A major inspiration for the British blues explosion in the 1960s, Muddy was ranked #17 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
His influence is tremendous, over a variety of music genres: blues, rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, hard rock, folk, jazz, and country. He also helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract.
His 1958 tour of England marked possibly the first time modern urban blues was heard there. The Rolling Stones named themselves after his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone", (also known as "Catfish Blues", which Jimi Hendrix covered as well).
Hendrix recalled "the first guitar player I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death".
On April 30, 1983 Muddy Waters died in his sleep, at his home in Westmont, Illinois.
Following Waters' death, fellow blues musician B.B. King (who was hugely influenced by Waters) told ,"It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music".
“I Can’t Be Satisfied” was released in 1948 and perhaps the best of his early recordings. Its sound is not that far removed from the delta blues Waters grew up with and, the electric guitar apart, mimics the same raw and uncut sound of the untutored and self-taught blues musicians.
Together with Chess in-house bassist and songwriter, Willie Dixon, a number of similar classics emerged from Waters’ guitar and ultimately changed the face of music forever.
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