Everyone knows the blues-rock band of Brits known as The Rolling Stones. But do you know where they got their name?
Like me, you may have assumed they were inspired by Bob Dylan’s, “Like a Rolling Stone.” However, this is not the case. It is all too common for white men to get the credit for the accomplishments of black men.
In truth, the band took heavy inspiration, in band name and music style, from the African American electric blues artist known as Muddy Waters. Waters, originally named McKinley Morganfield, was born in 1915. He was a natural musician, purchasing his first guitar as a teenager.
From the minute he touched his own guitar for the first time, the two of them began to make history together. He became widely known as the greatest guitar player in his native state of Mississippi.
He started recording music in the 1940s, and from that point he went on to win Grammy after Grammy. In 1950, he released the song, “Rollin’ Stone.”
Twelve years later, the English band decided to call themselves The Rolling Stones. Then, in 1965, Bob Dylan released his song “Like a Rolling Stone.” Two years after that, the famous Rolling Stone magazine was founded.
None of this was a coincidence. Muddy Waters had been a significant influence on all these prominent developments in the history of music. The aforementioned artists and founders said so themselves.
In fact, in 1981, The Rolling Stones had a career high when they performed with their idol, Muddy Waters at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago. The performance was recorded in ‘81 and released in 2012.
When I first discovered Muddy Waters for myself, I was 17. I still have an Apple Music playlist called “the greatest of all time,” dedicated only to his music.
I am a proud fan, and I only wish I discovered him sooner. Waters passed away in 1983, long before I was born, but I would’ve loved to have been alive to know what it was like to hear him play live.
I will recommend his music again and again to anyone I meet. I often play him for my friends when I am on aux when I can sneak him in, although understandably, most people don’t like listening to music they don’t know.
I am aware that depending on your tastes, the electrifying voice and rhythm of Muddy Waters might not be for you. However, in hopes of inspiring you to try something new, I am going to recommend some of my favorites below:
“You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had”
“Country Boy (Live)”
“Don’t Go No Farther”
“Forty Days and Forty Nights”
And of course, “Rollin’ Stone”
Sources:
Did Bob Dylan actually inspire the name of Rolling Stone magazine?
How Muddy Waters inspired The Rolling Stones – Far Out Magazine