| Biography | Larry "Mud" Morganfield (born 1954) is an American blues singer and the eldest son of Muddy Waters.
Morganfield was born to Muddy Waters and Mildred Williams in Chicago. When Morganfield was eight years old, his parents divorced and Waters moved out of the home. Morganfield was raised by his mother and seven uncles with occasional visits from Waters; despite Waters' efforts to be available to his son, Morganfield never really got to know his father. Regarding his childhood in Chicago, Morganfield says, "I didnt have the pleasure of getting up and walking down the lakefront and watching the ocean and the lakes or something. I came up and there was gunshots and someone may have gotten hit down the street. I mean, Ive seen the drunks, the drugs, and I tell you again, I cant forget these things because it makes up who I am today. It makes me the man I am today."
Despite growing up surrounded by music, Morganfield did not consider becoming a professional musician until after his fathers death in 1983. At that time, Morganfield was driving trucks for a living, but the strain was wearing on him. He suggested that a recurring dream of Muddy Waters performing on stage helped prompt him to begin playing the blues professionally.
Morganfield has described the resemblance of the tone and timber of his voice to that of his fathers voice as a double edged sword. The similarity is evident in For Pops: A Tribute To Muddy Waters, an album on which Morganfield performs several Muddy Waters songs. Morganfield launched his music career in blues clubs on the south side of Chicago, where he performed a mix of his fathers material and his own original works. Regarding his performances of Muddy Waters songs in addition to his own material, Morganfield says, "I started to sing to show the world that dad left me here. I love and am proud to sing his songs just like I love and will always be proud of him. I'm not Muddy Waters and I'm certainly not trying to be Muddy Waters. I'm Mud Morganfield but when I'm up on stage I always feel pops is there with me and it means so much that I can get on stage and keep his music alive around the world. |