Mud Morganfield

Muddy Waters’s son on filling the biggest shoes in the business.

Larry ‘Mud’ Morganfield is the eldest son of the late, great Muddy Waters. Just like his father did, the awardwinning guitarist and vocalist pays his bills through playing the blues – specifically the old-school Chicago style of the genre’s heyday. A live set from the 64-year-old will be a highlight of the London Blues Week.

Classic Rock seems to ask a lot of children of famous musicians about the potential burdens , but you might have the biggest problem of any of them.

[Laughs] It’s a double-edged sword, man. Dad’s were the biggest shoes to fill, but doing this is all I know. It can be pretty rough, but it gives me the chance to go out there and play for people that might not have heard of my dad.

You didn’t become a professional musician until your father passed away in 1983, by which time you were almost thirty years old. Why was that?

I started late because I had to get me some blues. You can’t sing no blues if you ain’t ever had none [laughs]. If you haven’t gone through the ups and downs of life, how can you sing about the blues? You’re just lying to yourself. I had to get me some blues, man.

Was Muddy a good father?

My dad was a great dad, but he was always busy. I never went hungry for a day, but discipline came from my mum. She was the one that taught me how to ride a bike. I wanted to be a drummer at first, and he made sure that every Christmas I got a brand new set of drums. It wasn’t bad, but he never threw a ball for me. I missed that.

Did he pass on any advice to you about your career?

Naaaw, all he said was to be tougher with people [in a financial sense].

Do you think he’d be proud of you?

No doubt about it, man. Like I said, I play for a bunch of kids who don’t even know him. I give them a glimpse of what it might be like if he was still here. I sing in the same range as him.

Paul Oscher, your father’s harmonica player, once said you were “the closest thing to Muddy I have ever heard”. That’s some compliment.

Yeah, man. That was a great compliment. I’m grateful to my higher power that I can do some of the stuff that dad did.

This will be your first time at London Blues Week.

We tried a couple of years back but couldn’t reach an agreement. Hot diggety dog, I’m looking forward to coming.

“I started late because I had

to get me some blues.”

Why does the blues keep rolling onwards, refusing to die?

There’s a lot of stuff behind it – the slaves in the field, a lot of hurt, and some pleasure, too – but where’s it gonna go? That’s why there’s blues. DL

Mud Morganfield plays London Blues Week at London’s 100 Club on January 19. London Blues Week runs from January 14 to 19.