I'm Ready (Muddy Waters album)
1978 studio album by Muddy Waters
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I'm Ready is a studio album by the Chicago blues musician Muddy Waters. The second of his Johnny Winter-produced albums for the Blue Sky Records label, I'm Ready was issued one year after he found renewed commercial and critical success with Hard Again. The album earned Waters a Grammy Award in 1978.[1] It was reissued in 2004 by the Epic/Legacy, with three additional songs.
| I'm Ready | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Westport, Connecticut, October–November 1977 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 40:43 | |||
| Label | Blue Sky | |||
| Producer | Johnny Winter | |||
| Muddy Waters chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
Following his work on the previous album Hard Again (1977), Johnny Winter was again brought on as producer.[2] The recording featured Jimmy Rogers and Big Walter Horton, both of whom had previously performed with Waters. Rogers had also participated in the original 1954 recording of "I'm Ready".[3] At the time, Bob Margolin, who had been playing guitar in Waters' touring band, felt there was no room for him on this album due to the presence of three guitarists, Waters, Winter, and Rogers, but ultimately joined as bassist at Waters' suggestion.
The 2004 remastered CD included the bonus tracks "No Escape from the Blues", "That's All Right", and "Lonely Man Blues", all of which were outtakes from the sessions recorded for this album. On "That's All Right", Rogers also performed vocals.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Blender | [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[7] |
| DownBeat | [8] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [10] |
| The Village Voice | B+[11] |
The Bay State Banner wrote that "the sharp distinctive tuning and chromatic slurs that mark his playing are still here, even though Waters now takes few slide guitar solos."[12]
Track listing
All tracks are composed by Muddy Waters (listed as McKinley Morganfield), except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Ready" | Willie Dixon | 3:26 |
| 2. | "33 Years" | Morganfield, Charles Edward Williams | 5:20 |
| 3. | "Who Do You Trust" | 5:00 | |
| 4. | "Copper Brown" | Morganfield, Marva Brooks | 4:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" | Dixon | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Mamie" | Morganfield, Jimmy Rogers | 5:35 |
| 3. | "Rock Me" | 3:54 | |
| 4. | "Screamin' and Cryin'" | 5:04 | |
| 5. | "Good Morning, Little School Girl" | Sonny Boy Williamson | 3:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "No Escape from the Blues" | Morganfield, Williams | 6:18 |
| 11. | "That's Alright" | Rogers | 4:58 |
| 12. | "Lonely Man Blues" | Morganfield, Bob Margolin | 4:19 |
Personnel
- Muddy Waters – vocal, guitar
- Johnny Winter – guitar (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 9), production
- Jimmy Rogers – guitar, vocals (track 11)
- Bob Margolin – guitar, bass
- Jerry Portnoy – harmonica (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 9)
- Big Walter Horton – harmonica
- Pinetop Perkins – piano
- Willie "Big Eyes" Smith – drums