He bears an uncanny resemblance to his father both in his looks and in his musicianship. 

MUD MORGANFIELD is the eldest son of blues great Muddy Waters and he shares the same perfect blues phrasing as his dad. Mud is a bit of a late bloomer. He didn’t begin a professional career in his native Chicago until after his father died in 1983 and he was nearly 30. 

Born Larry Williams in 1954, Mud grew up surrounded by music, and particularly the Blues, and he’s played music all his life, starting out with the drums his Dad gave him as a child, then moving on to the bass guitar. Supporting himself as a bus driver, just like his father did in the early years, Mud cut his teeth in south Chicago Blues clubs where he proved a popular draw on both the club and festival circuit. Audiences couldn’t get enough of his mix of his dad’s songs and original works. He says of his performances of Muddy Waters’ songs that he started to sing to show the world what his dad left behind. Mud is proud to sing his father’s songs and says while he’s not pretending to be Muddy, when he gets up on the stage, he can feel his ‘pops’ with him.

Mud tells me he had to go out and get himself some blues before he could sing and play with authenticity. He recalls his childhood and the role that his dad played and explains that growing up he never realised how important and influential his father was. 

Today Mud Morganfield is a mullti-award winning artist himself and an established star in the world of Blues music.  His singing is firmly rooted in the best traditions of Chicago Blues, but he is also a writer of wonderful, new, soulful songs and he is backed by some of the best musicians playing today. He is acclaimed by both critics and artists such as Buddy Guy and Jools Holland for his own musical ability,

Mud Morganfield’s latest Delmark album PORTRAIT is out now and receiving critical acclaim all over the world. During our chat, Mud makes it very clear that his entire career is dedicated to Muddy Waters. He credits his love for music to generational influences and is so proud that he inherited it. 

For more information about Mud Morganfield head to his website ⁠https://www.mudmorganfieldblues.com/⁠

If you’d like to get in touch with me to suggest a guest or to provide feedback or comments on any of my episodes, please jump onto my website ⁠www.abreathoffreshair.com.au⁠ and send me a message.

You may also like to join me on facebook ⁠https://www.facebook.com/SandyKayePresents⁠

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Sandy Kaye Sandy Kaye

Hello, I’m Sandy Kaye. A freelance broadcaster, journalist and producer who has spent more than 35 years on both sides of radio and television microphones. I’ve worked with every TV network in Australia, have produced and presented for countless radio stations around the country and have hosted my own commercial radio talk-back show. I’ve even held the distinction of being Sydney’s first female newsreader on radio – way back when!

Today my passion is A Breath of Fresh Air which allows me to immerse myself in one of my favourite things – music. I just love all kinds of music and am fascinated by the people who make it. In particular, it’s the music of the '60s '70s and '80s that takes me back to my youth and means so much to me.

As a journalist, I’m all about digging deep into the classic hits of our time.
I bring you intimate, warm, fireside chats with the artists who tell us about their lives both then and now.
We learn about what makes them tick, who they are in their professional and private lives and how they went about making the soundtrack to our lives.

'A Breath of Fresh Air’ is exceptional - exceptional not because of me, but rather because of the stories that some of the best-known musical artists choose to share with me.

I created this podcast to honour them. It’s all about THEIR lives, THEIR stories, THEIR music, told now, in THEIR voices, before they’re lost forever.

I see my podcast as a personal labour of love, but also as an archival legacy for music fans and practitioners alike, both current and future, who otherwise might never know of the amazing people who helped build the industry.

I really hope you enjoy each and every episode of A Breath of Fresh Air.