Forty Days & Forty Nights

Muddy Waters recorded Forty Days and Forty Nights in Chicago in January 1956 with Pat Hare on guitar, Little Walter on harmonica, and Willie Dixon on bass. The session gave Waters a forceful band setting built around a dramatic Bernard Roth song. Released by Chess in April 1956, the single reached number 7 on the Billboard R&B chart. It became one of Waters last major 1950s chart hits and showed his Chicago band sound adapting to the rock and roll era. Forty Days and Forty Nights remained a durable Muddy Waters standard and appeared on later Chess compilations and live recordings. The song was later recorded by artists including Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon, John Hammond, and Mick Jagger.