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Category: Music
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William "Big Bill" Morganfield is the son of
McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters) and has
emerged in the past few years as one of the top young blues talents in America.
Bill has played all over the world in the past 11 years, bringing pure joy to
those who have had the pleasure of seeing his live performance.
Bill's
new CD, BORN LOVER (co-produced by Bob Margolin, Muddy Waters band alumnus),
released on July 7, 2009.
Click on the Jukebox (on the right) to
hear clips from all the songs on BORN
LOVER
 
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William "Big Bill" Morganfield
William "Big Bill" Morganfield, born June
19, 1956, Chicago, Illinois, is an American blues singer and guitarist.
Morganfield was raised by his grandmother, Verdell Clark, in
Southern Florida. He came to music later in life, having first worked as a
teacher after earning bachelors degrees in English from Tuskegee University and
Communications from Auburn University.
Many men try to fill their
father's shoes when they join the family business. Few, however, must prove
they are up to the task in front of an audience as large as the one that watched
Big Bill Morganfield. Morganfield didn't take up the challenge
until several years after his dad passed away in 1983. The blues world mourned
the passing of Muddy Waters. Muddy leaves not only a gaping
hole on the blues scene but also a grief-stricken son who is contemplating how
to handle the loss. Bill buys himself a guitar and retreats into a private
world, intending to teach himself how to play and then pay homage to his famous
father. Indeed, this was the beginning of Big Bill Morganfield as a Bluesman
and the start of his blues journey.
 That tribute was six long years in coming; years
that Morganfield spent teaching himself how to play the instrument. He studies
the blues styles of the past. Says Bill, "I learned the old traditional blues,
songs written in the 1930's to the 1950's." An evening spent playing harp at
Center Stage in Atlanta with Lonnie Mack followed. The
audience, which numbered 1000, went wild over the performance and set the novice
musician's spirit afire.
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DISCOGRAPHY
The years of dedication and hard work paid off
handsomely. Morganfield's debut album, RISING SON, was released
in 1999 to popular and critical acclaim. The magazine, Guitar
Player, expressed their belief that Morganfield's album would have
brought a smile to his father's face. The following year, the W.C. Handy Awards
dubbed Waters' son the Best New Blues Artist.
Morganfield recorded RISING SON in Chicago, the site of
many Waters' recording sessions. Bob Margolin, Waters'
guitarist, served as producer and also appeared on the album. Featured were
several of Waters' band mates, including: drummer Willie "Big Eyes"
Smith, piano player Pinetop Perkins, and harmonica
player Paul Oscher. Also in attendance were bassist
Robert Stroger, and ex-member of Sunnyland
Slim's band.
Bill returned to Chicago in 2001 to make his
sophomore recording, RAMBLIN' MIND, produced by Dick
Shurman. RAMBLIN' MIND featured an appearance by
Taj Mahal. Taj also contributed his original composition,
"Strong Man Holler", to the album. In 2003, Big Bill continued his
blues journey with, BLUES IN THE BLOOD, produced by
Jimmy Vivino and Brian Bisesi. Musically,
it's heavily rooted in Delta blues, but in a modern way. Bill exclaims, "It
represents where I'm at now in my journey."
BLUES IN THE
BLOOD fulfills the promise of greatness displayed in his debut
recording. It not only features Bill's distinctive, window-rattling voice and
scintillating slide guitar, but also showcases him as a songwriter, with all the
songs having been penned by Morganfield except for one. Co-producer Bisesi
said, "I was so impressed by how much Bill's song writing skills have improved.
It was obvious that he's deep into these songs." The disk held the
number one spot on Living Blues Radio Charts for 3 straight months.
Actually, all of Big Bill's albums have reached the
number one position on Living Blues Radio Charts.
In 2009, Big
Bill Morganfield started his own record company, Black Shuck
Records. Black Shuck Records is backed by VizzTone Label
Group and serves as the backbone of Black Shuck Records.
Bill's
new CD, BORN LOVER, scheduled for release July 7, 2009, will be
the first CD released on Black Shuck Records. |
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NOW BOOKING FOR 2010 FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL
EVENTS
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QUOTES
 "Big Bill Morganfield's, BORN LOVER, reveals and
celebrates his journey and progress as a Blues artist. I find that Bill still
honors his father with deep Chicago Blues. He also tells his own stories with
original songs, a wide variety of style, and fiery slide guitar. Bill's singing
has taken an exciting leap forward in both power and nuance. It's a thrill to
hear Bill fulfill."
-- Bob Margolin (Muddy Water's
guitar player)
"...Bill Morganfield is a craftsmanly, sometimes
brilliant songwriter; he plays and sings with heartfelt
commitment"
--Living Blues
"Chicago blues is a powerful force in the right
hands, which, in this case, belong to the son of Muddy Waters. The comparisons
are inevitable, but the big man is up to the
challenge."
--Entertainment Weekly
"Big Bill is a singer/songwriter who surely would
have made Muddy smile."
--Guitar Player
"...goes a long way toward earning McKinley
Morganfield's son loads of respect."
--Blues
Revue
"...it's eerie, as if his father and Howlin' Wolf
had never left.”
--Chicago Tribune
"...a vital step toward the blues credibility he
seeks...Morganfield shows that his blues have their own depth."
--
Billboard
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W.C. Handy Award
W.C. Handy Award for "Best New Blues
Artist," in 2000, the equivalent of a Grammy Award in the blues
world.
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BackRoads Booking
Agency • PO Box 8070 • San Jose, CA |
10:38 PM
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