It is the dream of many fathers for their sons to follow in their footsteps. McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, always lamented the fact that younger black people did not seem interested in his music. If he were alive today, he would be very proud of his son Big Bill Morganfield. Possessing more than just his musical pedigree, Bill has the voice, talent, song writing skills and stage presence to become a major talent in his own right.

Born in Chicago in 1956, Bill Morganfield was raised by his grandmother in southern Florida and now resides in the Atlanta area. His father's legacy lives on in the tools of his art. Big Bill has both Muddy's touring amp and the guitars on which he composed some of his earliest works. More importantly, Bill carries Muddy's spirit and love for the blues, and says he feels a spiritual bond with his father when he's on stage.

"My dad had a reputation for being a very dignified person, a very proud man. He gave us all a certain inner strength to go out and do whatever we needed to do." Musically, his father's influence came somewhat later. "Whenever I got the chance to hear him, it struck me strongly". But Bill didn't start off with the idea of being a professional musician until years later. It wasn't until after his father's death in 1983 that Bill decided to explore his musical heritage. "Daddy always wished that one of his kids would follow him and play music," says Bill. "A few years after he died, I bought myself a guitar and started playing a bit. In my mind, I said I want to do a tribute to him. But it was years before I got a chance to do anything. It all started from there. I kind of locked myself away for about six years and taught myself."

He became stage-struck after performing with Lonnie Mack on Atlanta's Center Stage before a crowd of a thousand people. "I sang and played and the people went crazy. I was dancing around like a jumping bean. I realized I've got a love for this. I got such a feeling."

He first formed a band that played contemporary blues but that lasted only three months. He was unhappy with the sound of the music "so I dedicated myself to playing at a higher level." He retreated to his room to devote his energy to perfecting his guitar playing and sharpening his raw but undeniable talent. In the meantime, he used his bachelor's degrees in English from Tuskegee University and Communications from Auburn University to make a living as a teacher while he learned to play traditional blues. He spent countless hours methodically studying, ripping apart, and reconstructing songs. Immersing himself in this work, Bill learned the art of song writing.

Big Bill considers himself a historian in some respects. "The music I take around when I perform has a historical significance to it in that it represents a certain time in our history that isn't around anymore. I guess that's where my daddy and John Lee Hooker, all those guys, are historians, because that art form they're carrying around is just rare and dyin' out - the true blues form. I remember when I went to the W.C. Handy Awards, James Cotton and Pinetop Perkins were doing a couple of numbers together, and it gave me the chills. It's beautiful."

Performance Dates:
June 16, 2000
August 10, 2001