King Bee [Remaster]

Performer: Muddy Waters
Artist: Johnny Winter; James Cotton; Pinetop Perkins; Bob Margolin; Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson
Producer: Johnny Winter
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Available in a 3-pack with HARD AGAIN and I'M READY. Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, slide guitar); Johnny Winter (guitar, slide guitar); Bob Margolin, Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson (guitar); Jerry Portnoy, James Cotton (harmonica); Pinetop Perkins (piano); Calvin Jones, Chales Calmese (bass); Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums). Recorded at The Schoolhouse, Westport, Connecticut. Digitally remastered by Greg Calbi (Sterling Sound Studio, New York, New York). Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar); Johnny Winter (guitar, slide guitar); Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Bob Margolin (guitar); James Cotton , Jerry Portnoy (harmonica); Pinetop Perkins (piano); Charles Calmese, Calvin Jones (bass guitar). Liner Note Author: Bob Margolin. It's a testament to Muddy Waters's consistency of vision that the final chapter in his career was such a triumphant one. His last four albums, all produced by guitarist/acolyte Johnny Winter, were a ferocious return to form, boasting all the stark, primal power of his strongest Chess sessions. KING BEE, Muddy's final album and only '80s recording, might just as easily have been cut in the '50s, judging from the Chicago blues master's energy level and the band's earthy, visceral attack. Winters's guitar fits in as well as blues vet Pinetop Perkins's piano. The authoritative thump of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's drum kit is the perfect emphatic punctuation for Muddy's vocal declarations, as he asserts his dominance over every scenario, from the lustful Chess-era tune "(My Eyes) Keep Me in Trouble" to the hard-times tale "No Escape from the Blues." The two outtakes that appear here as bonus cuts show that there was no shortage of strong material to choose from for KING BEE, the slow blues "Clouds in My Heart" being a particularly soul-scorching affair.

Originally a Delta bluesman in the vein of Son House, Muddy Waters moved north in the 1940s and became the leader of the first--and greatest--electric Chicago blues band. Waters' abrasive guitar, impassioned singing, and commanding stage presence inspired generations of disciples, and hits like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I've Got My Mojo Workin'" are now indisputable classics.

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