Muddy Waters - Standing Around Crying

The fact that this is a great song is reason enough to post it, but it also serves as a reminder of one little bit of rock music genealogy that is often lost.

No one would argue much with the idea that the biggest single sonic innovation of the late-sixties rock era was the sound of distorted electric guitar. This sound was pioneered by fifties guitarists like Hubert Sumlin and Pat Hare, among others. But another influence was the sound of electrically amplified harmonica players like Little Walter, heard here backing up Muddy. Duane Allman in particular was very clear that he tried to model his tone for his slide work on the sound of Little Walter's harp. Listen here and you can hear the connection.