‘There’s only one Muddy’

Acclaimed blues artiste Mud Morganfield will perform in the city, this weekend for the first time

Naturally, our conversation begins and ends with reference to blues legend Muddy Waters. His son Mud Morganfield says, “He set a standard and there was a whole bunch of musicians influenced by him. Among many others, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells were inspired by his music, and played with him.” On Saturday night, Morganfield is doing his first concert in Mumbai at the Tata Theatre. “I will do a mix of Muddy Waters hits and my songs with a few good old blues classics thrown in. This tour should be a good introduction to India and I hope to come there often,” says the 65-year-old.

Legendary sound

Described as the father of modern Chicago blues, Muddy Waters was known for his trademark electric guitar sound and optimistic songs. He had a string of hits in the 1950s, including ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘Mannish Boy’, ‘Rollin and Tumblin’, ‘You Got My Mojo Working’, ‘You Shook Me’ and ‘Rollin Stone’, a song that inspired the name of British rock legends Rolling Stones. “My personal favourite, however, is this song, ‘The Same Thing’, which is a slow ballad,” says the son.

Many Muddy Waters classics were written by Willie Dixon. These include ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘You Shook Me’, ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’, ‘Close To You’ and ‘I'm Ready’. “Willie was one of the best writers for the blues, and many of the greats did his songs. I am lucky to collaborate with his grandson Alex Dixon,” Morganfield points out.

Mixing it up

Interestingly, Morganfield’s musical career took off late. When he was a child, his father would travel a lot. He recalls, “I hardly spent much time with him though when he was home, many musicians would come over. Mamma supported me a lot, and I started by playing the drums. Besides the blues, I grew up on all the big Motown artistes, Marvin Gaye being a favourite.”

The musician admits he was often scolded as his drums were scattered all over the place. “Eventually I picked up the bass and today, I compose all my music on that instrument. I normally use a Fender bass but also play upright bass,” he says. Morganfield started playing professionally after Muddy Waters passed away in 1983. “I would have this recurring dream that he played with me. I started off in the blues clubs in Chicago, doing a mix of his songs and some of my own,” he reminisces. Among his albums, the 2014 release, For Pops was a tribute to Muddy Waters. Featuring harmonica player Kim Wilson, it includes the songs, ‘Nineteen Years Old’, ‘Gone To Main Street’ and ‘Just To Be With You’. Last year, Morganfield released They Call Me Mud and he’s now working on his next album. Though Morganfield has grown up on traditional blues, he checks out a lot of contemporary blues artistes as well.

He says, “I don’t care much about rock-blues. For me, blues is blues, rock is rock, and jazz is jazz. I listen to a lot of new pop but am not into urban rap.” Asked whether Buddy Guy, who has often played in Mumbai, has told him anything about the Indian blues scene, Morganfield laughs, “We keep meeting in Chicago, and he hasn’t told me anything. But he’s everywhere, he’s Buddy Guy.” Morganfield promises that anyone who knew Muddy Waters through his music would enjoy him and his band too. “After all, there’s only one Muddy,” says the musician emphatically.

Mud Morganfield: Live in Concert on November 23 at Tata Theatre, NCPA. More details on bookmyshow.com