''I'm Ready'' is a studio album by the Chicago blues musician
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...
. The second of his
Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...
-produced albums for the
Blue Sky Records label, ''I'm Ready'' was issued one year after he found renewed commercial and critical success with ''
Hard Again''. The album earned Waters a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
in 1978. It was reissued in 2004 by the
Epic/Legacy, with three additional songs.
Critical reception
The ''
Bay State Banner
''The Bay State Banner'' is a weekly newspaper primarily geared toward the readership interests of the African-American community in Boston, Massachusetts. Distributed free of charge, it was founded in 1965 by Melvin B. Miller, who remained the ...
'' wrote that "the sharp distinctive tuning and chromatic slurs that mark his playing are still here, even though Waters now takes few slide guitar solos."
Track listing
All tracks are composed by Muddy Waters (listed as McKinley Morganfield), except where noted.
Personnel
* Muddy Waters – vocal, guitar
*
Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1 ...
– guitar (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 9), production
*
Jimmy Rogers – guitar, vocals (track 11)
*
Bob Margolin – guitar, bass
*
Jerry Portnoy – harmonica (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 9)
*
Big Walter Horton
Walter Horton (April 6, 1921 – December 8, 1981), known as Big Walter (Horton) or Walter "Shakey" Horton, was an American blues harmonica player. A quiet, unassuming, shy man, he is remembered as one of the premier harmonica players in the hi ...
– harmonica
*
Pinetop Perkins – piano
*
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith – drums
References
{{Authority control
Muddy Waters albums
1978 albums
Albums produced by Johnny Winter
Blue Sky Records albums