SPOTLIGHT = Muddy Waters (1 song) & Van Morrison (1 song)

A pair of artists who use their stage name….

#1
Muddy Waters was born McKinley Morgansfield & is often considered the “father of modern Chicago blues”. A Mississippi native, he moved to Chicago in 1943. He recorded this song, his best-charting tune, in Chicago, 01/07/1954 & released it that year; this single peaked at #3 on the R&B chart. During his career (1948-1977), he notched 13 other Top 10s on the R&B chart.

#2
Van Morrison was born George Ivan Morrison & is a singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993 & the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2003. This song, which he wrote, hit the airwaves in 1967 & reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year. At the time, the lyrics “making love in the green grass” were considered too suggestive for radio, so a previous verse was swapped for radio airplay. Today, the song is considered his signature tune & receives much airplay on classic stations, with the original lyrics.