Muddy Waters: The Father Of Chicago Blues Who Named The Rolling Stones

UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 24, 1968: JAZZ AT THE MALTINGS Photo of Muddy WATERS, performing live on TV show (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)

With classics like "Mannish Boy, "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Rollin' Stone," and "Got My Mojo Working," Muddy Waters originated the Chicago blues sound, and influenced a generation of young artists who'd become rock and roll royalty. By electrifying the American blues, which was previously an acoustic sound, Waters laid the foundation for rock itself, inspiring the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and many more blues-rockers. Though revered by these young, often British, mostly white musicians, Waters never showed interest in crossing over to their more mainstream (and more lucrative) genre. Though "the blues" is generally a melancholy genre, Waters' playing style and lyrics brought a more joyous and boastful aspect to it.