Martin Chilton writes .....
"Van Morrison, not a man given to hyperbole, said: "Muddy Waters is a prime influence for anybody who's ever done anything rock 'n' roll."
Just ask Eric Clapton or surviving members of the Rolling Stones — named after one of his songs, of course — why we should toast the memory of the 'father of modern Chicago blues', who was born 100 years ago today. They still listen to the vast and splendid catalogue of well-preserved music, created from his first record in 1941 until shortly before his death at 70 on April 30 1983.
Born McKinley Morganfield, he earned the nickname 'Muddy' from his love of playing in the Deer Creek mud along the Mississippi River as a child. It was a name given to him by his grandmother, Della Grant, who raised him after his mother died shortly following his birth"
