MUSICIAN
Muddy Waters
1913 - 1983

Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". His style of playing has been described as "raining down Delta beatitude". Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, and by age 17 was playing the guitar and the harmonica, copying local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson. In 1941, Alan Lomax and Professor John W. Work III of Fisk University recorded him in Mississippi for the Library of Congress. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Muddy Waters has received more than 6,282,544 page views. His biography is available in 52 different languages on Wikipedia. Muddy Waters is the 184th most popular musician (up from 190th in 2019), the 1,048th most popular biography from United States (up from 1,087th in 2019) and the 49th most popular American Musician.
Muddy Waters is most famous for being the birthplace of the Delta Blues.
Memorability Metrics
6.3M
Page Views (PV)
67.66
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
52
Languages Editions (L)
4.08
Effective Languages (L*)
4.86
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among MUSICIANS
Among musicians, Muddy Waters ranks 184 out of 3,175. Before him are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bono, Rudolf Schenker, Duff McKagan, Bernard Haitink, and Rory Gallagher. After him are Nam June Paik, John Cale, John Paul Jones, Alicia Keys, Giovanni Battista Martini, and Emil Gilels.
Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsVladimir Ashkenazy
1937 - Present
HPI: 68.00
Rank: 178
Bono
1960 - Present
HPI: 67.79
Rank: 179
Rudolf Schenker
1948 - Present
HPI: 67.79
Rank: 180
Duff McKagan
1964 - Present
HPI: 67.78
Rank: 181
Bernard Haitink
1929 - 2021
HPI: 67.75
Rank: 182
Rory Gallagher
1948 - 1995
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 183
Muddy Waters
1913 - 1983
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 184
Nam June Paik
1932 - 2006
HPI: 67.61
Rank: 185
John Cale
1942 - Present
HPI: 67.61
Rank: 186
John Paul Jones
1946 - Present
HPI: 67.61
Rank: 187
Alicia Keys
1981 - Present
HPI: 67.59
Rank: 188
Giovanni Battista Martini
1706 - 1784
HPI: 67.55
Rank: 189
Emil Gilels
1916 - 1985
HPI: 67.45
Rank: 190
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1913, Muddy Waters ranks 46. Before him are René Clément, Witold Lutosławski, Erich Priebke, Roger Wolcott Sperry, Jacobo Árbenz, and Vinicius de Moraes. After him are Aimé Césaire, Masanobu Fukuoka, Charles Trenet, Mary Ainsworth, Gert Fröbe, and Tito Gobbi. Among people deceased in 1983, Muddy Waters ranks 30. Before him are Ulf von Euler, Aleksandar Ranković, John Fante, Klaus Nomi, Luis Monti, and Anna Seghers. After him are Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Maurice Ronet, Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado, Benigno Aquino Jr., Georges Auric, and George Balanchine.
Others Born in 1913
Go to all RankingsRené Clément
FILM DIRECTOR
1913 - 1996
HPI: 68.82
Rank: 40
Witold Lutosławski
COMPOSER
1913 - 1994
HPI: 68.71
Rank: 41
Erich Priebke
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1913 - 2013
HPI: 68.65
Rank: 42
Roger Wolcott Sperry
PSYCHOLOGIST
1913 - 1994
HPI: 68.07
Rank: 43
Jacobo Árbenz
POLITICIAN
1913 - 1971
HPI: 67.91
Rank: 44
Vinicius de Moraes
WRITER
1913 - 1980
HPI: 67.69
Rank: 45
Muddy Waters
MUSICIAN
1913 - 1983
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 46
Aimé Césaire
WRITER
1913 - 2008
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 47
Masanobu Fukuoka
PHILOSOPHER
1913 - 2008
HPI: 67.46
Rank: 48
Charles Trenet
SINGER
1913 - 2001
HPI: 67.40
Rank: 49
Mary Ainsworth
PSYCHOLOGIST
1913 - 1999
HPI: 67.30
Rank: 50
Gert Fröbe
ACTOR
1913 - 1988
HPI: 66.95
Rank: 51
Tito Gobbi
SINGER
1913 - 1984
HPI: 66.84
Rank: 52
Others Deceased in 1983
Go to all RankingsUlf von Euler
PHYSICIAN
1905 - 1983
HPI: 68.97
Rank: 24
Aleksandar Ranković
POLITICIAN
1909 - 1983
HPI: 68.90
Rank: 25
John Fante
WRITER
1909 - 1983
HPI: 68.17
Rank: 26
Klaus Nomi
MUSICIAN
1944 - 1983
HPI: 68.17
Rank: 27
Luis Monti
SOCCER PLAYER
1901 - 1983
HPI: 68.12
Rank: 28
Anna Seghers
WRITER
1900 - 1983
HPI: 67.81
Rank: 29
Muddy Waters
MUSICIAN
1913 - 1983
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 30
Prince Charles, Count of Flanders
POLITICIAN
1903 - 1983
HPI: 67.65
Rank: 31
Maurice Ronet
ACTOR
1927 - 1983
HPI: 67.60
Rank: 32
Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
POLITICIAN
1919 - 1983
HPI: 67.46
Rank: 33
Benigno Aquino Jr.
POLITICIAN
1932 - 1983
HPI: 67.02
Rank: 34
Georges Auric
COMPOSER
1899 - 1983
HPI: 66.58
Rank: 35
George Balanchine
DANCER
1904 - 1983
HPI: 66.19
Rank: 36
In United States
Among people born in United States, Muddy Waters ranks 1,048 out of 20,380. Before him are Laurence Fishburne (1961), Gordon Moore (1929), Buck Henry (1930), Alfred Hershey (1908), Lance Henriksen (1940), and Howard H. Aiken (1900). After him are Margaret Brown (1867), Chester Bennington (1976), Thomas Pynchon (1937), Edward Norton Lorenz (1917), Gary Sinise (1955), and Ed O'Neill (1946).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsLaurence Fishburne
ACTOR
1961 - Present
HPI: 67.68
Rank: 1,042
Gordon Moore
BUSINESSPERSON
1929 - 2023
HPI: 67.67
Rank: 1,043
Buck Henry
ACTOR
1930 - 2020
HPI: 67.67
Rank: 1,044
Alfred Hershey
BIOLOGIST
1908 - 1997
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 1,045
Lance Henriksen
ACTOR
1940 - Present
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 1,046
Howard H. Aiken
ENGINEER
1900 - 1973
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 1,047
Muddy Waters
MUSICIAN
1913 - 1983
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 1,048
Margaret Brown
CELEBRITY
1867 - 1932
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 1,049
Chester Bennington
SINGER
1976 - 2017
HPI: 67.65
Rank: 1,050
Thomas Pynchon
WRITER
1937 - Present
HPI: 67.64
Rank: 1,051
Edward Norton Lorenz
MATHEMATICIAN
1917 - 2008
HPI: 67.64
Rank: 1,052
Gary Sinise
ACTOR
1955 - Present
HPI: 67.64
Rank: 1,053
Ed O'Neill
ACTOR
1946 - Present
HPI: 67.63
Rank: 1,054
Among MUSICIANS In United States
Among musicians born in United States, Muddy Waters ranks 49. Before him are Don Shirley (1927), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935), Keith Jarrett (1945), Chick Corea (1941), Ritchie Valens (1941), and Duff McKagan (1964). After him are Alicia Keys (1981), Ike Turner (1931), Willie Nelson (1933), Stan Getz (1927), Joe Jackson (1928), and Herbie Hancock (1940).
Don Shirley
1927 - 2013
HPI: 68.46
Rank: 43
Jerry Lee Lewis
1935 - 2022
HPI: 68.41
Rank: 44
Keith Jarrett
1945 - Present
HPI: 68.32
Rank: 45
Chick Corea
1941 - 2021
HPI: 68.23
Rank: 46
Ritchie Valens
1941 - 1959
HPI: 68.03
Rank: 47
Duff McKagan
1964 - Present
HPI: 67.78
Rank: 48
Muddy Waters
1913 - 1983
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 49
Alicia Keys
1981 - Present
HPI: 67.59
Rank: 50
Ike Turner
1931 - 2007
HPI: 67.19
Rank: 51
Willie Nelson
1933 - Present
HPI: 67.18
Rank: 52
Stan Getz
1927 - 1991
HPI: 67.08
Rank: 53
Joe Jackson
1928 - 2018
HPI: 66.96
Rank: 54
Herbie Hancock
1940 - Present
HPI: 66.91
Rank: 55