Description
Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones – Checkerboard Lounge Live Chicago 1981 – Double Red and White Vinyl Records
“Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones – Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981” is a historic live performance and concert film, capturing the magical night when two generations of blues and rock legends came together on one small stage. Recorded on November 22, 1981, at the Checkerboard Lounge, a legendary blues club on Chicago’s South Side, this performance brings together Muddy Waters, one of the architects of electric blues, and The Rolling Stones, the British rock band who idolized him and helped popularize the blues for a global audience.
Though the footage and audio circulated among collectors for years, it wasn’t officially released until 2012, through Eagle Rock Entertainment, under the title “Live at the Checkerboard Lounge: Chicago 1981.” The release was remastered and restored, and made available in various formats, including DVD/CD, Blu-ray, and vinyl. What makes this concert so special isn’t just the star power—it’s the setting: an intimate, gritty Chicago club with a small crowd and a loose, joyous energy that feels more like a family jam than a formal concert.
In 1981, The Rolling Stones were touring the U.S. in support of their album Tattoo You. When the band arrived in Chicago, they made time to visit Muddy Waters, one of their earliest inspirations. Their very name—The Rolling Stones—comes from Waters’ 1950 song “Rollin’ Stone.” So when they showed up at the Checkerboard Lounge, it wasn’t to upstage—it was to pay homage. What unfolded that night was a spontaneous, deeply reverent blues summit, with Waters in fine form and the Stones playing not as headliners, but as backing musicians and admirers.
The club was co-owned by guitarist Buddy Guy, and he too joins the jam, alongside Junior Wells and other Chicago blues notables. The setting is as legendary as the lineup. Muddy sits center stage, cigar in hand, wearing a fedora and a sly smile, radiating command and charm.
The performance is delightfully unrehearsed, which is part of its charm. There’s a loose, jam-band spirit to the night—songs are extended, tempos are fluid, and the mood is relaxed and celebratory. The band eases into familiar grooves, sharing the mic, trading guitar licks, and watching Waters with total admiration.
Highlights include:
“Hoochie Coochie Man” – A swaggering rendition of Muddy’s signature tune, with Jagger delivering vocals alongside the master.
“Mannish Boy” – Perhaps the definitive track of the night. The call-and-response between Waters and the crowd is electric, and the band (with Richards and Wood on guitar) locks into a deep blues pocket.
“Long Distance Call” – A slow-burning blues ballad that showcases Waters’ voice in all its earthy, expressive power.
“Got My Mojo Working” – A joyous, loose finale, with multiple musicians taking turns at vocals and solos.
The Stones—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Ian Stewart (on piano)—play with humility and fire, staying in the background while Muddy leads. Jagger steps up occasionally to sing, but always in deference to the elder statesman.
The original footage was shot on video (not film), giving it a raw, vintage feel. For the 2012 release, it was digitally restored, and the audio was remixed and remastered, bringing out the warmth of the instruments and the energy of the crowd without overpolishing the ambiance. The visuals maintain a sense of authentic club atmosphere—dim lights, close quarters, and a feeling that you’re right there at the edge of the stage.
This concert is much more than a jam session—it’s a moment of musical lineage on full display. It’s rare to see artists of The Rolling Stones’ stature literally step back and play sidemen to their idol, but that’s what happens here. It’s a tribute to Muddy Waters’ towering influence and a snapshot of a time when blues and rock were still closely intertwined.
Waters passed away just two years later, in 1983, making this performance one of the last high-profile, filmed concerts of his career. That it happened in his hometown, in a small club, surrounded by friends and acolytes, gives it a profound emotional weight. For the Stones, it was a full-circle moment—sharing the stage with the man who had shaped their sound, in the city that birthed electric blues.
Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones – Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981 is an essential piece of blues and rock history. It captures mutual respect between generations, the joy of spontaneous music-making, and the enduring power of the blues to bring people together. Whether you’re a lifelong fan of Muddy Waters or just discovering the roots of The Rolling Stones’ sound, this release is a timeless and deeply soulful document that deserves a place in any serious music collection.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Sweet Little Angel
Flip Flop And Fly
Introduction (Instrumental) 1:42
You Don’t Have To Go
Country Boy
Baby Please Don’t Go
Hoochie Coochie Man
Long Distance Call
Mannish Boy
Got My Mojo Workin’
Next Time You See Me
One Eyed Woman
Baby Please Don’t Go (Instrumental)
Clouds In My Heart
Champagne And Reefer
