Muddy Waters

Born McKinley Morganfield in the Mississippi Delta, Muddy Waters was a central architect of modern Chicago blues. Raised on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, he was first recorded by John and Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1941-42 (an experience that, by his own account, helped convince him he could make records after hearing himself played back. He migrated to Chicago in 1943 and began recording for Aristocrat (later Chess) Records, where he developed the amplified ensemble sound that defined Chicago blues. His band at various times included Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, and Willie Dixon, and his recordings) 'Rollin' Stone,' 'Hoochie Coochie Man,' 'Got My Mojo Working', became foundational repertoire for the British Invasion and modern rock. He won multiple Grammy Awards and was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.