Muddy Waters & Martin Luther King, Jr.

Muddy Waters was born this day in 1915. Here he is at Newport in 1960 doing Got My Mojo Workin. Sound reproduction is awful. The video shows two performances. Be sure to stick around for the second, about 4:10. It’s an eat-your-heart-out-Elvis performance. Backup band includes James Cotton (harm and dance partner), Otis Spann (piano), and Pat Hare (guitar).

Today is also the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination in Memphis in 1968. Unions have not always been the enemy. Dr. King died for, among other things, supporting a union and the dignity of labor. His speech, clips begin about 5 minutes in, resonates today.

Although these two videos may seem disperate in subject matter and mood, they represent the breadth of the cultural gifts with which the African-American community has gifted us.

Possibly related posts:

A cat may stare at a [son of] King [MacLain]

Sexy black pumps and muddy hiking boots

As I was going up the stair –

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”

Camp Nelson

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