Muddy Swings

Why does this 1963 version of "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" swing so hard? The rock steady groove that bassist Willie Dixon and drummer Clifton James lay down, unswerving yet bursting with sheer bounce, doesn't hurt. Nor do Buddy Guy's perfectly placed acoustic guitar fills. But the rhythm genius is McKinley Morganfield himself. Hanging behind the band's beat, yet kicking it inexorably forward, Waters is as cool as they get: a charter member of the never-show- 'em-how-hard-you're- working school. This is swing so deceptively intense it hurts.


("GMLS" can be found on the 1964 release, "Muddy Waters, Folk Singer")