by Robert Wilkinson
Our first Saturday show features two of the greatest of all time! We begin early, because our musical magic is sweet soul and one of the greatest blues cats to walk this Earth!
Our first set comes courtesy of a true legend, the “Prince of Soul,” Mister Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984). This Soul legend had a meteoric rise and a tragic end, and let his music speak to your heart and swing and sway to the groove!
From 1963, “Can I Get A Witness” and from 1964, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”
Here’s Marvin Gaye on Shindig with Tina Turner giving us Smokey’s “I’ll Be Doggone” (It begins with “Money,” and quickly moves into Doggone)
I found the original Tamla records video from 1965 of “Ain’t That Peculiar”
The studio version of “Too Busy Thinking ‘Bout My Baby”
Remembering one of the worst Aries events in history on April 4, 1865, Marvin’s studio version of “Abraham, Martin, and John”
With Tammi Terrell, the studio version of “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You” and “Your Precious Love”
Here they are live on television giving us their signature hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
Here are two written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong! The first features Marvelous Marvin Gaye delivering a live version on television in 1968 of his smash hit “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.”
Here’s a great live video clip from the 1980 Montreux Festival of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,”
From 1972, Marvin live performing his massive hit about peace and love! “What’s Going On”
Live at the Kennedy Center in 1972, a great live performance of “Save the Children”
Live in Paris in 1976, a great video of Marvin giving us “What’s Going On” and “Save the Children”
For our closer, live on Soul Train, “Let’s Get It On” and “Got to Give It Up”
Our encore is his phenomenal performance at the Grammys of his last gigantic hit, “Sexual Healing”
Our second encore is a full 45 minute show he did in Atlanta in 1974! Marvin Gaye Live on The Midnight Special - Atlanta 1974
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For our short middle section before we go to the Father of Chicago Blues, one of the first truly psychedelic blues-rock songs ever to make the charts, done by the Animals. This hypnotic song was first released on April 8, 1967, and still has a shelf life for years to come! For your remembrance, Eric Burdon's haunting, howling vocals shouting out “When I Was Young”
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We close the show celebrating the life and work of Mister McKinley Morganfield, aka “Muddy Waters,” would have been 105 (or 103, depending on which birth record you use.) He was “the Father of Chicago Blues,” and had a huge effect on thousands of musicians past and present. We have some outstanding videos of live performances by this Master of electric blues!
Muddy Waters (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983) gave the world such classics as “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Mannish Boy,” “I Just Want to Make Love To You,” “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” “Got My Mojo Workin’,” and too many more to list here. He is considered the inspiration for quite a few “British Invasion” bands, since many of the greatest did his tunes, from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin.
Rather than go into a lengthy bio, I’ll just cut to the chase with some great videos of the Master at work. For your enjoyment, the amazing Muddy Waters!
From 1960 at the Newport Jazz Festival, I found his set, and you get them in in order! Muddy kicks off his set with the song that inspired the name the Rolling Stones called themselves!
The classic "Rollin’ Stone”
That's ramped up by a great live performance of “I’ll Put A Tiger in your Tank”
From the 50s, a live recording of "Rollin' and Tumblin'" For one of my favorite versions of this song, here's Canned Heat's studio version of "Rollin' and Tumblin'" featuring the amazing slide guitar of consummate bluesman Alan Wilson.
From 1963, here’s 8 minutes of pure gold with Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon and others doing "Bye Bye Blues”
From the American Folk and Blues Fest in 1963 with Sonny Boy Williamson on harp, Muddy laying down “Got My Mojo workin’”
From Canadian TV in 1966, here’s another live offering of "Got My Mojo Workin’
Some great footage from the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 1968! Here’s Muddy live doing "Train Fare Home Blues” From the same show, Muddy Waters and Otis Spann doing "Nobody Knows My Trouble,” and we'll finish this set with “Long Distance Call”
Here’s his whole 36 minute set! Muddy Waters Live at the Copenhagen Jazz Fest 1968
From 1971, two great live performance clips by Muddy, Pinetop Perkins, Harmonica Smith, and other blues cats giving us “Mannish Boy” and “Long Distance Call”
Last year I had a great live clip from 1974 of Muddy and Mike Bloomfield doing “Long Distance,” but this year it’s nowhere to be found.
However, this one’s back! Muddy went to Warsaw in October 1976 and played this 44 minute set at The Jazz Jamborie! For your enjoyment, The Muddy Waters Blues Band Live in Poland - 1976
I found this 45 minute show live in Toronto in June 1978! Muddy Waters and James Cotton Live in Toronto - 1978
I found it again! Here’s Muddy’s full 1 hour video of his October 1978 concert in Dortmund! The Muddy Waters Blues Band Live in Dortmund - 1978
Here are a couple of clips from the show! ”Can’t Get No Grindin’” and ”Hoochie Coochie Man.’”
Here’s Muddy and Eric Clapton in 1978 in a live performance of "Standing Around Crying”
We now move to a great 35 minute 1980 live show! Muddy Waters and BB King in Montreal
From 1981, the entire 55 minute video of “Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter Live At the 1981 Chicago Blues Festival”
I found some awesome footage of Muddy Waters backed by the Rolling Stones in 1981 at the Checkerboard Lounge! We’ll begin with his legendary tune, "Mannish Boy,” and from the same gig, a 10+ minute clip of Muddy backed by the Stones doing “Baby Please Don’t Go.” I found these again! After disappearing last year, here’s Muddy backed by the Stones offering his opinion about enjoying life and kicking back in "Champagne and Reefer,” as well as his iconic "Hoochie Coochie Man”
We now move into another of his last live performances of his epic "Hoochie Coochie Man”
We now enter the Waaaaay back machine to find an hour of pure gold! Audio-only, but classic and the prototype for what followed! Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Muddy Waters - the Complete Plantation Recordings 1941-42
I found it again! It’s all 20 tracks of the epic 1969 album Fathers and Sons in its entirety, featuring Muddy, Otis Spann, Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Duck Dunn, Sam Lay and Buddy Miles! This is some serious blues from the first note! Fathers and Sons Live – Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Mike Bloomfield, and Paul Butterfield
As I found the live portion of this classic album last year, I’ll keep them here. Fathers and Sons Live – Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Mike Bloomfield, and Paul Butterfield – pt. 1
Fathers and Sons Live – Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Mike Bloomfield, and Paul Butterfield – pt. 2
While it used to be available, now we have to buy the one hour PBS video of Muddy, Johnny Winter, Mike Bloomfield, and a lot of incredible stars on Soundstage’s 1974 Blues Summit in Chicago, featuring Harry Chapin, Mike Bloomfield, Willie Dixon, Nick Gravenites, Buddy Miles, Dr. John, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Randy Newman, the Pointer Sisters, Tom Waits, Roberta Flack, and Jose Feliciano! This year none of the tunes recorded are anywhere to be found on the web. Also gone is the great 55 minute clip of performance videos titled Muddy Waters Rare Performances 1968-1978 but what’s out there this year has nothing to do with that. Better luck next year.
Still, if you want the blues Master from his peak years, here’s a full 50 minute set of Muddy live with Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, Junior Wells and Bill Wyman on bass at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Fest! Muddy Waters – Messin’ With the Blues
To close today’s set, I have a full 45 minute show at the Forum in Toronto, Ontario in 1978! Muddy Waters and the James Cotton Band live in Toronto 1978
For our encore, I found a live NYC performance in 1978 of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker backed by Johnny Winter, Otis Blackwell, Eddie Bluesman Kirkland, Dave Honeyboy Edwards, Foghat and others doing "I Just Want To Make Love To You”
For our second and last encore, a solid hour of live video of Muddy at his best! Muddy Waters – Living Legend of the Blues
If you want to know or hear more, here’s Wikipedia’s Muddy Waters page,
Thanks for giving us some of the most memorable tunes in history, Aries! Your songs will live forever. Not bad for a bluesman who pioneered a sound that rings the airwaves to this day!
© Copyright 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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