AT NEWPORT 1960 + SINGS "BIG BILL" PLUS 6 BONUS TRACKS! Muddy Waters must be considered one of the most influential artists in music history. He virtually created the blues "band" format, which shaped the post-war Chicago blues sound and laid the cornerstone of rock and roll. Waters deftly transitioned from the cotton field, Mississippi delta, acoustic blues, to the electric sound which has remained with us since. His music set an example for such celebrated artists as The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. This quintessential release presents two of his finest and most celebrated albums: At Newport and Muddy Waters Sings "Big Bill", both originally released in 1960. These two masterpieces have been packaged together in this very special collector's edition, which also includes 6 bonus tracks. Contained here is the cream of the crop from Muddy Waters' hitmaking stretch for Chess Records during his early years. He is accompanied by a virtual who's who of fabulous musicians, such as James Cotton, Otis Spann, Pat Hare, Andrew Stephenson, and Francis Clay, who helped define the exact nature of the Chicago electric blues sound. This great band used amplification to make the music more visceral and raw instead of simply making it a little louder.