Tuesday’s Gone: Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones Meet Up at Chicago’s Checkboard Lounge (1981)

The Rolling Stones had built their entire early identity around Chicago blues, covering Muddy’s songs and even taking their name from his track “Rollin’ Stone.” So when they finally played together, it felt less like a collaboration and more like a reunion between student and master.

The most famous meeting went down in 1981 at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago. After a massive stadium show, members of the Stones—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Ian Stewart—slipped into the tiny club where Muddy was playing. What followed was a loose, electric jam session- check out parts of it below..