King Bee (album)

King Bee is the final release by blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. Released in 1981, it is third in a series of records done for the label Blue Sky Records under producer/guitarist Johnny Winter. Recorded in three days (and in the wake of Water's failing health) some of the band members, namely Winters and guitarist Bob Margolin, were not happy with the result. As his health failed, Waters canceled an increasing number of shows. His band, dependent on money made from touring, soon quit. He died of a heart attack on April 30, 1983. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

The album consists of recordings from May 1980, as well as outtakes from 1977's Hard Again.

Track listing

All tracks composed by McKinley Morganfield; except where indicated

1. "I'm A King Bee" (James Moore) - 3:50
2. "Too Young To Know" - 4:30
3. "Mean Old Frisco Blues" (Arthur Crudup) - 3:46
4. "Forever Lonely" - 4:35
5. "I Feel Like Going Home" - 3:42
6. "Champagne & Reefer" - 4:37
7. "Sad, Sad Day" - 5:25
8. "(My Eyes) Keep Me In Trouble" (Hap Walker) - 3:18
9. "Deep Down in Florida #2" (Jimmy Oden) - 4:09
10. "No Escape From The Blues" (Morganfield, Charles E. Williams) - 2:04

Bonus 2004 reissue tracks

11. "I Won't Go On" (Jimmy Oden) - 4:16
12. "Clouds In My Heart" - 7:46

Personnel

• Muddy Waters – vocals & guitar
• Johnny Winter - guitar & slide guitar
• Bob Margolin - guitar
• Pinetop Perkins – piano
• Jerry Portnoy – harmonica
• Luther Johnson (Guitar Junior) - guitar
• Charles Calmese - bass
• Calvin Jones - Bass
• Willie "Big Eyes" Smith – drums

References

Liner Notes-Legacy's 2004 release of "King Bee," essay by Bob Margolin