William “Big Bill” Morganfield was born on June 19th, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised solely by his grandmother, he moved to south Florida early in his life. His father, McKinley Morganfield is better known as Muddy Waters, the Father of modern Chicago blues. Despite his father’s fame and talent, Big Bill Morganfield had little contact with him throughout his life, and built up his impressive career on his own.
“Big Bill” Morganfield did not start his personal career until after receiving two bachelor degrees in English and Communications and becoming a teacher. After his father passed away in 1983, he began to take music seriously, refocusing his life on these goals. Still maintaining a career as a teacher, he spent several years focusing on the craft of blues guitar and then made a strong professional debut in 1996 with his group The Stone Cold Blues Band.
Continuing his successful debut, Morganfield released his two albums, Rising Son and Nineteen Years Old: A Tribute to Muddy Waters on the Blind Pig Records label. He has since released seven total albums, which have achieved considerable critical and commercial success. His latest titled Bloodstains on the Wall was released in 2016.
Big Bill Morganfield currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia but he continues to regularly perform throughout Florida.