.

 Bobby and I were ashamed that we let one ounce of doubt in our minds. It was completely evident that Muddy Waters was the man. After a long and satisfying show, we left there exhilarated. Whew! That wore me out. You know what? I need a nap. 

That was an original song, "Snake Oil Doctor" inspired by Muddy Waters on my release The Screaming Cat.

This episode is a continuation of the Blues Master Muddy Waters and the latter part of his career. Having revealed some of the Chess albums I hold dear in the last episode, I would like to comment on some of Muddy's Chess catalog that have been called missteps. Some of these albums were held under a microscope by critics and were chastised by the general public. I do not share all of these observations and opinions. I actually liked some of the titles for my own reasons. They're what they are. You decide.

One of the first controversial LPs was Muddy's Brass and the Blues, a collection of standards that horns were overdubbed onto the tracks. I heard some of this recording when it was released in 1967, and I quickly decided this is not for me. If you think Brass and the Blues was a misplaced attempt to bring Muddy's style up to date, the next entry is considered totally bizarre by many. Leonard Chess's son, Marshall Chess, was given the job to produce an album that would attract the younger white audience being drawn to the blues.

Marshall's Uncle Phil Chess worked closely with him. He was responsible for the nuts and bolts of running the company. He ran Chess. He did all the errands, putting everybody together, and making sure the musicians stayed sober. Sometimes they gave them liquor, but he did whatever it took to get them in the studio and make it happen. This album called Electric Mud featured young Chicago players, not that well suited for the blues. The recordings featured soprano sax and what Muddy called wow wow pedals and fuzz tone guitars. They did bizarro world covers of "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "Hoochie Coochie Man," and the strangest of them all, Muddy singing "Let's Spend the Night Together" by the Rolling Stones. In spite of the release having commercial success, Muddy said it was dog dupe. I paraphrased. I admit that I have this recording and like it on some weird level. Every once in a while, I listened to it and think to myself, 'Wow, was that Muddy Waters?' 

The next strange offering to be thrown into the ring was After the Rain in 1969. The cover shows Muddy shirtless, covered with mud, and holding up a bullfrog in his left hand. That's a pretty good start right there. The tracks included remakes of some of Muddy's classic songs, "Screamin' and Cryin'," "Honey Bee," and "Rollin' and Tumblin'". These are great songs, but the new treatments are not for the faint of heart. This collection is generally dismissed and fits Muddy's same view of Electric Mud. Once again, I like it on some strange level, and the cover is radically beyond belief. 

The next selection to be bashed and considered a miss by the critics was Fathers and Sons. This recording matches Muddy Waters and Otis Spann with members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band that included Duck Dunn from Booker T and the MGs on bass guitar, and I think he was a perfect choice. The album was released as a two-record set. One featured the band in a live concert and the other in the studio recording. Many critics dismissed this release, but it worked for me. I learned to play slide guitar from this recording. Muddy's slide playing, on "Long Distance Call" is otherworldly, and kept me busy for many years. Some people call this record a misstep, but I call it a treasure. Enough said. 

In 1969, Muddy was in a tragic car wreck that killed his driver and put Muddy in the hospital for well over three months. His back was injured. He had broken ribs, a broken leg, and his hand was so paralyzed that doctors predicted he may not ever play the guitar again. The future looked bleak. After close to a year, while recuperating, Muddy started playing the guitar again, and he was soon able to walk without crutches. He was a tough old bird, and he was shortly back to touring again, with trips to Japan and Australia on his agenda. Tell me he wasn't tough. It's hard to go to Japan and Australia if you're in perfect shape, and he was recuperating from the accident. Muddy continued to tour the U S and won a Grammy award in 1971 for They Call Me Muddy Waters, a collection on Chess Records.

Right on the heels of this record, he went to England to record the London Sessions. This won him another Grammy, and he was soon to be the headliner at the Montrose Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He cut the Can't Get No Grindin' album in 1973, one of my favorites, touring extensively with his band. In 1975, he won another Grammy for his Woodstock album, the Muddy Waters Woodstock album. It was great too. He also recorded the soundtrack for the Mandigo movie. 

Muddy was back in the groove and touring all over the world. After a bit of a lull in recording his fortune changed when he acquired a contract with Blue Sky Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. The first record on Blue Sky, Hard Again, was a huge success and won a Grammy for the Best Ethnic or Traditional Sound Recording in 1978. The producer of this record was Johnny Winter. Also in 78, Johnny Winter produced the second release on Blue Sky and it was called I'm Ready. This disc also won a Grammy in 1979. Muddy was batting 100 per cent. 

The next record to barrel down the pike was Muddy Mississippi Waters Live which won a Grammy in 1980 compiled by Muddy and Johnny by selecting various tracks from previous live recordings. In my opinion, this is one of the best live compilations ever released. The final and fourth release on Blue Sky in 1980 was King Bee, produced again by Johnny Winter. "King Bee" was written by the great Slim Harpo, and Muddy did it justice. It was produced by Johnny Winter. During the recording, there was a salary dispute and most of the band members left. This resulted in the release being completed by adding two outtakes from the Hard Again sessions. Two really good tracks on this recording are "King Bee" and "Champagne and Reefer." I thought this was an impressive final recording, although not all reviews were that favorable. There's no bad Muddy Waters. 

This is my version of "King Bee" from Big Town Playboy featuring Gary Clark on the guitar and harmonica.

On April the 30th, 1983, Muddy Waters died at home in his sleep after battling cancer. He was 68 years old, but his legacy will live on as long as people listen to and love the blues. His body of work is so extensive and compelling that he will live on in the forefront of the blues from now on. It is impossible to miss his achievements and his influences in the blues. You have to acknowledge Muddy. He was bigger than life. 

After his death, collections of his recordings continue to be issued. Some of the important ones are the Chess box consisting of three discs. These discs are loaded with the finest Chess sides spread out over his entire career. Released in 1990 it is everything you need to hear with his affiliation with the label.

In 1992, Charly Records out of England released The Complete Muddy Waters 1947-1967. It is a 9-disc set containing 205 tracks. Needless to say, it is not for everyone. I have it and love it, but this extensive set is for collectors only. Also in 1992, Blue Sky Records issued a compilation of songs from 1976 to 1980. One of my favorite compilations is One More Mile from 1994 that includes 41 tracks on a double CD. It's a must have. This release is loaded with great material with all but three songs that are not repeated from the Chess box from 1990. 

Muddy Waters won seven Grammy Awards, six for the Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording, and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1992. He was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He received five awards from the Blues Foundation, one for The Complete Plantation recording reissue album that was Album of the Year in 1994. One More Mile reissue album was Album of the Year, and it was 1995. 2000 Traditional Blues Album of the Year for The Lost Tapes of Muddy Waters. 2002 Historical Blues Album of the Year for Fathers and Sons. I knew that record would come back around. And Hoochie Coochie Man: The Complete Chess Recordings 1952-1958 was in 2006.

In 1994, the U. S. Postal Service issued a 29-cent commemorative stamp of Muddy on the Jazz and Blues series. Great thing to have. I got them.

On a personal note, I would like to remember Paul Oscher who was the first permanent white member of Muddy's band. He played harmonica with Muddy from 1967 to 1972 and lived in Muddy's house in Chicago, sharing the basement with Otis Spann. After crossing paths with Paul in Europe, several times we became friends. I was delighted when he moved to Austin. Unfortunately, on April 18th, 2021, he died of complications from COVID. He was 74 years old. 

After learning about Muddy's death, Larry Monroe, host of Blue Monday radio broadcast on KUT FM in Austin called me. I was already scheduled to be a guest on his program in the next few days. Larry suggested that we change the format of the show to be a tribute to Muddy Waters. I was in complete agreement. Having already selected material for the upcoming Monday, I just set it aside and picked out some of my Muddy albums, along with recordings by some of his sidemen, Otis Spann, Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, James Cotton, and others. 

On Monday, I took the box of records to the station, and Larry and I picked out selections at random as we did the show. The spontaneity of the unscripted format was very special to both of us and was a more personal way to honor the King of Chicago Blues. We talked about Muddy and these great players in no particular order. It proved to be a great farewell. Rest in peace Muddy Waters and Larry Monroe. A great privilege and a wonderful memory.

Here is the song I wrote called "Low Down Dirty Blues" from my release Worldwide Open.

This is Omar's picks for Muddy Waters later career.   The picks are "Can't Get No Grindin" on Chess Records, "Muddy Mississippi Waters Live" on Blue Sky Records, and "One More Mile", on MCA Chess Records. 

I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Brown Shoes Blues. Thank you for joining me. I appreciate it. Tune in next time for my next episode.