Dortmund Jazz Festival 1976

Muddy Waters turned 60 somewhere between 1973 and 1975 (his social security card says ’73; his gravestone ’75). His 50s had been a disappointing decade. He hadn’t had a single on the R&B charts since 1958. His discovery by the rock audience had resulted in larger audiences but weaker records. He was in danger of becoming a nostalgia act. But as evidenced by “Muddy Waters Rhythm & Blues Band,” Waters turned that around and made his 60s a far more productive time.