Old Blues News

Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy at Chess Studio Chicago 1963

Last week, I mentioned meeting Muhammad Ali and the tongue-tying effect it had on me to be in the presence of the Champ. Thinking about that long ago moment in time, I remembered an earlier meeting with a magisterial presence and what I learned from him. Sometimes you kind of know what you’re talking about without knowing there’s a deeper truth in play. Folks who’ve been there can hip you to it.

It was maybe 1970 or 71 and Chuck Morris booked the Muddy Waters band for a few nights at his club, Tulagi, in Boulder. I arranged to interview the man and was jazzed about the opportunity. When I arrived at the club and was ushered into the dressing room between sets, there were all these very laid back guys in grey suits and crisp white shirts with black ties loosened at the collar, smoking cigarettes and playing cards, while I waltzed in wearing bell bottom pants over rainbow colored high heeled boots and hair down to the yoke of my embroidered cowboy shirt. Muddy just smiled.

There was Pinetop Perkins, Big Eyes Smith, and all these other very cool cats giving me the once over and going back to their card game while I sat down at a table with the great Muddy Waters. I really wanted to show respect and so I asked with absolute sincerity, “Mister Morganfield, how do you feel about the renewed interest in the blues these days?” He leaned forward, looked at me with that big, meaty face of his and said, “Son, I’ve played 300 gigs a year for the last 30 years. Don’t mean shit to me.”