Mud Morganfield - Deep Mud
- chicagoblueseditor
- Sep 22
- 4 min read
Release date: Sept. 26, 2025
Nola Blue Records
By Robin Zimmerman
On his latest release, Deep Mud, bona fide blues man Mud Morganfield takes a deep dive into his psyche to reflect on the highs and lows of life. Whether it’s hitting on a “Big Frame Woman” or paying homage to the memory of his beloved mother on “A Dream Walking”, the firstborn son of Muddy Waters delves into his rich legacy and delivers an old-school blues record by way of the Nola Blue label.
Before digging into the many Deep Mud highlights, a brief synopsis of Mud’s biography is in order. The eldest son of Muddy Waters, young Mud was born to Mildred Williams on September 27th, 1954, on the proverbial South Side of Chicago. His Wikipedia bio reads that he “was raised by his mother and seven uncles, with occasional visits from Muddy and never really got to know his father.”
He might not have had a day-to-day relationship with his dad, but Mud certainly picked up many of the elder Morganfield’s mannerisms right down to the distinctive voice. And, Mud certainly had his fair share of the blues as he grew up on the mean streets of Chicago, far removed from the idyllic lakefront lifestyle. Looking back, Mud said this rough-and-tumble coming up helped make him the man he is today.
Prior to shifting into a high-gear blues career, Mud drove a truck for many years and established his life in Chicago. But fate intervened shortly after his dad’s passing in 1983. It was then that Muddy started appearing to Mud in a recurring dream where he was always onstage but inaccessible. So, the thirty-something Mud heeded his higher calling and dove headfirst into the blues after dabbling with the drums and bass in his younger years.
Since this hard launch, Mud’s appeared all over the world, put out six albums including the Blues Blast Music winner For Pops—A Tribute to Muddy Waters and appeared with his daughters, Laquita and Lashonda to sing “Praise Him” on the Pritzker Stage at the 2023 Chicago Blues Festival. He was back on the main stage in 2025 as part of the Chess Record’s 75th Anniversary Tribute.
Mud’s resume has many more highlights through the years, but he has also experienced recent heartbreak with the passing of his beloved mother Millie in March. She was a familiar sight at many of his Chicago-area shows and was literally his biggest fan, so Mud honors her memory with his music. Deep Mud is dedicated to his mother “whose love is a melody that plays in my heart.”
This brings us to digging into the music on Deep Mud, which is a tour de force featuring a stellar cast doing twelve of Mud’s compositions along with a pair of Muddy’s covers. It’s Mud’s first release on the Nola Blue label and here’s hoping that it won’t be his last. Deep Mud was recorded at Chicago’s Joy Ride studios.
While Mud is front and center on Deep Mud, he also has taken a crew of first-rate musicians along for the ride with him. These heavy hitters include guitarists Rick Kreher (a member of Muddy’s last touring band) and Mike Wheeler, keyboard whizzes Roosevelt Purifoy and Sumito “Ariyo” Ariyoshi, bassist E.G McDaniel and Melvin “Pookie Styx” Carlisle on drums with Phil Perkins on trumpet and horn arrangements. Studebaker John plays harp and served as producer and arranger. Mud recently praised Studebaker’s “fantastic ear” for giving Deep Mud its raw, unvarnished old-school Chicago blues sound along with a smattering of rock, funk and R & B.
The first track, “Give Me Back My Whiskey” serves notice that Mud ain’t messing around when it’s time to make some music. He comes out swinging with a solid blues sound that summons up the ghosts of the South and West side clubs of old. Mud first debuted this tune in early June with a whiskey toast at FitzGerald’s nightclub in Berwyn and this song now seems destined to be one of the most-played tracks on Deep Mud.
Mud segues from last call to an homage to full-figured gals on his “Big Frame Woman” that features lines like “she’s seven foot two but when we lay down, we both the same size.” The subject of women remains front and center on, “Strange Woman” which finds Mud on bass doing this remake of this Muddy Waters song, with a fervor that would make his old man proud.
Morganfield’s own compositions certainly prove that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as songs like “Strike Like Lightning,” “Lover Man” and “The Man That You’re With” have that raw, unvarnished Chicago blues feel with similar lyrical sound bites. But, Mud, also proves that he’s his own man on standout songs like “She’s Getting Her Groove On,” “Carolina” and “Cosigner Man,” which have a funkier vibe and full-on horns.
It's back to classic Chicago blues as Morganfield sings about a “Lover Man” before breaking into a smooth and satisfying slow jam on his own “In and Out of My Life.” After a few more blues-centric selections, Deep Mud concludes with the gospel-flavored tribute to his mother on a “Dream Walking.” This track features background vocalists Jacole Avent and Demetrias M. Hall lifting Mud up in song with lyrics like “if my father was a rolling stone, then my mother must have been so strong cause I can’t remember a day when she left us all alone. “
Other key players in the making of Deep Mud include vocalists Felicia Collins and Kristen Lowe and Rodrigo Mantovani on upright bass. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Brian Leach and Studebaker John and Joy Ride Studio in Chicago.
Mud's birthday party and album release show will be on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights. Tickets are on sale HERE.
For info or to buy and hear the music:
Nola Blue Records: www.nola-blue.com
Mud Morganfield: https://mudmorganfield.bandzoogle.com/music
About the Author: Blues enthusiast Robin Zimmerman, a.k.a. Rockin' Robin, writes a Blues Blog and is a regular contributor to Chicago Blues Guide
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