McKinley Morganfeld is literally one of the most important names in all of music history. Really, you say? McKinley Morganfeld? Well, you probably know him by a different name: Muddy Waters. And even if you’re one of the few who don’t know Muddy, you’ve surely heard his music. Or at least you’ve benefited from his legacy. Both the magazine and the band took their names from Muddy’s song “Rollin’ Stone.”
‘Cause Muddy’s a big deal. He’s the father of Chicago blues, and he’s considered the main link between blues and rock n’ roll. His specific style of raw, electrified blues paved the way for the next generation.
Over the course of his life, he came to represent Chicago to the world. But it all started down in the Delta. Muddy was working on a plantation, had been playing harmonica for years. But he’d only been fussing around with a guitar for a little while when folklorist Alan Lomax showed up and asked to record him.
They cut a song called “I Be’s Troubled.” Everything changed right then. It was the beginning of a colossal culture shift. Muddy heard his voice coming out of a record player, knew he was just as good as anyone, and moved to Chicago. It was up north that he cut that track again. He-titled it “I Can’t be Satisfied,” and it became a hit.
The blues grew up, had a baby, and rock n’ roll was in the cradle.
