The Best of Muddy Waters

The Best of Muddy Waters is a greatest hits album by Muddy Waters released by Chess Records in April 1958. The twelve songs were originally issued as singles between 1948 and 1954 and most appeared in Billboard magazine's top 10 Rhythm & Blues Records charts.

The Best of Muddy Waters
Greatest hits album by Muddy Waters
Released	April 1958
Recorded	Chicago, April 1948 – September 1, 1954
Genre	Chicago blues
Length	35:40[1]
Label	Chess
Producer	Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
Muddy Waters chronology
The Best of Muddy Waters (1958) Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill" (1960)

The album is the first by Waters and the third by Chess on the long playing (or LP record) format.[2] Chess re-sequenced the tracks and re-titled it Sail On for release in February 1969.[3]

The album was re-released on compact disc in 1997 by Chess and MCA Records. The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame inducted it as a "Classic of Blues Recording" in 1983.[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by McKinley Morganfield a.k.a. Muddy Waters, except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Willie Dixon)	2:49
2.	"Long Distance Call"	2:38
3.	"Louisiana Blues"	2:49
4.	"Honey Bee"	3:20
5.	"Rollin' Stone"	3:05
6.	"I'm Ready" (Dixon)	3:01

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hoochie Coochie" (Dixon)	2:49
2.	"She Moves Me"	2:54
3.	"I Want You to Love Me"	3:01
4.	"Standing Around Crying"	3:19
5.	"Still a Fool"	3:14
6.	"I Can't Be Satisfied"	2:41

Personnel

• Muddy Waters – vocals, guitar
• Ernest "Big" Crawford – bass on "Long Distance Call", "Louisiana Blues", "Honey Bee", "I Want You To Love Me", and "I Can't Be Satisfied"
• Willie Dixon – bass on "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "I'm Ready", and "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man"
• Little Walter – harmonica on tracks A-1, A-2, A-3, A-6, B-1, B-2, and B-4; guitar on B-5
• Walter "Shakey" Horton – harmonica on B-3 (as credited on LP – Little Walter is the harmonica player on all tracks on this collection where harmonica is present.)
• Jimmy Rogers – guitar on tracks A-1, A-4, A-6, B-1, B-3, and B-4
• Otis Spann – piano on A-1, A-6, B-1, B-3, and B-4
• Fred Below – drums on A-1, A-6, and B-1
• Elgin Evans – washboard on A-3; drums on B-3 and B-4
• Leonard Chess – bass drum on B-2 and B-5
• Studs Terkel – liner notes

Release history

Region	Label	Format	Catalog
United States	Chess	LP	LP 1427
Worldwide reissue	Chess	LP	LP CH-9255
US	Chess	Cassette	CHC-9255
US	Chess/MCA	CD	CHD-31268
Japan	MCA	CD	UICY-3199

References

1. Chadbourne, Eugene. "The Best of Muddy Waters [Chess] - Muddy Waters: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
2. Howard Mandel, ed. (2005). The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz & Blues. Billboard Books. pp. 176, 182. ISBN 0-8230-8266-0.
3. Chess (1989). Muddy Waters: Chess Box (Box set booklet). Muddy Waters. Chess/MCA Records. p. 26. OCLC 154264537. CHD3-80002.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
4. O'Neal, Jim (1983). "1983 Hall of Fame Inductees: The Best of Muddy Waters – Muddy Waters (Chess, 1958)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 3, 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)