Watch The Band & Muddy Waters Iconic “Mannish Boy” 1976 Performance

via Ronald Rock / Youtube

When it comes to the Blues, Muddy Waters is the embodiment of the blues soul we were all missing. His dynamic performances and heartfelt recordings cemented his legacy as the creator of modern Chicago blues. Countless artists have looked to his electric blues approach as inspiration; Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones, who took their name from Watersโ€™ 1950 song โ€œRollinโ€™ Stone,โ€ are arguably the most devoted and well-known of Watersโ€™ many disciples.

Many of Watersโ€™ blues standards were original compositions, but his biggest song, โ€œMannish Boy,โ€ was based on Bo Diddleyโ€™s 1955 hit โ€œIโ€™m A Man.โ€ When Waters sang โ€œMannish Boyโ€ with his signature agonized delivery, the songโ€™s affirmation of manhood through its words hit home with a force that was real.

After six weeks on the list, the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard R&B chart. With this song, Muddy Waters achieved his highest position on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 51 in 1988. The original โ€œMannish Boyโ€ by Muddy Waters, released in 1986, was accepted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a โ€œClassic of Blues Recordingsโ€ in 1986. Plus, many other musicians made their own renditions of the song, with Jimi Hendrix’s being particularly well-known.

We also recall a live performance of the song by Waters himself and The Band in 1976, which was just as memorable as Hendrixโ€™s version. In 1978, Martin Scorsese filmed a concert film featuring the latter. The title, The Last Waltz, featured footage from their electric performance at San Franciscoโ€™s Winterland Ballroom. Take a look at the video below.

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