# 2855 - 1994 29c Blues and Jazz Singers: Muddy Waters

US #2855
1994 Muddy Waters

• Part of the Legends of American Music series
• Set features eight Jazz and Blues singers from the 20^th century

Category of Stamp:  Commemorative
Set:  Jazz and Blues Singers, from the Legends of American Music series
Value:  29¢, First-Class Mail rate
First Day of Issue:  September 17, 1994
First Day City:  Greenville, Mississippi
Quantity Issued:  21,862,750
Printed by:  Ashton-Potter
Printing Method:  Lithographed
Format:  Panes of 35 from printing plates of 210 (15 across, 14 down)
Perforations:  11 X 10.8

Reason the stamp was issued:  The Jazz and Blues Singers stamps were issued as part of the Legends of American Music series.  They honor some of the most famous jazz and Blues singers of the 20^th century.

About the stamp design:  The image on the Muddy Waters stamp was painted by first-time stamp artist, Julian Allen.  The artist had first painted Waters as a young man, but the stamp approval committee wanted to show him older.  The inspiration for the older Waters was a photograph supplied by Michael Ochs Archives. 
The Blues and Jazz Singers stamps were originally planned as two separate sets, and different artists were hired for each set.  When the two sets were combined into one, both artists continued with their assignments.  Magazine illustrator Julian Allen, was given the four blues singers, while Howard Koslow created the artwork for the jazz singers.  The USPS supplied photos of the singers to both artists, but they were dissatisfied with the way some of the singers were portrayed and found other sources.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue ceremony was held in Greenville, Mississippi, during the 17^th annual Mississippi Delta Blues Festival.  Other cities also hosted First Day of Issue celebrations.  These included the hometowns of some of the featured singers.

About the Legends of American Music Series:  The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999.  The stamps were issued in semi-jumbo size.  The name of each performer is in white letters, sometimes on a black background to make it stand out.  The name of the set is shown running up the left side of the stamp.
More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music:  rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk.  In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more.  The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.

History the stamp represents:  McKinley Morganfield was born in Mississippi in 1915.  He learned to play harmonica and guitar early on, and soon everyone knew him as Muddy Waters.  Muddy’s first recordings were made in 1941 by archivists preserving Negro folk music for the Library of Congress.  Two years later, he moved to Chicago, a haven for blues musicians.  His uncle bought him an electric guitar, and Muddy formed a band.
1951 was a great year for Muddy.  His records for the Aristocrat label were being played on black radio stations all over the south.  One of Chicago’s best blues clubs, Smitty’s Corner, made Muddy Waters the house band.  And what a band it was!  Each musician was a top-rate entertainer.  From there Muddy’s fame grew to legendary proportions – but it was not until the 1960s and ’70s that the general public became aware of his music.
Muddy’s band had a distinctive sound with wailing harmonica, heavy piano, bass, and drum rhythms, and slashing slide guitar from Muddy.  Perhaps the band’s greatest feature was Muddy’s physical, aggressive vocals, which were drenched with emotion. His most popular tunes were “Forty Days and Forty Nights,” “Hootchie Coochie Man,” and “Mannish Boy.”