Muddy Waters exhibit open this weekend only in Westmont, IL

Of course before there was rock and roll, there was the blues. And one of the greatest blues performers was Muddy Waters. Like many blues performers, Muddy was born in Mississippi, but migrated north to Chicago in search of factory jobs. In Chicago, the fast pace of the city altered the persona of the transplanted delta men, and the more pastoral music of the delta became the Chicago blues.

The Chicago blues influence on rock music was (and is profound). Artists such as the Rolling Stones (they got their name from a Muddy Waters song), Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and countless others were inspired by Muddy Waters and other Chicago blues artists. But Muddy topped them all, and he remains an inspiring force upon what remains of the blues scene in Chicago.

Waters was part of the Chess Records stable of artists that included Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon. An English teen named Mick Jagger purchased many albums via mail order from Chess Records' Chicago office at 2120 S. Michigan Avenue. An early Rolling Stones instrumental, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, recorded at Chess, appears on their 12 X 5 album.

Muddy moved to suburban Westmont in 1973 and died there ten years later. This weekend, his old house has been turned into a special exhibit in conjunction with the Taste of Westmont festival. Read more about it in Friday's Daily Herald.

I saw Muddy perform just once, sometime around 1981 at Chicagofest. He was about 70 at the time but he certainly didn't play or sound like an old man.

And never forget, as Muddy sang in one of his later songs: "The blues had a baby, and they named it rock and roll." And Muddy definitely was in the delivery room for that birth.

UPDATE, More Muddy: Today's Chicago Tribune has an article covering the same territory, but adding some information on the ten years Muddy lived in Westmont. Free registration may be required.