The Chess Box [Box]

Performer: Muddy Waters
Artist: Sunnyland Slim; Pinetop Perkins; Buddy Guy; Little Walter; Otis Spann; Jimmy Rogers; Willie Dixon; James Cotton
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: HE CHESS BOX covers Muddy Waters' career from 1947 through 1972. It features some previously-unreleased tracks, and many others previously unreleased in the U.S. The box includes a 32-page book with a complete discography of Waters' Chess recordings, track-by-track recording information and black-and-white photos. Personnel includes: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar); Little Walter (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Jimmy Rogers (vocals, guitar); Leroy Foster, Auburn "Pat" Hare, Luther Tucker, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Sammy Lawhorn, Pee Wee Madison, Michael Bloomfield, Paul Asbell, Rory Gallagher (guitar); Walter "Shakey" Horton, James Cotton, Paul Oscher, Paul Butterfield, Jeff Carp, Carey Bell Harrington (harmonica); Alex Atkins (alto saxophone); Marcus Johnson, A.C. Reed, Ernest Cotton (tenor saxophone); Pinetop Perkins (piano, harpsichord, organ); John "Big Moose" Walker (piano, organ); Sunnyland Slim, Otis Spann (piano) Willie Dixon, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Phil Upchurch, Ric Grech (bass); Fred Below, Francis Clay, Sam Lay, Mitch Mitchell (drums). Producers include: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Ralph Bass, Gene Barge, Norman Dayron. Compilation producer: Andy McKaie. Principally recorded in Chicago, Illinois between 1947 and 1972. Includes liner notes by Mary Katherine Aldin and Robert Palmer. During the '40s and '50s, Chicago's Chess Records recorded a legion of blues legends. But none were greater than McKinley Morganfield, professionally known as Muddy Waters. Though born and raised on the Mississippi delta, Waters came to personify the brash, confident blues that blossomed in Chicago and Memphis in the post-war era. Between 1947 and 1972, Waters cut an uninterrupted stream of brilliant sides for Chess, the best of which are included on the three-disc CHESS BOX. To call these recordings indispensable is merely to state the obvious. Any one of the following would place these records among the most important in blues history--Waters' deft slide guitar playing and intense vocals; stellar instrumental support from the legendary Little Walter; Otis Spann, James Cotton, and Buddy Guy, to name but a few of the blues greats who first worked with Waters; and a repertoire of classics that includes "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Rolling Stone," and "I Just Want to Make Love to You." The length and cost of this set may intimidate some (the single-disc HIS BEST is a less overwhelming alternative), but true blues lovers should consider investing in THE CHESS BOX, the best career overview of this undisputed giant of the blues.

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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