Rollin' Stone
Encyclopedia
"Rollin' Stone" is a blues song recorded by Muddy Waters
in 1950. It is Waters' interpretation of "Catfish Blues", a traditional blues that dates back to 1920s Mississippi. "Rollin' Stone" has been recorded by a variety of artists and has been acknowledged by the Grammy Hall of Fame and Rolling Stone
magazine.
recorded "Kansas City Blues Parts 3 and 4", a follow-up to his highly successful "Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues
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
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".
, "A rolling stone gathers no moss
".
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. 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
).
(second guitar) and Leonard Chess
(bass drum) accompanied Waters (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).
and the music magazine Rolling Stone took their names from the song. In 2000, the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award; in 2004, it was included at #459 by Rolling Stone in the list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
's "Catfish Blues", an homage to Muddy Waters, and included on the albums BBC Sessions and Blues (Hendrix's signature songs "Voodoo Chile
" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
" evolved from his "Catfish Blues"). Johnny Winter
gave the song a similar treatment as part of "Tribute to Muddy" from his 1968 album The Progressive Blues Experiment
. Humble Pie
drew on the song for their 1971 albums Rock On
and Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
. In 1993, Paul Rodgers
with Jeff Beck
recorded it for Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters
.
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
in 1950. It is Waters' interpretation of "Catfish Blues", a traditional blues that dates back to 1920s Mississippi. "Rollin' Stone" has been recorded by a variety of artists and has been acknowledged by the Grammy Hall of Fame and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine.
Earlier songs
In 1928, Jim JacksonJim Jackson (musician)
Jim Jackson was an African American blues and hokum singer, songster and guitarist, whose recordings in the late 1920s were popular and influential on later artists.-Career:...
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
-Recordings and later influence:Jackson's first record, "Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues, Part 1 & 2" was one of the first, and biggest race hits...
Parts 1 and 2". Jackson's lyrics included:
- I wished I was a catfish swimming down in the sea
- I'd have some good woman fishing after me ...
Several other early songs also explored variations on the catfish and/or fishing theme. In 1941, Tommy McClennan
Tommy McClennan
Tommy McClennan was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist.-Life and career:McClennan was born on a farm near Yazoo City, Mississippi, United States, and grew up in the town...
and his sometime partner Robert Petway
Robert Petway
Robert Petway was an African-American blues singer and guitarist.Very little is known about Robert Petway. His birth place is speculated to have been at or near J.F. Sligh Farm near Yazoo City, Mississippi, birth place of his close friend and fellow bluesman Tommy McClennan. His birth date is...
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 proverbProverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
, "A rolling stone gathers no moss
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A rolling stone gathers no moss is an old proverb, credited to Publius Syrus, who in his Sententiae states, People who are always moving, with no roots in one place, avoid responsibilities and cares. As such, the proverb is often interpreted as referring to figurative nomads who avoid taking on...
".
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. 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:
- Well my mother told my father just before I was born
- 'I got a boy child comin', gonna be, gonna be a rollin' stone
- Sho' enough he's a rollin' stone ...
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
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
and the second overall for the label (previous releases were on Aristocrat Records
Aristocrat Records
Aristocrat Records, sometimes referred to 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 record company. Over time, Leonard bought the others...
).
Still a Fool
Although "Rollin' Stone" sold enough for Muddy Waters to quit his day job, it did not appear in the record charts. In 1951, Waters used the guitar figure from "Rollin' Stone" for "Still a Fool" (Chess 1480). The song was more successful, reaching #9 in the Billboard R&B chart. Rather than a solo piece, Little WalterLittle Walter
Little Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs , was an American blues harmonica player, whose revolutionary approach to his instrument has earned him comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix, for innovation and impact on succeeding generations...
(second guitar) and Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess was a record company executive and the founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues.- Early life :...
(bass drum) accompanied Waters (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
English rock group The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and the music magazine Rolling Stone took their names from the song. In 2000, the song was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award; in 2004, it was included at #459 by Rolling Stone in the list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Other versions
In 1967, "Rollin' Stone" (and "Still a Fool") was used as part of Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's "Catfish Blues", an homage to Muddy Waters, and included on the albums BBC Sessions and Blues (Hendrix's signature songs "Voodoo Chile
Voodoo Chile
"Voodoo Chile" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded in 1968, closing Side 1 of The Jimi Hendrix Experience album Electric Ladyland. The song is Hendrix's longest studio recording and features additional musicians in what has been described as a "studio jam"...
" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
"Voodoo Child " is the closing track on Electric Ladyland, the third and final album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The song is known for its wah-wah-heavy guitar work. It is #101 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time....
" evolved from his "Catfish Blues"). Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
gave the song a similar treatment as part of "Tribute to Muddy" from his 1968 album The Progressive Blues Experiment
The Progressive Blues Experiment
The Progressive Blues Experiment is the first album by Johnny Winter. The Progressive Blues Experiment was originally issued on Austin's famous Sonobeat Records label in 1968. When Winter signed to Columbia Records, the rights were sold to Imperial Records who reissued the album in 1969. Johnny...
. Humble Pie
Humble Pie (band)
Humble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie"...
drew on the song for their 1971 albums Rock On
Rock On (Humble Pie album)
Rock On is the fourth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1971. It reached #118 on the Billboard 200.-Album profile:...
and Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
Performance Rockin' the Fillmore is the 1971 live double-album/one-cd by English blues-rock group Humble Pie. It reached #21 on the Billboard 200, and hit the UK Top 40.-Album profile:...
. In 1993, Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
with Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
recorded it for Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters
Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters
Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute To Muddy Waters is the second solo album by Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company fame.Although attributed solely to Paul Rodgers, this album features many other artists including Brian May, Buddy Guy, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Neal Schon, Gary Moore, Brian Setzer,...
.