Muddy Waters Began to Assemble What Appears to Be, in Retrospect, the Prototypical Rock Band

Home , Hard Again, Mannish Boy, Muddy Waters

Playing at the blues bars o fChicago’s South Side in the Forties, Muddy Waters began to assemble what appears to be, in retrospect, the prototypical rock band. Watersfound he couldn' t command much attention unamplified in a crowded, noisy club. So in 1944 he bought hisfirst electric I guitar. As a vocalist, he developed a I raw and impassioned shouting style. His groups, which played with all amps cranked, consisted o fbass, drums, second guitar,2 piano and harmonica, with Waters on slide guitar and vocals. He and a shifting company o fstellar sidemen played hard-edged, unadulterated blues, but his bands had the earmarks—in size, volume and attitude—ofrock combos to come. Waters also created some of rock! s classic cover material: ‘ ‘Hoochie Coochie Man,” “IJustWanttoMakeLovetoYou,” ‘‘Got My Mojo Working. ’ ’ In addition, he introduced Chuck Berry to the Chess brothers and inadvertently provided the Rolling Stones with their name (liftedfrom the title o fone o fhis songs). McKinley was dubbed Muddy by his grandmother, who reared him on the Stovall Plantation, nearClarksdale, Mississippi; his playmates added Waters. At age ten, he taught himselfto play the harmonica; at seventeen, he placed an orderfor hisfirst guitar with Sears and Roebuck. In 1941, folklorist Alan Lomax discovered Waters at the Stovall Plantation and recorded his solo work, which revealed the inspiration o fDelta bluesmen Robert Johnson and SonHouse. Inl943, Waters leftfor Chicago, a new homefor many ambitious Southerners, where the commingling o fcountry traditions and new MUDDY WATERS urban values was changing the shape o fthe blues. There Waters recorded ‘ T Can’t Be Satisfied’ ’ McKinley Morganfield and ‘‘I Feel Like Going Home” in 1948for B om April 4th, 1915 Leonard and Phil Chess’s Aristocrat label. After Rolling Fork, Mississippi the songs became hits, the Chess brothersformed D ied April 30th, 1983 the Chess label, which released Waters’ s ‘ ‘Rollin’ Chicago, Illinois Stone’ ’ as its second single. Thanks largely to Waters, Chess became the premier blues label, attracting the country’s best musicians, who came lookingfor their own deals or the chance to work with Waters. He collaborated most notably with pianist Otis Spann, harmonica player Little Walter and guitarist Jimmy Rogers. Waters enjoyed a jazzfollowing after appearing at the 1960Newport Jazz Festival and releasing Muddy Waters at Newport. He delved back into his rural roots with an acoustic set. Muddy Waters Folk Singer. W aters left Chess in the mid-Seventies, later signing with Blue Sky, where he made the highly acclaimed Hard Again withfan and collaborator Johnny Winter. By then, he was an acknowledged Americanfolk hero. Martin Scorsese immortalized him on film in The Last Waltz, a documentary on the Band’sfinal concert, devoting six minutes to Waters’s performance of jjj ‘Mannish Boy. ’ ’ Jimmy Carter even asked Waters to play at one o fhis celebrated White House picnics. Waters, who brought the soul o fthe South to the SOLOMON BURKE sound o fthe city, made his last public appearance as Eric Clapton’s guest at a June 1982 concert. Upon Waters’ s death the next year, Clapton remarked to Rolling Stone magazine, ‘ ‘Ifelt so much lovefor him. Ifelt like he was myfather and I was his adopted son... . But I was in love with Muddy before 1 even met Mm. And that s the great thing. His records will always be there. ’ ’ BY MARTY OSTROW

SEYMOUR STEIN CALLED me one morning last month. six or seven new titles, tell them that they were getting an “ Marty,” he said, “ you were at C ash B o x when the whole rock exclusive and beg for regular play. Then I would drive over to the and roll era began to develop. At the time, C ash B o x captured the record shop in town, tell them this was getting heavy play and sell essence of what was happening in our industry. Coyld you do a them a box right out of the car. feature for our Hall of Fame program on the role C ash B o x played ‘ ‘The rest of the country was blanketed by sending a box or two in the early development of rock and roll?” of the new singles to my indie distribs and then getting on the Seymour was right. C ash B o x did play an important role in the phone and threatening the distrib that he’s gonna lose the line if he growth of rock and roll. To understand how, let’s step back a third doesn’t break all seven singles in his area. ” of a century to the early Fifties and see what the record business Because the hits in each area were sO v a r i e d B o x was like then, in the period when R&B, country and indie-label developed a series Of regional R&B charts known as the Hot pop were all beginning to rub shoulders with one another. Charts, reporting weekly on the Top Ten R&B singles in the At the time, pop stations aimed their programming at a white twelve cities that had the heaviest R&B sales, audience, playing such artists as Perry Como, Dinah Shore, It was this feature that eventually made C ash B o x important. In Rosemary Clooney and Doris Day. But each city with a significant the early years, songs like “ Shake a Hand,” by Faye Adams, and black population had at least one station that featured another type “ Sixty Minute Man” ’ by.Billy Ward and the Dominoes, would of pop music, playing Jimmy Reed, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, rise to the top of these charts - in every city - and never be heard by Fats Domino, Muddy Waters, James Brown and Chuck Berry. any white people other than those music junkies who tuned into B illb o a rd was the leading music trade paper. And since the R&B stations. This material was never even considered for a pop major labels were making most of the big noise in the industry, cover at that time. Then, over a short span of a year or two, Bill they were getting most of B illb o a rd ’s editorial space. Haley covered Joe Turner’s “ Shake, Rattle and Roll,” Perry C ash B o x was known at the time as the jukebox operator’s Como covered Gene and Eunice’s “ Ko Ko Mo,” Pat Boone publication. We had a big section dealing with trade news about covered Fats Domino’s ‘*Ain’t That a Shame,” the McGuire jukeboxes and coin machines. We got involved in music when our Sisters covered the Moonglows’ “ Sincerely,” the Crew Cuts subscribers began requesting a chart of the records that were covered the Chords’ “ Sh*-Boom,” and the Fontane Sisters cov getting heavy play on the nation’s jukeboxes. ered Otis Williams and the Chârms’ ‘ ‘Hearts of Stone. ’ ’ C ash B o x started a weekly Top Ten jukebox chart, based on And since nothing awakens interest among record-industry weekly phone calls to leading jukebox operators . While Compiling people like a new, steady source of hit material, the major labels, this, we were often told that the most profitable locations were the music publishers, radio stations and songwriters all developed a taverns in black neighborhoods. keen interest in the C ash B o x Hot Charts. Occasionally, we asked the white operators how they chose At this point, radio was still totally divided, with pop covers records for the jukeboxes in the black areas. They often said being played onlf On white radio and the original R&B versions something like this: “ One of the Negro kids in my stockrooin and being played only on black radio. Then along camé Alan Freed, one of my drivers tell me what to get. They listen to this R&B stuff who, more than any other single individual, changed the face of day and night. I don’t know good from bad when it comfs to R&B. radio. He Would play a pop version of â hit, followed immediately You guys at C ash B o x oughta compile a list of the best R&B by the original R&B version of the same song. The R&B sound records on the jukeboxes like you do for the pop records.” became more acceptable to the white ear. Soon the white market In our desire to cover some aspect of music in greater depth than began to prefer the original versions. It wasp’t long before little B illb o a rd - r and in the hope that it would result in increased independent record manufacturers were coming up with one big advertising revenue - we decided to cover the R&B area more pop or rock and roll hit after another. thoroughly and develop a Top Ten R&B chart. During this series of events, the C ash B o x staff was called into a We went to the independent distributors who handled the R&B meeting to resolve a dilemma. A record called “ Gee,” by the labels and got a list of key retail shops in black areas. These Crows, oh George Goldner’s Rama label, had been riding high on distribs also gave us a rundown of one-stops (subdistributors who the R&B charts. Then it began to get heavy reports out of the white sold records to jukebox operators, candy stores, shoeshine parlors record shops. Although the word was not yet in the record-industry and so forth). lexicon, we were experiencing the first “ crossover” record. When we started surveying these outlets, we found that the hits We resolved the problem by keeping the record on the R&B varied greatly from city to city. What was Top Teh in New Orleans chart and by placing the same record on the pop chart. Needless to often never made it onto the Top Ten in L.A. This was because say, this opened a Pandora’s box of discussions and arguments on these small R&B labels were seldom in control of their own the proper way to compile the total volume from both charts. destinies. They may have had just one national promotion man (if Similar problems of categorization developed out of the country- they had one at all). They shipped their records to some thirty music area when Elvis Presley and,, later, the Everly Brothers - different independent distributors and had to hope that these indie both originally regarded as country acts - got heavier acceptance distribs would get excited! about a new release. ,, in the pop area than they did in country. Promotion in the early days of R&B was very crude. The late I remember a series of meetings during the late Fifties at which Leonard Ghess related his modus operandi in the early years Of we discussed whether a record should be reviewed in pop, R&B or Chess Records: country, or in all three, or in two of the threei We even discussed “ When I had six or seven new records, I would press up as doing away with the R&B section altogether, because we didn’t many 78s as I could fit in the trunk, front seat and back seat of my want to limit a record to only one audience when we couldn’t tell car and would head out from Chicago to my distributor in from the sound who it would appeal to. Shreveport, Stan Lewis. I would head through the back roads and Of course, our confusion at C ash B o x reflected the changes that drive through every black area, looking for transmitting towers. I were taking place in music and in society. It was a privilege to be would walk into these little R&B stations (most of which never able to cover from its inception - and to contribute to - one of the saw record-company people), give them a free copy of each of the most creative music periods in our history. COUNTRY WIHHERS '* * 8 m , « M OF “THE CASH BOX ! « w i n n e r s o f

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The Cash Box Volume XVII— Number SO S^tambwSeptember 1, 1, 1»M 1956 j POUNDED BY I U C S X » N iw ro*

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5ÏC0R0TH6 NORMAN ORLECK, AsssdMe Edits» l « * « e r i Prahehly ihr hoilr.1 Hhutoni have programed . MARTY OmtOW. Asssdsts Editor rnlprtnlnmml basine*» today marginal bu»in«-ws (bey CISSIB Omit’ Worn*«'* Editor © HI ley. HeV certainly causing the ptuim «■ I enterprise* fat | T. TORTOSA, C h J 3 T $ b a « k8 dtemcat, get linn H* widest prat coverage, , , roi*siF, tainutm Atr And aa far a* influente p n , ■ RUNO DUTKOWSKY, An Direnar drawing Use largest audience», and dcftnilely ittonh todayy create stars faster than almost selling Into of record«, ’ ------other-*— -atcdii— ADVERTISING RATS Ad vt trimotor*'U tuhjm » •f puWiihm. Yet, lt> Iwbibp almostI n niiwwimnational pastimepa ,te.lbera«nll„dl»le,------J indnslry shouldrt1.rfJ,Mw take J S n t o û W f to kneefc Presley. Even people wbo’ve .— ^ijing him — on general pride in the great stars it has created, stars Ht.pir yta/Mud principle*. H *e Bnt what’» worst of nil » pono ou le liecume lop box offici. rarairabcm*M taTJXim XimluftirCbu! «urne to aihrr Hohl.. Jo., ot-lnaal. he» Ä f t 1 M g £ £ £ S people in Ike reenrtl burl* ; HOU.YWOC ness who are knocking him me . few. What Imjirah, eouMn’t be prowl, abonld be boasting about him. (er In.tnnco, nf bavin, u M S e Pera, ' ramht I— null 1 3 r a t m wra e m Ora», who', come lo mprrraut rvra»Me« ! S f X Æ Ï Â t S ^ T Î r a ' .^ S S a ' Â I6V J S ^ ns big a* any artist .b».V «ootl and air. Í» mUllaa. „( p„p|„ | .PM » Ik —* can be at dm moment- ■ ind be wni created«rented •erae tbeIhr country?manir,? Or ea DerbDoris Dny,IM,, wltowho beebas ! TUB TM CASKCUB tOXBOX ram.m*s„ .*<1. minaut« estaafe ñama*»lira so-la by dm record business. Instead of being *"*i© on tola be theIhe toplap female attractionallronlon lain jÌ Ï 2 Â prend of tbe fact that the record Industry motion pletora industry? Or an Andy **w£ câSH* *maKm*m ro*eltì"m M * wwt bas dm ability and power to cerate dm hot- GrilQtb, who, as the resali of one record, | iosa' Also Available 6 Consecutive dit* rareired tbe recognition which enabled him .,Wew Â » t,TÏASÏ ■ one people In ear heMerae «a «ale, elae« to exploit his actingI ahlHtyability first on BroadwayBroadi ¡J « * CA* " “““•' ' abb Ibe «maral koacbja« Imal bwaaer II ™ *“ ’™V « ■ muMOO piotare? The rcc> appears to be dm fasblonsble thing to do. ■d industry has alsoi produced P ----&Wk’ Í ,v«^Sf • UK PROBLEH ...... X» ««mW la tlm mm THANKS.../ • stenedoo to ns. |R «Agit lobueml «raM, on,I a Jahanie lb ,, «lu *l»l»r«l has been world-wide, and am hs."Tb ’ fact, what the record Indus* m vooM «. an IMb«. try needs is a change------P la.Ia-J- rolnr|df. I E ? Ä £ COREO MOtrtO tu MIDNIGHTERS with he change In sta I palai k. In’. Map bela« unblr H I longer a minor facet . W « Mop knarlifng the pnalara. j ¡¡ fa-ra-lam FOR SELECT»« DS AS THE No. 1 RID HOT pkttra. Our bulmra, bra p m up oed wr r a m An felvhKivi, Presley,Prrara,, whetherM ir a yon | N¡.rairara« d inn to c now ma bke U, ptrar nprall, raaaap .U Ih. Dkr kb ra,lr ar doa-l, b a «raal Ibla« far I tamirakl'" HEARTS 07 STONE I M U 6 » '* fTHM AND BLUES GROUP OF THE YEAR other enwrtahunent field*. Records ara be- tbe record tndostry. Lc«*b devote »be energy I **” Ejt,il \J Choran * «, HBH»«1“ "•"* -Oetu*e 6062 lag enjoyed In millions of hontes every day we would spend in bating the guy to trying : AwaSvSS, and Urn prospects are certain for even greater le develop several more who will sell era- i dmTJin'^wS MMMM“ Í w r m c u V h w m » growth In tbe immediate future. Recotd orda at the pace that be dees. ! Convmit YOU UFSET Ml, »ATT B. 8 Kina i sy ä sisn** (RPM 416S

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