Muddy Waters – Aristocrat of the Blues, 1941-1950

McKinley Morganfield a.k.a Muddy Waters didn’t single-handedly effect the seismic upheaval in the sound of Chicago Blues as the 1940s give way to the 50s, but it’s impossible to overstate his importance to its evolution it moved from a still largely acoustic to an electric format after World War Two. And it’s fair to say that, without Muddy’s participation, it might have taken a considerably different direction.

Jasmine’s third Muddy compilation “The Aristocrat Of The Blues” features all the recordings that he made as a session leader (rather than an accompanist) for Aristocrat Records of Chicago in the two years before the label changed its name to Chess Records (1948-50). They provide the foundation on which everything that followed was built – not just for Muddy, but for Chess Records itself – and include many songs that were associated with Muddy throughout his time in the limelight, including ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’, ‘I Feel Like Goin’ Home’ and his spectacular two part version of ‘Rollin’ And Tumblin’.

Muddy has been gone for more than 40 years now, but his all pervasive influence on the blues is as strong as it ever was and always will be. Here’s a welcome opportunity to hear him as he sounded at the start of his long and illustrious career, with the masters presented in order of recording and with the addition of three invaluable pre-Aristocrat sides that he later reworked.

There have been no shortage of Muddy compilations in the digital era, but this is the first time this period of his career has been compiled into a stand-alone CD. We feel sure it will quickly join our previous two Muddy CDs in the list of Jasmine’s all-time best sellers.

1. GYPSY WOMAN
2. LITTLE ANNA MAE
3. GOOD LOOKING WOMAN
4. MEAN DISPOSITION
5. I CAN’T BE SATISFIED
6. I FEEL LIKE GOING HOME
7. TRAIN FARE HOME
8. SITTIN’ HERE AND DRINKIN’
9. DOWN SOUTH BLUES
10. KIND HEARTED WOMAN
11. YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME (When I’m Dead And Gone)
12. MEAN RED SPIDER
13. STANDIN’ HERE TREMBLIN’
14. HARD DAYS
15. STREAMLINE WOMAN
16. MUDDY JUMPS ONE
17. LITTLE GENEVA
18. CANARY BIRD
19. BURYING GROUND
20. YOU’RE GONNA NEED MY HELP
21. SCREAMING AND CRYING
22. WHERE’S MY WOMAN BEEN
23. LAST TIME I FOOL AROUND WITH YOU
24. ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’ - Part One
25. ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’ - Part Two

BONUS TRACKS

26. I BE’S TROUBLED
27. COUNTRY BLUES
28. MEAN RED SPIDER