Blues Improv

Muddy Waters

Was Muddy Waters the Godfather of Rock N' Roll? You betcha and Chuck Berry was his disciple ...

Muddy Waters went from pickin' cotton in Mississippi to pickin' electric guitar in Chicago, and created many of the great Chicago blues classics. Together with Willie Dixon, Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter, the Muddy Waters Band lay the foundation for the birth to Rock N Roll.

And they had the tools to do the job- newly invented electric guitars. It was Jimmy Rogers on rhythm guitar and Muddy on electric slide. Albeit these weren't today's Fender Strats and Gibson Les Pauls, but they had that funky sound. And they had amplifiers, 20 watt tube amps in the years before there were Fender Super Reverbs and Marshall stacks. And they had also had Little Walter, a breathtaking blues harmonica player that blew the roof off Chicago Clubs.

So where's the Rock N' Roll connection? Just like in a movie, there hanging around the studio was a young guitar player, Chuck Berry, another Chess Records blues artist looking to make a name for himself.

Chuck Berry started playing blues songs uptempo and messing with the rhythm. Instead of changing chords on the 'downbeat' (1st beat of the measure), Chuck switched chords on the 'and of four' from the previous chord. And the result was Rock N Roll!

Muddy even wrote a song about it called The Blues Had a Baby and They Called It Rock N' Roll

Got My Mojo Workin Video

Muddy Waters Video

		Muddy Waters: Deep Blues  Performed by Muddy Waters. For guitar and voice. Format: guitar tablature songbook. With guitar tablature, standard notation, vocal melody, lyrics, chord names, performance notes, introductory text, guitar notation legend and black & white photos. Blues and Chicago Blues. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Recorded Versions. 184 pages. 9x12 inches. Published by Hal Leonard. Average customer rating:
		Muddy Waters: Muddy Waters  Hosted by Bob Margolin, performed by Muddy Waters. For electric guitar. DVD Only- no sheet music. Format: instructional video (DVD). Blues, chicago blues and Technique. Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Signature Licks DVD. 5.3x7.5 inches. Duration 52m. Published by Hal Leonard.
		Muddy Waters - Deep Blues and Good News*  Guitar School (Lessons with exact transcriptions in notes and tab). Size 9x12 inches. 48 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.
		Muddy Waters in Concert 1971  Performance by Muddy Waters. For Guitar (Electric). concert/documentary. Vestapol. Blues. DVD. Size 5.25x7.5. 58 pages. Published by Grossman's Guitar Workshop.
		Muddy Waters: Guitar Style  Hosted by Bob Margolin, performed by Muddy Waters. For electric guitar. Format: instructional video (VHS). Blues, chicago blues and Technique. Series: Hal Leonard Star Licks Master Sessions. 4.7x8 inches. Published by Star Licks.
		Chicago Blues  Featuring Muddy Waters, Johnnie Lewis, Buddy Guy, Junior Well, J. B. Hutto. By Harley Cokliss. For Guitar (Electric). concert/documentary. Vestapol. Blues. DVD. Size 5.25x7.5. 50 pages. Published by Grossman's Guitar Workshop.
		Muddy Waters in Concert 1971  performance by Muddy Waters. For Guitar (Electric). concert/documentary. Vestapol. Blues. Video. Size 4.13x7.5. Duration 42 minutes. Published by Grossman's Guitar Workshop. © 1998-2009 Blues for Peace Corporation. All rights reserved.