43 Years Ago Today, the Blues Legend Who Laid the Groundwork for Rock & Roll and Influenced the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, Died in His Sleep

On this day (April 30) in 1983, McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, died in his sleep in his Westmont, Illinois, home at the age of 70. It is hard to overstate his influence on modern music as a whole. He and the musicians with whom he worked helped shape the Chicago blues sound. Waters also had a hand in the creation of rock and roll. He helped Chuck Berry land the record deal that launched his career. Additionally, his music was a major influence on the likes of Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

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Waters grew up in Mississippi, where he began honing his musical skills. He learned to play harmonica at an early age and bought his first guitar at the age of 17. A little more than a decade later, folklorist Alan Lomax recorded Waters for the Library of Congress. Those early recordings reveal his major influences–blues masters Robert Johnson and Son House. Two years later, in 1943, he moved to Chicago, where he became a full-time musician.

Waters’ sound evolved out of necessity after he arrived in the Windy City. According to Michael Hill’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame essay, he found it difficult to be heard over the crowds in the city’s blues clubs. As a result, he and his sidemen invested in electric instruments. At the same time, he developed a raw and passionate shouting vocal style to cut through the noise.

The groups he put together, which included a rotating cast of bluesmen, resembled rock bands that would form in the years to come. They had two guitars, a bass player, and drums behind Waters’ vocals. This was only the beginning of his influence over the evolving genre.

Muddy Waters, Chess Records, and Chuck Berry

Muddy Waters cut his first Chicago blues songs in 1948. He recorded “I Feel Like Going Home” and “I Can’t Be Satisfied” for Aristocrat, the label owned by Phil and Leonard Chess. Those singles were so commercially successful that the brothers formed Chess Records. Waters’ music helped Chess quickly become the blues label. They attracted artists like Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, and Buddy Guy, all of whom went on to become highly influential.

This is also where Waters played another pivotal role in the development of rock music. He met Chuck Berry in 1955. After hearing him play, Waters directed Berry to Chess Records. He landed a recording contract with the label and released his debut single, “Maybeliene,” later that year. The song has since been cited as one of the earliest examples of rock and roll.

Rock Legends Inspired by Waters

It’s no secret that rock and roll is rooted in the blues. So, every seminal rocker was deeply influenced by the genre. Muddy Waters, specifically, influenced some of the genre’s most important acts. For instance, the Rolling Stones took their name from the title of his 1950 song “Rollin’ Stone.” Cream, another English rock band, also looked to Waters for influence. They covered his song “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” on their debut album. Additionally, Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” pulls lyrics from Waters’ 1962 track “You Need Love.”

Jimi Hendrix, one of the most lauded rock guitarists of all time, counted Waters among his influences. The same could be said for Eric Clapton and AC/DC guitarist Angus Young.

Muddy Waters’ “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” has been covered by countless rock and blues artists over the years. Watch him perform it live with the Rolling Stones below.

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