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McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, is one of the icons of Blues music. He became famous in the 1940s for recording blues music that wasn't sad and melancholic, but sexy, boastful, raw and full of energy. He was the first blues musician to replace the acoustic music the genre was known for and adopt electric guitars and more prominent percussion in his songs. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s he had several hits: "I Can't Be Satisfied", "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy", "Rollin' Stone Blues", "Got My Mojo Workin'", "She's Nineteen Years Old", "I Just Want To Make Love To You",... which attracted crowds of people. It has been said that Elvis Presley based his hip shaking on Muddy doing the same thing during his stage shows.

In fact, Muddy's electric guitar sounds, catchy beats, virile voice and sexual lyrics provided the entire backbone of Rock & Roll. Countless Blues Rock bands wouldn't exist without his influence. The Rolling Stones were named after his song "Rollin' Stone Blues", and their hit "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was inspired by "I Can't Be Satisfied". Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" from Highway 61 Revisited also took its inspiration from "Rollin' Stone". Muddy was also Covered Up by artists as diverse as the Stones, Dylan, The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Steppenwolf, The Band, Canned Heat, Humble Pie, The Allman Brothers Band, Motörhead, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Spacemen3, and others. Muddy himself performed "Mannish Boy" alongside The Band in their farewell concert film, The Last Waltz.

In 2004, his song "Hoochie Coochie Man" was added to the National Recording Registry.


Muddy Waters albums with TV Tropes pages:


Muddy Waters' music provides examples of:

  • All Women Are Lustful: "She's Nineteen Years Old"
    Nothing I can do to please her, to keep her satisfied
    • Subverted with "Got My Mojo Working", where the mojo "just don't work on you, baby".
  • A Man Is Always Eager: Muddy sure is. Most of his songs are about how he's really craving for a woman, most notably in "I Just Want To Make Love To You" and "I've Got To Love Somebody".
  • Badass Boast: Half of his songs praise himself as a badass: "I'm the Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy", "Got My Mojo Working", "I Can Never Be Satisfied".
  • Continuity Nod: On "Mannish Boy", he sings "I'm a hoochie coochie man," calling back to his earlier song "I'm the Hoochie Coochie Man."
  • Darker and Edgier: Muddy and his band took blues to a heavier, electified sound with lyrics that alluded more to sex than ever before.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: His comeback album was named Hard Again.
  • Fanservice: One of Muddy's stage acts had him put a coke bottle in his pants, then take it out, shake it up and spill the contents over the excited audience.
  • Intercourse with You: His songs are full of lust and cocksuredness.
  • New Sound Album: The oddest album in Muddy's catalogue must be Electric Mud (1968), which was lambasted by critics at the time for its psychedelic sound. However, it also has its fans, none other than Chuck D. from Public Enemy and Cypress Hill, who sampled "Tom Cat" from this album on the interlude "Ultraviolet Dreams" from their debut album "Cypress Hill". Gorillaz also sampled "Mannish Boy" from this album on their B-side "Left Hand Suzuki Method".
  • One-Man Song: "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy".
  • One-Woman Song: "Gypsy Woman", "Meanest Woman", "Little Geneva".
  • Product Placement: "I Want to Put a Tiger in Your Tank", based on the slogan of Esso.
  • Rule of Seven: "I'm the Hoochie Coochie Man".
    On the seventh hour
    On the seventh day
    On the seventh month
    The seven doctors say
    He was born for good luck
    And that you'll see
    I got 700 dollars
    Don't you mess with me
  • Shout-Out:
    • "Mannish Boy" was used in the film Better Off Dead when Lane Camaro rolls out for the first time. It has also been used in Risky Business and Goodfellas. The song has also gained popularity in the 1980s thanks to a Levi's jeans' commercial.
  • Something Blues: "Walkin' Blues", "Louisiana Blues", "Country Blues", "Train Fare Home Blues",...
  • Train Song: "All Aboard", where the percussionist and the mouth harmonica player imitate train sounds and the whistle. Another train song is "Southbound Train".

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