Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones: Live at the Checkerboard Lounge (1981)

• 86%
• 1981
• Music
• David Hewitt
• Muddy Waters
• Buddy Guy
• Mick Jagger

The Rolling Stones join Muddy Waters' band on stage in 1981, at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. Muddy, whose health was declining, dying 1 ½ years later, is sitting down, playing a rather desultory set when the Rolling Stones finally lurch into the club. This seems to fire up Muddy who plays standing up the rest of the show, but needs to urge the Stones, who idolized Muddy, to join him. One by one they do. Muddy beseeches Mick Jagger, who seems the drunkest of the Stones, coming up last to sing with Muddy on several tunes. Guitarist Buddy Guy, who was an owner of the club, joins the group, along with harpist Junior Wells and a fiery Lefty Dizz. The Stones were playing in Rosemont, Illinois on the Tattoo You tour, and this was their night off. The film of the set appeared immediately on bootlegs, but was not issued on DVD until 2012.