Q&A with Mud Morganfield, acclaimed son of Blues legend Muddy Waters, unvarnished blues from front to back

“My music will always be a mixture of my dad's life experiences and mine. His deep, deep blues came from what he went through, and mine comes from the era I was raised in. I try to keep it funky and moving so that people can have a good time when they hear it.”

Mud Morganfield: Deep Mud Chicago Blues

Mud Morganfield, acclaimed son of Blues legend Muddy Waters, will release his Nola Blue Records debut 14-tracks album, Deep Mud, on September 26th. Recorded at JoyRide Studio in Chicago, Deep Mud is real, honest, unvarnished blues from front to back, the way Muddy himself proudly did it during the genre’s hallowed heyday as he laid the bedrock foundation for the electric Chicago blues ensemble approach. That deeply-held commitment to Chicago blues tradition defines Deep Mud. Except for two lovingly rendered Chess-era Muddy revivals (“Country Boy” and “Strange Woman”), Mud’s originals dominate the hard-hitting set. As usual, his studio cohorts were the cream of the crop (many of whom have played on Mud’s previous albums): guitarists Rick Kreher (an integral member of Waters’ last touring band) and Mike Wheeler, keyboardists Roosevelt “Mad Hatter” Purifoy and Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi, bassist E.G. McDaniel, and drummer Melvin “Pookie Styx” Carlisle lay down tough, uncompromising grooves loaded with timeless Windy City tradition. Harpist Studebaker John filled multiple roles as Mud’s producer and arranger, with trumpeter Phil Perkins arranging the horns.

(Mud Morganfield / Photo by Alan Frohlichstein)

Everything in Mud’s musical life traces directly back to his father. “Dad played the most important role with my being. He shared an affair with my mother, and they had me!” he says. “I was born in the blues, man. I used to have to tap music on the side of my head before I went to sleep, man. I’ve had music running through my being all my life, since I’ve been here.” It’s safe to say that Muddy would be proud of the way Mud Morganfield is carrying on the family tradition. “That was my main goal, just to do that,” Mud says. “I didn’t get a chance to really show him because he had passed, but I hope if there’s a place we go when we leave here and he can still visualize or see us back down here, I want him to say that: ‘I’m proud of him!’”

Interview by Michael Limnios            Archive: Mud Morganfield, 2012 interview

Special Thanks: Mud Morganfield, Sallie Bengtson, and Mark Pucci Media

How has the Blues influenced your views of the world? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

The blues has been an influence on me all my life. I was born into the blues as the son of McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters). I can't relate to what my ancestors went through in the South. I didn't experience life on the plantations, but I went through my own troubles even in the Midwest, growing up in Chicago. I came up on the South Side and I've seen it all. That's the blues. Different era, but same old blues. It's important to preserve and spread the blues because it comes from the history of our ancestors and we need to recognize that.  The blues is the truth and it is timeless because it is about people and their feelings and their problems. 

How do you describe your sound, music philosophy and songbook? How do you want your music and songs to affect people?

My sound is very similar but not identical to my father's. As a younger man, I tried singing songs of other great artists like Tyrone Davis and the late, great Johnnie Taylor but it always ended up sounding like Dad singing their music. I just couldn't get around it so I decided to embrace it. Growing up, I was influenced by the sounds of Barry White, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and more.  I would try to mimic some of those bass lines and was delighted to see people reacting to the music by dancing and patting their feet.  That's what I want! I want people to come out and have a good time listening to music. 

I hope that we can always stay connected to the birth of the blues, where it came from and what it means. I fear that this real blues might get buried by other music that is not what my father and his forefathers wrote and sang about.” (Mud Morganfield, acclaimed son of Blues legend Muddy Waters & Sallie Bengtson of Nola Blue Records / Photo by Alan Frohlichstein)

You’ve one new release titled “Deep Mud” with Nola Blue Records. How did that idea come about?

I'm always writing and thinking about music. The songs on this album are from the past year, which was a really hard time for me. My life changed forever when the doctor told us they couldn't do anything else for my mother. We lost her in March. She was my biggest supporter from day one. Her love is the music in my heart. Listen, man, it is Chicago blues. No rock-blues here for Mud! I talk and I sing about real things, real live people, real situations, things that people go through, from falling in love to beautiful women. So, it’s Chicago blues at its best. They ain’t trying to do that no more, but that’s what it is. The album wouldn’t sound like it sounds without Studebaker John’s ears! The man has a fantastic ear.

Why do you think that Muddy Waters legacy continues to generate such a devoted following?

Even as his son, I could always see that my Dad was a special man. He had an aura about him that was a special blessing from God. He paid his dues and he inspired respect just by being himself. Not everyone has that power. His musical legacy will live forever.

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I came up in the era of Motown and Stax Records, and with Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire. What I wouldn't give to relive the days when music was written about love and happiness, good times and real life and not watered down. I hope that we can always stay connected to the birth of the blues, where it came from and what it means. I fear that this real blues might get buried by other music that is not what my father and his forefathers wrote and sang about.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths? 

My dad taught me an important lesson back when I was working as a drummer - do not sell yourself cheaply. You can always come down on your fee but you can't negotiate up. People talk and so you must set the standard for how you will be treated. If you sell yourself cheaply you will always get paid cheaply, no matter what!

“The blues has been an influence on me all my life. I was born into the blues as the son of McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters). I can't relate to what my ancestors went through in the South. I didn't experience life on the plantations, but I went through my own troubles even in the Midwest, growing up in Chicago. I came up on the South Side and I've seen it all. That's the blues.“

(Mud Morganfield’s Deep Mud, 2025 / Photo by Alan Frohlichstein)

What has been the hardest obstacle for you to overcome as a person and as artist and has this helped you become a better blues musician?

The hardest obstacle for me has been losing my mother and it changed my life forever. That loss will always inspire my deep blues feeling and my songwriting and that's why I've dedicated my new album, Deep Mud, to her. I started writing "A Dream Walking" that night in March when I learned that my 92-year-old mother's time was up. "Have you ever seen a dream walking" - those words were my hook. She dedicated her entire life to loving and caring for me. 

How has your experience with the “golden era” of blues influenced the way you compose and perform today?

I am walking in some very big musical shoes. When I hear a song of Dad's that I like, I only have tolisten a few times and then I can put it down. I don't have to study it.  When I hit the stage, it just comes out on its own because I'm his son. It comes to me naturally and I have carried this music all my life.  Even as a young child, I would fall asleep by tapping rhythms or singing myself to sleep. I couldn't help it. So I carry my heritage proudly knowing that one day my loved ones will look back at me just as I look back at my dad. I make it my duty to look good, smell good and do my very best to make my family proud.  

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation? 

My music will always be a mixture of my dad's life experiences and mine. His deep, deep blues came from what he went through, and mine comes from the era I was raised in. I try to keep it funky and moving so that people can have a good time when they hear it.

Mud Morganfield Blues - Home


(Mud Morganfield / Photo by Alan Frohlichstein)

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