Mud Morganfield Bath Fringe Festival, Speilgeltent 2011

Wow! Mud Morganfield! The name may be unknown except to experts until you mention that this is Muddy Waters’ – McKinley Morganfield's – eldest son! Everyone knows who Muddy Waters is, right?

Before going to the show tonight, at a BBQ there wasn’t a soul who knew Muddy, even after explaining Blues music, music from the Plantations in southern North America, Chuck Berry, music that moved from the Mississippi in the South to Chicago US, Muddy's impact on the Rolling Stones – naming themselves after one of his songs is a clue – there were vague nods at best.

Maybe it was the age group – twenty somethings – maybe it’s lack of general music knowledge extending to more than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones or The Arctic Monkeys or Hurts, but even if you scratch bellow the Stones surface you should get to Muddy. Maybe it’s the way in which we discover things today; instead of researching back into history using books – no Kindle for this journalist please – side stepping, surfing away on links upon links from Facebook to Twitter to Tumblr to Wordpress to Youtube and back again. That in mind then, it is understandable why eldest son of a legend wants to pay respects to, and keep the spirit of, his father, alive, cynicisms aside.

However, Mud Morganfield gives you more than that, bringing his own charisma, feeling and songs to the package also. The band were: Mike Hellier on drums, West Weston on harmonica, Ronni Boysen on guitar and Ian Jennings on bass. Two songs in, Mud appears stage right and opens his part of the set with a let’s-set-the-record-straight-get-the-elephant-out-the-room type speech about Pops. Except there are no elephants, Mud is content, grinning and down to earth about who he is and embraces the opportunity to pay great respect to his father; “every parent wants their children to be great or greater than themselves, I know I want that for my kids, and I respect the years my dad spent in this business, thanks for coming out tonight”.

First impressions are of humbling star quality. Mud sits on a stool in the middle of the stage and shows us the magic of the Chicago Blues, expertly performed, guiding the band all the way with ‘take your time fellas’, ‘Gimme a train, West! (On harmonica), ‘let’s play the Blues’ instilling the idea that Blues really is a state of mind.

The words are animated by his warm, meaningful facial expressions, the quick movements of hands that mean business and a relaxed composure, letting the music flow through him, channelling it almost, particularly when he plays Mannish Boy, arm hairs were on end. It really is in his blood and more so, perhaps, than his own Daddy.

The set, with interval, was a mix of his own songs from his forthcoming album Catfish Fishing [?]; “a great cd, with a great band”, and renditions of songs made popular and written by his father; Got My Mojo Working, Baby Please Don’t Go, Mannish Boy, Hoochie Coochie Man all of which warm the crowd, and Mud himself gets down, into a dancing frenzy by the end of the show. Brilliant!

Penny Century

Mud Morganfield Band - Norden Farm Fri 27th May 11

Mud Morganfield is a big bear of a showman and on stage he is electric - which is fitting for a artist steeped in electric blues. His two-hour set at Norden Farm endeared him to the lovers of this musical genre who had packed themselves into the theatre.

Authentic blues, Chicago style, rarely finds its way to middle-of-the-road, middle class Maidenhead and even more scarcely with a genuine heritage attached. Morganfield is the eldest son of Muddy 'Mississippi' Waters, legendary icon of the blues, and it was to his father's back catalogue and influence that he dedicated the show. He also threw in a few of his own, well-honed compilations.

The bluesman, who still lives and works in the Windy City, belted out Baby Please Don't Go, Hoochie Coochie Man, If You Ain't Got Your Health You Ain't Got Nothing, and one of my favourites I'm Ready For You, I Hope Your Ready For Me. He was supported brilliantly by West Weston on harmonica, Ronni Boysen on guitar, Ian Jennings on double bass and drummer Mike Hellier.

Morganfield together with these coolest of cats produced a sound and quality you would expect in the blues joints on the south side of Chicago or Beale Street in Memphis. It was that good. The big man finished on a high with Mannish Boy, Got My Mojo Working, and You Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone. Morganfield follows in the footsteps of his infamous father with aplomb, but he does it with a gait which is all his own.

Graeme Copas

IT could have been downtown Chicago – a small Intimate club, booze flowing, smoke filled atmosphere (but it has to be admitted the smoke was from a smoke machine, not cigarettes). The Dirty Aces, who are a great Blues combo in their own right, came onstage and played a couple of warm up numbers. There was a great groove in the room, then Giles Robson, who had been singing and playing blues harp until then, announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen! All the way from Chicago, Mud Morganfield! All eyes went to the stairs from the balcony, as Mud made his triumphal entrance, got up on stage and began to sing. Instantly, you were transported back to the Electric Blues of Chicago, maybe 40 years ago and the sound, reminiscent of all the classic Electric Blues greats. So who is this guy? Who is Mud Morganfield? Well, it’s hardly surprising he captures that classic sound, because nobody could come with a greater pedigree than Mud.

He is the eldest son of Muddy Waters, who many would credit with the creation, along with John Lee Hooker and others, of the Electric Blues sound that is still loved by so many devoted fans, fans that include some of British Rock Music’s “Royalty”. As he said to the audience “I grew up with this kind of thing around our house when I was a kid”. Sitting casually on a bar stool, Mud turned to the band and said, “OK fellas, let’s play the Blues” and that is just what they did. With a short break, for over 2 hours they enthralled the packed bar, receiving ovation after ovation at the end of each number. They played all the classic Blues numbers that one associates with Muddy Waters and played them exceedingly well but don’t be fooled – this was no tribute band. This was a band of Blues virtuosi, who put their own “edge” on the sound, still classic Electric Blues, but very much something of today as well. When they left the stage the crown called them back for more. After an evening of blues classics. the encore saved the best for last with renditions of two Muddy Waters anthems I’ve got my Mojo Working and finishing with the slow ballard She’s Nineteen years Old. What a gig!

The Dirty Aces, a great UK, or should I say Jersey, Blues combo in their own right, were the perfect backing for Mud. The solid rhythm of Ian Jennings’ bass and Mike Hellier’s drums, made a perfect base for Filip Kozlowski’s cutting guitar and Giles Robson’s blues harp can only be described as exquisite. This man could well be the best harmonica player on the Blues scene today. At one point, Mud joined the band on electric bass. A fantastic evening, thoroughly enjoyed by all who were there. If you get a chance to see them while they are touring, then do. You will have a good time.

Review, November 2010 by Paul Stewart from the Daily Express.

Headliner time and after a couple of warm up numbers from his excellent band on walked the man himself Mud Morganfield the oldest son of blues legend Muddy Waters to take a high seat centre stage and deliver a set of full on Chicago blues, looking the king of cool, dressed in a spectacular gold shirt and with a voice rich and full of character he delivered a faultless set of blues classics, including of course several numbers made famous by his father including Baby, Please Don't Go, Walkin' Thru the Park, The Same Thing and a stunning Hoochie Coochie Man.

Between tracks Mud had the crowd enthralled with stories about his father, and it was very touching to hear him talk about his pride in being able to play his fathers music for people who never had a chance to see him perform.

A show stopping Mannish Boy closed the main set and for the encore a red hot Got My Mojo Working finished proceedings in style to end another great night of the blues here in Leamington, same next year please.

Review by Andrew Lock, Blues Assembly 2, Leamington Spa from Get Ready to Rock.

I wasn't fortunate enough to have ever seen Muddy Waters live and, prior to this gig, had no fixed ideas about his eldest son. This was simply another opportunity to catch a visiting American blues musician live in the UK. It was also my first visit to the Forum's smallish bar in the much larger complex that doubles as the Student's Union for the University of Hertfordshire. A modern juke joint indeed!

The efficient air-conditioning was counteracted by the appearance of Giles Robson and the Dirty Aces, who raised the temperature with a couple of tunes, featuring some storming harmonica by Giles and some appropriately enough dirty blues boogie guitar by Filip Kozlowski, more than ably backed by the experienced Ian Jennings on double bass and Mike Hellier inhabiting the drum stool to great effect.

Mud was then introduced in fine style, to take centre stage and just blow the audience away with his superb vocals and engaging manner. After instructing the band to "take their time", his rendition of "King Bee" and "You Can't Lose What You Never Had" was so similar to his father's vocal style and energy that it was downright spooky, in the most enjoyable way. A snappy dresser in true Chicago style, Mud commanded attention and participation from the punters, especially during a swinging "Can't Get No Grinding" with its catchy chorus and enthusiastic backing vocals courtesy of the Dirty Aces. The audience of predominantly mature students, silver surfers and slap-heads were fully onside by now. The analogy that "it was like watching a ghost in the flesh" was never more apt than during a stomping "Hoochie Coochie Man" that took us to the break.

The second set was equally entertaining, with the Dirty Aces giving us their interpretation of "Dollar And A Quarter", previously made popular by Junior Wells, featuring more rasping harp by Giles and terrific backing by the rest of the band. With Mud returning to his stool centre stage and letting everyone know that "No One Take My Place", the second set featured more top drawer Chicago blues, including slower numbers that simmered with intensity. "What Else Can I Say" was Mud reflecting on a broken heart and "The Same Old Thing" a declaration about his dad's favourite music.

"Baby Please Don't Go" might have been covered by just about every musician alive, but this felt like it was a fresh and original composition somehow. Inevitably, Mud mimicked his father's vocal roar at the start of "Mannish Boy" which closed the set on a real high, before upping the ante once more during the encore of "Got My Mojo Working", which featured a chance for each musician to shine.

For one brief evening, I was transported to the Checkerboard Lounge, or Buddy Guy's Legends, although I did appreciate the shorter trip home from Hatfield with an early start at work the next day. What else can I say? Mud Morganfield is the genuine article and a real showman - just see him live!

Darrell Parsons in Blues in Britain 2010. Photo courtesy of Jed Van Kleef.