Penniman Records
Muddy Waters was an ambitious young man who sang and played guitar in Mississippi. With no future in the South, he decided to head to Chicago in 1943; there, he connected with blues giant Big Bill Broonzy and began performing as his opening act in city clubs. Just a year later, he had formed his first blues band and switched to electric guitar, becoming a well-established figure on the local scene. In 1947, Muddy Waters caught the attention of the fledgling label Aristocrat Records, just as Leonard Chess—who was then managing the Macomba Lounge nightclub—invested in the company. That December, Muddy recorded a session for Aristocrat accompanied by pianist Sunnyland Slim, a frequent collaborator. This compilation opens with a track from that session;
the collection comprises eight 78 rpm records (including their B-sides)—sixteen songs in total, recorded between 1948 and 1950 and presented in chronological order of release. (Three years later, Leonard Chess and his brother Phil would buy the remaining shares of Aristocrat and rename the label Chess Records, bringing Chicago blues to the world.) It includes extensive liner notes by Muddy Waters expert Fred Rothwell.
Gypsy Woman / Little Anna Mae / I Can't Be Satisfied / I Feel Like Going Home / Train Fare Home / Sittin' Here And Drinkin' / You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Dead And Gone) / Mean Red Spider / Streamline Woman / Muddy Jumps One / Little Geneva / Canary Bird / Screamin' And Cryin' / Where's My Woman Been / Rollin' And Tumblin' Part 1 / Rollin' and Tumblin' Part 2
