Got My Mojo Working

"Got My Mojo Working" is closely identified with Muddy Waters, but it was actually written for Ann Cole by Preston "Red" Foster in 1956.  Cole was a moderately successful R&B artist who recorded for Sol Rabinowitz's Baton label. She opened for Muddy on a national tour in 1957 and made the mistake of including "Mo-Jo" (as she called it) in her set. Muddy heard it, loved it, and decided to record it for Chess Records when he got back to Chicago. Cole's recording and Waters's ended up being released in the same week, and of course his was by far more famous. He also claimed the copyright, though his changes were minimal; litigation followed, with royalties eventually being paid to Foster and his family.

Muddy Waters's mainstream breakthrough was a Newport in 1960. The harp player is James Cotton, with Otis Spann on piano, both of whom also led their own important bands. 

I have no idea why her backups were called The Suburbans.

The harp player is Paul Oscher, who also performed as Brooklyn Slim. He began playing with Muddy Waters in 1967 when Big Walter Horton failed to show up for a gig.

Joyce Harris recorded for Texas-based Domino Records in the late 1950s, which is all I can find out about her. This is also the only up-tempo version I've come across.

I often saw Muddy Waters and James Cotton in Chicago clubs when I was an undergrad at Northwestern, 1966-70:

But I never saw Willie Dixon

Music begins at 0:38

The vocal on this cut is by the legendary drummer Sam Lay. In 1967, I hired Lay's own band to play at the SDS Anti-Navy Ball (the same night as the official NROTC event) at Northwestern.

Everybody records Mojo:

And I do mean everybody:

Comments

[Cory]

As good a version as there is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcO3CF7dtUI

Paul Jones, was the first lead singer of Mannfred Mann and he was traditionally a superb blues singer, which people forgot about after Doo Wah Diddy Brilliant guy. He was actually asked by Brian Jones to lead The Rolling Stones before Mick Jagger when they were primarily a blues band.
Many years later someone asked him if he regretted not becoming the lead singer of The Rolling Stones, he said "you have to remember if I became the lead singer, they wouldn't be the same Rolling Stones you know today." .

[Steve L.]

Thanks, Cory. Manfred Mann (née Lubowitz) is an admirable guy who left South Africa at age 21 because he hated apartheid.

[Steve D.]

Saw Muddy on the South Side back in the day....nothing like it then or since.

[M Morganfield]

Just to clarify the comment about the Rolling Stones: Paul Pond (aka Jones) was asked to be lead singer in a band he was forming but Paul turned him down. Brian formed his band with Mick jagger as lead singer. Mick jagger has been the one and only lead singer of the Stones.

Got my Mojo workin' was a staple of every blues and rock and roll band in the late '60s:

Canned Heat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcLR1CRi0WQ

Eric Clapton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG3hNKjAaUY

Long John Baldry (tallest Blues singer at 6'7" beating Willie Dixon by 1 inch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eroobdCORsI