Mannish Boy

When Bo Diddley scored a massive hit with "I'm a Man," Muddy Waters decided to remind everyone who built that sound. During a May 1955 session, Muddy laid down "Mannish Boy" as a direct, ferociously boastful answer record. Because Little Walter was unavailable, harmonica player Junior Wells stepped in, blowing explosive, shrieking fills between Muddy's punctuated shouts. Driven by a relentless, stop-time, one-chord vamp, the track became a defining anthem of blues bravado, cementing Muddy's untouchable status.