"Rollin' Stone" is a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

song 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 ...

in 1950. It is his interpretation of "Catfish Blues", a Delta blues that dates back to 1920s Mississippi. "Still a Fool", recorded by Muddy Waters a year later using the same arrangement and melody, reached number nine on the

Billboard R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. "Rollin' Stone" has been recorded by a variety of artists.

Earlier songs

In 1928, Jim Jackson recorded "Kansas City Blues Parts 3 and 4", a follow-up to his highly successful "

Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues "Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues" is a 1927 song, written and recorded by the American blues musician Jim Jackson. He recorded it on October 10, 1927 for Vocalion Records, who released it as a two-part A-side and B-side single. It was Jackson' ...

Parts 1 and 2". Jackson's lyrics included: Several other early songs also explored variations on the catfish and/or fishing theme. In 1941,

Tommy McClennan Tommy McClennan (January 4, 1905 – May 9, 1961) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist. Life and career McClennan was born in Durant, Mississippi, and grew up in the town. He played and sang blues in a rough, energetic style. H ...

and his sometime partner Robert Petway each recorded versions of the song. Petway's was the first to be titled "Catfish Blues" and is sometimes cited as the basis for Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone". However, according to one biographer "They'd been singing "Catfish Blues" for years in the Delta, but it never sounded like "Rollin' Stone".

Muddy Waters song

"Rollin' Stone" has been identified (along with "Walkin' Blues", the single's B-side) as one of the first songs that Muddy Waters learned to play and an early favorite. The words refer to the traditional proverb, ''"

A rolling stone gathers no moss A rolling stone gathers no moss is a proverb, first credited to Publilius Syrus, who in his ''Sententiae'' states, "''People who are always moving, with no roots in one place or another, avoid responsibilities and cares.''" The phrase spawned a s ...

"''. Called "a brooding, minor-hued drone piece", "Rollin' Stone" is a mid- to slow-tempo blues notated in 4/4 time in the key of E major. Although the instrumental section uses the IV and V chords, the vocal sections remain on the I chord, giving the song a modal quality often found in Delta blues songs. In addition to the traditional catfish verses, Waters added: Unlike most of his early recordings which have bass or other instrumental accompaniment, "Rollin' Stone" is a solo performance by Muddy Waters on vocal and electric guitar. It has "much empty space ... imbued with the power of a pause, of letting a note hang in the air, the anticipation of the next one". "Rollin' Stone" was the first Muddy Waters record released on Chess Records and the second overall for the label (previous releases were on

Aristocrat Records Aristocrat Records, sometimes billed as the Aristocrat of Records, was founded in April 1947 by Charles and Evelyn Aron, together with their partners Fred and Mildred Brount and Art Spiegel. By September Leonard Chess had invested in the young rec ...

). It did not reach the national record charts, but sold about 70,000 copies and allowed Muddy Waters to quit his day job.

Still a Fool

In 1951, Muddy Waters used the vocal melody and guitar figure from "Rollin' Stone" for "Still a Fool". The song was more successful, reaching number nine in the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Rather than a solo piece,

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 hi ...

on second guitar and

Leonard Chess Lejzor Szmuel Czyż (March 12, 1917 – October 16, 1969), best known as Leonard Sam Chess, was a Polish-American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues, Chicago bl ...

on bass drum accompanied Muddy on vocal and guitar. Subsequent versions of "Rollin' Stone" or "Catfish Blues" often use some lyrics from "Still a Fool" (sometimes called "Two Trains Running" after the opening verse).

Influence and recognition

According to music writer Robert Palmer, English

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

group

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

and the music magazine ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' took their names from the song. However, magazine editor Jann Wenner explained: In 2000, the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award; in 2004, it was included at number 459 by ''Rolling Stone'' in its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". It was updated to number 465 in 2010. In 2019, the

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 blues organizations from various parts of the world. Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs the ...

inducted "Rollin' Stone" into the Blues Hall of Fame as a "Classic of Blues Recording". In 1967, "Rollin' Stone" (and "Still a Fool") was used as part of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

's "Catfish Blues", a homage to Muddy Waters, and included on the albums '' BBC Sessions'' and ''

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

''. Hendrix's signature songs "

Voodoo Chile "Voodoo Chile" ( ) is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded in 1968 for the third Jimi Hendrix Experience album ''Electric Ladyland''. It is based on the Muddy Waters blues song " Rollin' Stone", but with original lyrics and music. At 15 min ...

" and "

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" is a song recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968 that appears as the final track on the ''Electric Ladyland'' album released that year. It contains improvised guitar and a vocal from Jimi Hendrix, backed ...

" evolved from his "Catfish Blues".

References

External links

* {{Authority control Muddy Waters songs Blues songs 1950 songs Chess Records singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Muddy Waters