The Best of Muddy Waters

Chicago was the centre for electric blues from 1948 when guitarist/singer-songwriter Muddy Waters had his first rhythm & blues chart hits, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home". Waters, born McKinley Morganfield, was more than a pioneer in the Chicago electric blues scene; he was a great singer of American vernacular music - a vocal artist of astonishing power, range, depth, and subtlety.

Presented here is his complete LP The Best of Muddy Waters, a greatest hits compilation released by Chess Records in April 1958. The twelve songs were originally issued as singles between 1948 and 1954, and most appeared within the top ten of Billboard's rhythm & blues chart.

In 2025, Chess Records celebrates its 75th anniversary. To mark this historic milestone, Chess will launch a comprehensive 75th anniversary series this October with a curated selection of audiophile vinyl reissues, kicking off with Muddy Waters’ The Best of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf’s Moanin’ in the Moonlight. The ongoing monthly series will showcase releases from legendary artists spanning across the renowned Chess roster, including Chuck Berry’s Berry Is on Top and Etta James’ At Last, and Little Walter’s The Best of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II’s The Real Folk Blues.