The Best of Muddy Waters

The Best of Muddy Waters is a greatest hits album by Muddy Waters released by Chess Records in April 1958. The twelve songs were originally issued as singles between 1948 and 1954 and most appeared in Billboard magazine's top 10 Rhythm & Blues Records charts.

The album is the first by Waters and the third by Chess on the long playing (or LP record) format. Chess re-sequenced the tracks and re-titled it Sail On for release in February 1969.

The album was re-released on compact disc in 1997 by Chess and MCA Records. The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame inducted it as a "Classic of Blues Recording" in 1983.

Personnel

 * Muddy Waters – vocals, guitar
 * Ernest "Big" Crawford – bass on "Long Distance Call", "Louisiana Blues", "Honey Bee", "I Want You To Love Me", and "I Can't Be Satisfied"
 * Willie Dixon – bass on "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "I'm Ready", and "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man"
 * Little Walter – harmonica on tracks A-1, A-2, A-3, A-6, B-1, B-2, and B-4; guitar on B-5
 * Walter "Shakey" Horton – harmonica on B-3 (as credited on LP – Little Walter is the harmonica player on all tracks on this collection where harmonica is present.)
 * Jimmy Rogers – guitar on tracks A-1, A-4, A-6, B-1, B-3, and B-4
 * Otis Spann – piano on A-1, A-6, B-1, B-3, and B-4
 * Fred Below – drums on A-1, A-6, and B-1
 * Elgin Evans – washboard on A-3; drums on B-3 and B-4
 * Leonard Chess – bass drum on B-2 and B-5
 * Studs Terkel – liner notes