"I'm Ready" is a blues song written by

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

and first recorded by

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

in 1954. It was a hit, spending nine weeks on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart where it reached number four. The song became a

blues standard Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues ...

and has been compared to "

Hoochie Coochie Man "Hoochie Coochie Man" (originally titled "I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man") is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1954. The song makes reference to hoodoo folk magic elements and makes novel use of a sto ...

", the standard also written by Dixon that Waters recorded earlier in 1954.

Composition and recording

"I'm Ready" was inspired by a comment by Muddy Waters prior to a gig, when harmonica player Willie Foster visited him at home. As Foster recalled, Dixon proceeded to write a song and "I'm Ready" was completed within about three days. The lyrics continue the use of swagger and supernatural imagery found in Dixon's "

", which Waters recorded in January 1954: In addition to the lyrical theme, "I'm Ready" incorporates a stop-time sixteen-bar structure analogous to "Hoochie Coochie Man". The song was recorded September 1, 1954, by Waters on vocal and guitar, accompanied by

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

chromatic harmonica The chromatic harmonica is a type of harmonica that uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate desired. When the button is not pressed, an altered diatonic major scale of the key ...

Jimmy Rogers Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and recorded several pop ...

on guitar,

Otis Spann Otis Spann (March 21, 1924 or 1930April 24, 1970) was an American blues musician, whom many consider to be the leading postwar Chicago blues pianist. Early life Sources differ over Spann's early years. Some state that he was born in Jackson, Miss ...

on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, and

Fred Below Frederick Below, Jr. (September 6, 1926 – August 13, 1988) was an American blues drummer, best known for his work with Little Walter and Chess Records in the 1950s. According to Tony Russell, Below was a creator of much of the rhythmic struc ...

on drums.

Releases

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

issued the song as single in late 1954, with "I Don't Know Why" as the B-side". In 1958, it was included on Muddy Waters' first album, '' The Best of Muddy Waters'' (1958). Muddy Waters later re-recorded the song for his albums '' Fathers and Sons'' (1969) and ''

The London Muddy Waters Sessions ''The London Muddy Waters Sessions'' is a studio album by Muddy Waters, released in 1972 on Chess Records. A follow-up to 1971's ''The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions,'' the concept was to combine American bluesmen with British blues/rock stars. The ...

'' (1971). In 1978, he re-recorded it again as the title track to his album '' I'm Ready''. The album, which was produced by

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

, earned Waters a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 1978.

References

External links

Partial list of recorded "I'm Ready" versions
at Secondhandsongs.com {{Muddy Waters 1954 singles Chess Records singles Muddy Waters songs Sixteen bar sections Songs written by Willie Dixon Blues songs