Muddy Waters and the blues were alive last week in Westmont, but pretty soon, they could be taking the country by storm.

It was a rare, surreal afternoon when four musicians — offspring of some of the greatest names in blues history — rocked out Westmont Centre in a tribute to Muddy Waters, a Westmont resident for 10 years, on the 25th anniversary of his death.

Only a handful of people were present, but the few in attendance counted themselves lucky as they were treated to a raw, intimate performance.

Shirley King, daughter of B.B. King, looked every bit as royal as her name implies as she worked the audience in a deep purple dress — instructing Mayor William Rahn to “get his mojo workin” as Trustee Sue Senicka and village secretary Ingrid Watson echoed the refrain.

As Eddie Taylor Jr. strummed a soulful riff on his red guitar, Watson said she and her husband, both avid blues fans, “go dancing every weekend, and this is it.”
“I love this kind of music,” Watson said.

King and Taylor Jr. were accompanied by Mud Morganfield, eldest son of Muddy Waters — who performed two of his father’s songs — and Gerald Noel, saxophone player for Junior Walker’s All-Stars.

“I started this career a couple years ago,” said Morganfield. “What I wanted to do was just make sure my dad’s music didn’t end just because he did.”

The small audience may have been luckier than they thought, according to village spokesman Larry McIntyre, who organized the impromptu concert.

“It just so happens that Muddy Water’s name, and hopefully the blues in general, is going to be greatly elevated here in the next couple of years,” McIntyre said.

A smattering of famous names, including Beyonce Knowles, Adrian Brody, Cedric the Entertainer and Mos Def have been cast in an upcoming movie called “Cadillac Records.” The movie is about the influential Chicago recording studio, Chess Records, where the blues came into its own.

“If this movie does well, it will probably resurrect the blues in a way very similar to what the movie “Ray” did for Ray Charles,” McIntyre said.

Taylor Jr., who plays guitar on the movie’s soundtrack, said he thinks the movie’s impact could be far reaching for the genre.

“It’s going to open the eyes of the young people; that’s what I’m basically hoping to do,” he said. “This rap thing, I don’t have nothin’ against it, but it’s kind of takin’ over, and it’s not sending the message. And to me the blues tell a story, you know? I’m glad they doin’ this movie.”