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McKinley(Muddy)Waters formerly Morganfield

Son of Ollie Morganfield and Berta Grant

Brother of Dave Morganfield[half], Luella (Morganfield) McNeal[half], Robert Morganfield[half] and Ellis Morganfield[half]

[spouse(s) unknown]

[children unknown]

Profile last modified | Created 16 Nov

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Biography

Muddy Waters is best known as the "father of modern Chicago blues" and was a major inspiration for the rise of British blues in the s.

McKinley Morganfield was born in Jug's Corner, Issaquena County, Mississippi, but in , he relocated 80 miles north with his grandmother Della Jones Grant to the Stovall Plantation in Coahoma, Mississippi.^[1] (Muddy was to make his first Library of Congress recordings there, describing himself in as "Stovall's famous guitar picker").

In the census Morganfield (age 16), Laborer, was shown with Della Jones in Beat 2, Coahoma, Mississippi, United States.^[2]

He was given the nickname "Muddy" at an early age because he loved to play in the muddy water of nearby Deer Creek. On November 20, , Muddy married Mabel Berry. Guitarist Robert Nighthawk played at the wedding and the party reportedly got so wild the floor fell in. Mabel left Muddy three years later when Muddy's first child was born; the child's mother was Leola Spain, 16 years old.

In the census Mc (age 27), Farmer, was the married head of household in Coahoma, Mississippi.^[3]

Muddy headed to England in and shocked audiences (whose only previous exposure to blues had come via the acoustic folk/blues sounds of acts such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy) with his loud, amplified electric guitar and thunderous beat. In , he joined forces with Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf to record the Super Blues and The Super Super Blues Band pair of albums of Chess blues standards.

Muddy's long-time wife Geneva died of cancer on March 15, A devastated Muddy was taken to a doctor and told to quit smoking, which he did. He gained custody of some of his illegitimate children. Another teenage daughter turned up while Muddy was on tour in New Orleans; Big Bill Morganfield was introduced to his Dad after a gig in Florida. Florida was also where Muddy met his future wife, the year-old Marva Jean Brooks whom he nicknamed "Sunshine". ^[4]Clapton served as best man at their wedding, also in In , declining health dramatically curtailed Muddy's performance schedule. His last public performance took place when he sat in with Eric Clapton's band at a Clapton concert in Florida in autumn of On April 30, , Muddy Waters died in his sleep from heart failure, at his home in Westmont, Illinois.

The site of his house outside Clarksdale, MS is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Sources

1. ↑ Census: United States Federal Census: Year: ; Census Place: Beat 2, Coahoma, Mississippi; Roll: T_; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 30 Ancestry Record #

   Name:	Mack Morganfield
   Age:	5
   Birth Year:	abt
   Birthplace:	Mississippi
   Home in	Beat 2, Coahoma, Mississippi
   Residence Date:
   Race:	Black
   Gender:	Male
   Relation to Head of House:	Grandson
   Marital Status:	Single
   Father's Birthplace:	Mississippi
   Mother's Birthplace:	Mississippi
   Occupation:	None

   Household Members
   Name	Age
   Della Grant	39
   Joe Grant	10
   Mack Morganfield	5

2. ↑ Census: " United States Federal Census"
   Year: ; Census Place: Beat 2, Coahoma, Mississippi; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: ; FHL microfilm:
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record # (accessed 30 April )
   Morganfield Jones (16), single son, Laborer, in household of Della Jones (48) in Beat 2, Coahoma, Mississippi, USA. Born in Mississippi.

   Name	Age	Relation	Status	Sex	Occupation	Birth Place
   Della Jones	48	Head	Widowed	M	Farmer	Mississippi
   Joe Jones	19	Son	Single	M	Laborer	Mississippi
   Morganfield Jones	16	Son	Single	M	Laborer	Mississippi

3. ↑ Census: " United States Federal Census"
   Year: ; Census Place: Coahoma, Mississippi; Roll: m-t; Page: 5B; Enumeration District:
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record # (accessed 30 April )
   Mc Kinley Morganfield (27), married, Farmer, head of household in Coahoma, Mississippi. Born in Mississippi.

   Name	Age	Relation	Status	Sex	Birth Place
   Mc Kinley Morganfield	27	Head	Married	M	Mississippi
   Maybelle Morganfield	25	Wife	Married	F	Mississippi

4. ↑Marriage: "U.S., Marriage Index, s-current"
   The Atlanta Constitution; Publication Date: 9/ Jun/ ; Publication Place: Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Ancestry Record # (accessed 30 April )
   Muddy Waters (64) marriage to Marva Jean Brooks on 12 Jun in Chicago.

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