Big Bill Morganfield
It’s gotta be tough being the son of McKinley Morganfield — a.k.a. Muddy Waters. For a while, William “Big Bill” Morganfield consciously avoided following in Waters’ footsteps, working as a teacher and not even buying a guitar until after his father’s death. But like so many prodigal sons, he’s wound up exactly where his father hoped he might, and he’s actually made the trip back work.
Like Taj Mahal, a guest on the best tracks here, Morganfield spent a lot of time studying the blues. Even as a late entry to the blues field, Morganfield’s voice, a deep, rolling baritone shout not at all like his dad’s, and his slide work, full of snarl and dissonance, both ring true. To his credit, even when playing with folks such as perennial Waters sideman Pinetop Perkins on a standard such as “Dirty Dealin’ Mama,” he doesn’t “do” Muddy. Big Bill’s blues are laid-back and slow-developing, but once they get going, his gutbucket growls give him a voice of his own. When he sings I’m going to get me a shotgun/and disconnect my brain on the title track, he sounds serious; his sincere approach to the blues surely would make his daddy both a little nervous and truly proud.
