Muddy Waters (1913–1983) was an American blues artist who is considered a pioneer of the electric Chicago blues and a major influence on the development of blues and rock music. He popularized several early Delta blues songs, such as "Rollin' and Tumblin'", "Walkin' Blues", and "Baby, Please Don't Go", and recorded songs that went on to become blues standards, including "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mannish Boy", and "Got My Mojo Working". During his recording career from 1941 to 1981, he recorded primarily for two record companies, Aristocrat/Chess and Blue Sky; they issued 62 singles and 13 studio albums (as with most postwar blues musicians, his recordings were released as two-song singles until the 1960s, when the focus shifted to long-playing albums).

While he was living in Mississippi, Waters was recorded by Alan Lomax in 1941 for a U.S. Library of Congress folk music project. Two songs were released on a 78 rpm record, "Country Blues" and "I Be's Troubled". After moving to Chicago, he recorded for Leonard Chess and Aristocrat issued Waters's first single in 1947. In 1950, Chess bought out his label partners and formed Chess Records. From 1950 to 1958, Chess issued 15 singles that reached the top 10 of Billboard magazine's R&B chart. Among the many albums the label released are the influential early compilation The Best of Muddy Waters (1958) and the live At Newport 1960.

After Chess went out of business in 1975, Waters recorded several successful albums for Blue Sky. Produced by blues rock singer and guitarist Johnny Winter, Hard Again (1977), I'm Ready (1978), and Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – Live (1978) won Grammy Awards for "Best Ethnic or Traditional Recordings". As a sideman, Waters also contributed to recordings by Little Walter, Junior Wells, Otis Spann, and others. After Waters's death in 1983, a large number of compilation and live albums have been issued by various record companies, often with significant overlap and duplication. The double disc The Anthology: 1947–1972 (2001) is ranked at number 483 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

For an in depth, illustrated discography, see https://www.wirz.de/music/waters.htm

Studio albums + Title Album details Chartpeak U.S.200 Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill"Released: June 1960 Label: Chess (LP-1444) Format: Mono LP— Folk SingerReleased: January 30, 1964 Label: Chess (LP-1483) Format: Mono LP— Muddy, Brass & the BluesReleased: October 26, 1966 Label: Chess (LP/S-1507) Format: Mono/stereo LP— Electric MudReleased: October 5, 1968 Label: Cadet Concept (LPS-314) Format: Stereo LP 127 After the RainReleased: May 12, 1969 Label: Cadet Concept (LPS-320) Format: Stereo LP— Fathers and SonsReleased: August 18, 1969 Label: Chess (LPS-127; reissue: 2CH 50033, 1972) Format: Stereo 2xLP Note: Sides 1 and 2 are studio recordings 70 Released: April 1972 Label: Chess (CH 60013) Format: Stereo LP— Can't Get No Grindin'Released: August 1973 Label: Chess (CH 50023) Format: Stereo LP— Released: March 1974 Label: Chess (CH 60031) Format: Stereo LP— Released: April 1975 Label: Chess (CH 60035) Format: Stereo LP— Hard AgainReleased: January 10, 1977 Label: Blue Sky (PZ 34449) Format: Stereo LP 143 I'm ReadyReleased: January 1978 Label: Blue Sky (JZ 34928) Format: Stereo LP 157 King BeeReleased: 1981 Label: Blue Sky (PZ 37064) Format: Stereo LP 192 "—" denotes a release that did not chart

Selected live albums Since Waters's death in 1983, a large number of live albums have been released by a variety of record companies. According to biographer Robert Gordon, "much of it comes from the latter years and the recordings tend to blend." However, some were well-received and appeared on Billboard's Blues albums chart.

+ Title Album details Chartpeak U.S. Blues At Newport 1960Released: November 15, 1960 Label: Chess (LP 1449) Format: Mono LP— Fathers and SonsReleased: August 1969 Label: Chess (LPS 127) Format: Stereo LP Note: Sides 3 and 4 are live recordings— Live at Mr. Kelly'sReleased: October 1971 Label: Chess (CH 50012) Format: Stereo LP Note: Recorded June 1971— Muddy "Mississippi" Waters – LiveReleased: January 1979 Label: Blue Sky (JZ 35712; E2K 86559) Format: LP, 2xCD (2003 reissue) Note: Recorded March 18, 1977 – August 26, 1978— CollaborationReleased: 1995 Label: Tomato (R2 71661) Format: CD Note: Recorded 1958— Hoochie Coochie ManReleased: 1996 Label: LaserLight (17 101) Format: CD Note: Recorded 1964— Released: 1999 Label: Topcat/Blind Pig (BPCD 5054) Format: LP, CD Note: Recorded November 1971— Live at the Fillmore AuditoriumSan Francisco 1966Released: 2009 Label: Chess/Geffen/UMe/Universal (179 829) Format: CD Note: Recorded November 04/05/06, 19668 Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981Released: 2012 Label: Eagle Vision Format: CD, DVD Note: Muddy Waters band with special guests: The Rolling Stones 15 Hoochie Coochie Man: Live at the Rising Sun Celebrity Jazz ClubReleased: 2016 Label: Justin Time Format: LP, CD Note: Recorded December 1978 (Muddy Waters Blues Band), June 1996 (Muddy Waters Tribute Band)5 Live at RockpalastReleased: 2018 Label: MIG/WDR Format: 2xLP, 2xCD, 2xDVD Note: Recorded January 19777 The Montreux YearsReleased: 2021 Label: BMG Rights Management Format: 2xLP, CD Note: Recorded June 1972/June 1974/July 1977— Live In Los Angeles 1954 (Live at the Shrine Auditorium)Released: 2021 Label: GNP Crescendo Format: 10" LP Note: Recorded September 1954— Hollywood Blues Summit (Live at the Ash Grove 1971)Released: 2023 Label: Liberation Hall Format: LP, CD Note: Recorded July 1971— "—" denotes a release that did not chart

Selected compilation albums Muddy Waters's original two-song singles recorded for Chess were later released on various "Best of" and anthology albums. Over the years, many were repackaged with new titles and re-sequenced, with the earlier versions going out-of-print. In the 1990s, Chess's successor, MCA Records, began releasing compilations, sometimes focusing on different periods during Waters's career as well as broader overviews. Around the same time, Charly Records also released a number of albums of Chess recordings, including the nine CD set The Complete Muddy Waters 1947–1967 (1992). After years of litigation, MCA was able to stop Charly from using Chess material without authorization.

+ Title Album details Chartpeak U.S.Blues Released: 1958 Label: Chess (LP-1427) Format: Mono LP Note: Repackaged and resequenced as Sail On (1969, Chess LP-1539)— Released: January 1966 Label: Chess (LP-1501) Format: Mono LP— More Real Folk BluesReleased: January 27, 1967 Label: Chess (LP/S-1511) Format: Mono/stereo LP— They Call Me Muddy WatersReleased: February 1971 Label: Chess (CH 1553) Format: LP— McKinley Morganfield A.K.A. Muddy WatersReleased: June 1971 Label: Chess (2CH 60006) Format: 2xLP— Rolling StoneReleased: November 1982 Label: Chess/MCA (CH 8202; CH 9101) Format: LP— Rare and UnissuedReleased: 1984 Label: Chess/MCA (CH 9180) Format: Mono LP— Trouble No More: Singles 1955–1959Released: 1989 Label: Chess/MCA (CH/C/D-9291) Format: LP, cassette, CD— Released: 1989 Label: Chess/MCA (CH/C/D-80002) Format: 6xLP, cassette, 3xCD— Blues SkyReleased: June 16, 1992 Label: Columbia/Legacy (ZK/T-49172) Format: CD, cassette— Released: June 8, 1993 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD/C-9344) Format: CD, cassette— One More Mile (Chess Collectibles, Vol. 1)Released: 1994 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD/C2-9348) Format: 2xCD, cassette— His Best: 1947 to 1955 [Volume 1]Released: 1997 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD-9370) Format: CD— His Best: 1956 to 1964 [Volume 2]Released: 1997 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD-9380) Format: CD— King of the Electric BluesReleased: 1997 Label: Epic/Legacy (65215) Format: CD— Released: 1999 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD-11946) Format: CD 15 Rollin' Stone: The Golden Anniversary Collection [Volume 1] (1947–1952)Released: 2000 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD-112301) Format: 2xCD— Released: 2001 Label: Chess/MCA (CHD-112649) Format: 2xCD— Winning Combinations (split release with John Lee Hooker)Released: 2001 Label: Universal Special Products (088 112 646-2) Format: CD8 Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Muddy WatersReleased: 2003 Label: Hip-O (B0000482 02) Format: CD 4 Hoochie Coochie Man: The Complete Chess Masters, Volume 2 (1952–1958)Released: 2004 Label: Hip-O Select (B0002758 02) Format: 2xCD— Released: 2006 Label: Chess/Geffen (B0006273 02) Format: CD 14 Released: 2010 Label: X5 Music Group Format: CD1 Playlist: The Very Best of Muddy WatersReleased: 2011 Label: Epic/Legacy (88697 58709 2) Format: CD— You Shook Me: The Complete Chess Masters, Volume 3 (1958–1963)Released: 2012 Label: Hip-O Select/Geffen (B0017581 02) Format: 2xCD— "—" denotes a release that did not chart

Singles Muddy Waters's first 78 rpm record in 1941 listed him using his birth name, McKinley Morganfield. The late 1940s–mid-1950s record releases by Aristocrat Records and Chess Records sometimes used "Muddy Waters and His Guitar" as well as Muddy Waters. From the late 1950s on, he is identified as Muddy Waters.