The audio track was recorded in Chicago in 1949 and features Johnny Jones on piano, Tampa Red on guitar, Leroy Foster on drums and, of course, Muddy on guitar and vocals. It's my favorite track so far on the 4-CD Proper box set ??King Of the Chicago Blues??.The video is Muddy live, late in life (1976) singing ??Mannish Boy (AKA I'm A Man)?? onstage with Robbie Robertson on guitar and Paul Butterfield on harp. What a voice! It's immediately followed by Eric Clapton doing ??Further On Up The Road??. I think the video is part of The Band film ??The Last Waltz??.
Charley Rogulewski says
As a Chicagoan Muddy Waters has been a major favorite of mine. They don't make music like this any more. Hoochie Coochie man is my favorite.
bryan-j says
I think he's more of an 'ole boy' now! - still boasting about what he's got (lost) - but he's got lyrics to sing.
Great feel-good music, thanks Dermahrk
Cody B says
Proper does a nice job with Public Domain material (great track here) as does a label I used to work with JSP..Remastered with decent notes and cheap, 4 or 5 discs for $25. Plus, the man who runs JSP is one nice dude, who uses his PD earnings to put out new blues records..
"Wiki JSP":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSP_Records ◄
"JSP Site":http://www.jsprecords.com/ ◄
In the end the 2 labels are basically releasing the same records, so check 'em out to see who's you like better.
Spike says
It must have been fun working for JSP, Cody. I really like the reissues of theirs I've come across.
Mike and bryan-j touch on something I've wondered about. If you listen to Muddy Waters' original studio recording of "Mannish Boy," there's a high-pitched over-the-top chorus of folks screaming "yeah!" whenever Muddy sings the chorus "I'm a man."
That and the title suggest to me that Muddy or also Willie Dixon (who somehow gets listed as composer on the LP I have) are teasing Bo Diddley for the conceit of his original version, "I'm a Man," as if to say, "Forget it, Bo, I'm the real man." Muddy's not necessarily making fun of the idea of bragging, because he sang more than his share of bragging songs. That said, he makes sure at the same time that his recording is musically top-notch.
Jonh Ingham says
One of my regrets is never seeing him play. Sometimes we discover these guys too late in their history. His biography is a great read by the way - Can't Be Satisfied, by Robert Gordon.
dermahrk says
*Cody*: I had not heard of JSP and *really* appreciate this referral. I also had no idea that the reason these sets could be produced so cheaply is that they were public domain. I assume their copyrights have expired (if they had copyrights). Again, I'm envious of your industry experience.
*Spike*: One of the things I really enjoy about blues is when the backup musicians (or ??somebody??) start yelling "yeah, man, take me witchoo" or somesuch in the background. I imagine that this comes from the wellspring of gospel and the black church.
*Jonh*: I was unaware of that Muddy biography. Thanks for that. By the way, our screennames are similar in that people never know where to place the ??h??.
Jonh Ingham says
The chapters about his early life is especially good, with some very good detail about life on the plantations before WW2. Then you can follow it up on the Web and find out what the current Stovall is doing in recognising the legacy of Muddy and others who worked on his family's land.
Re the 'h': Keep the buggers confused is my devious game plan.
Cody B says
My pleasure Mark. I was lucky enough to get over 100 of the JSP boxes..Blues Greats,Jazz Giants, and toothless banjo men (who I have no problem with) galore. I think I told this story a long time ago, but at a convention for work I saw John Stedman from JSP walk in (it was my first time seeing him and he had never seen me), and I ran over and gave him a huge hug and thanked him profusely for his great label. He's a pretty proper (heh) British guy so he was a little offf put, but we became pretty good friends. A tireless supporter of the Blues he is..That part of the music biz,I miss.
The audio track was recorded in Chicago in 1949 and features Johnny Jones on piano, Tampa Red on guitar, Leroy Foster on drums and, of course, Muddy on guitar and vocals. It's my favorite track so far on the 4-CD Proper box set ??King Of the Chicago Blues??.The video is Muddy live, late in life (1976) singing ??Mannish Boy (AKA I'm A Man)?? onstage with Robbie Robertson on guitar and Paul Butterfield on harp. What a voice! It's immediately followed by Eric Clapton doing ??Further On Up The Road??. I think the video is part of The Band film ??The Last Waltz??.
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