Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters - Hardcover

Robert Gordon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316328499 ISBN 13: 9780316328494

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2002

Synopsis

Drawn from in-depth research and detailed interviews, an authoritative biography of the father of modern blues details his turbulent life, from the cotton fields of rural Mississippi to his extraordinary rise to success, forever changing the music industry. 40,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Gordon has written for major music magazines in the U.S. and England, and is the author of It Came From Memphis. An indirect descendant of Jesse James, he lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

From Booklist:

*Starred Review* Gordon's biography of Muddy Waters starts on Stovall's farm, where a barefoot McKinley Morganfield--Muddy's birth name--heard that "a white man was looking for him." That was Alan Lomax, who recorded guitarist Muddy's repertoire (see appendix for a list) for the Library of Congress. Muddy "didn't know what did he mean by the Library of Congress," but he got wise soon, moved to Chicago, switched to electric guitar, and created the quintessential urban blues sound. Throughout, Gordon details the gritty life reflected in Muddy's lyrics--you almost need a scorecard to keep up with the familial and extra-familial affairs of Muddy, his wives, and his outside women--rather than slings music theory, thereby creating the least tidied-up biography of a bluesman in ages, it seems. He makes Muddy the musician, Muddy the man, Muddy the parent, and Muddy the tool of the (not so) sainted Chess brothers come alive. You can feel the ugly winds of racism, hear the cacophony of the Chicago ghetto (Muddy's house stood on the dividing line between the Blackstone Rangers' and the Devil's Disciples' turfs), and share the exhilaration of Muddy's music--not to mention his way of living: told that liquor was killing him, he switched to champagne and recorded "Champagne and Reefer." Packed with facts, copiously referenced, and featuring a foreword by blues aficionado and riff-copper Keith Richards, this book is absolutely essential for any popular music collection worthy of the name. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0316328499
• ISBN 13: 9780316328494
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320