Listening Room: Muddy Waters — “Don’t Go No Farther”
This is not one of the better-known sides Waters cut during his run at Chess, but it has become one of my favorites.
This single was cut in 1956 in the midst of his golden age. Some prefer the early sides that emphasized his slide playing and captured some of the earliest marriages of Delta blues and electric slide guitar. I get much more excited listening to great sides like this that he cut with some of the fabulous bands he assembled over the years.
What distinguishes “Don’t Go No Farther” for me is the guitar sound! There is a snarl and bite to the sound of the twin guitars that caught my attention the very first time I ever heard it. There is an aggressiveness to the sound and to Waters’ vocal that was almost too much for Chess’ studio to contain. This is not the sound of Muddy going metal, but that bite grabs me every time. It is not known if longtime collaborator Jimmy Rogers played guitar on this cut or if it was future convicted murderer Pat Hare.
In addition to those biting guitars, I would be wrong if I didn’t mention the great Big Walter Horton harmonica break. Muddy played with some of the best that ever lived, so great harp work is a staple of his best songs and that is again true here.
Filed under: Listening Room, Muddy Waters
