10 Most Influential American Acts On British Rock
7. Muddy Waters
When the Brits flooded America in the '60s, they came brandishing a supercharged version of American blues. Musicians like Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters had been mostly ignored by a white American audiences, but as their records started making it across the pond, UK music lovers lapped it up.
In their early days the Rolling Stones were notable for almost exclusively playing blues covers on the London club scene. Although it was a hard sell, the Stones persevered, and the adoption of American blues as a source of inspiration, become more wide spread in the UK. Although there were many blues artists who inspired UK groups, Muddy Waters was one of the most prominent.
Born in Mississippi, Waters took the sound of the Delta to Chicago, becoming one of the leading figures of the Chicago Blues movement. He popularised many songs written by Willie Dixon, another Chicago bluesmen, most notably the track Hoochie Coochie Man.
Groups like Led Zeppelin borrowed heavily from Waters in their early days. Jimmy Page wasn't only influenced by his guitar playing, but the group also lifted many of the lyrical ideas. Go listen to Water's You Need Love, then Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love...