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Written by: McKinley Morganfield
Produced by: Leonard and Phil Chess
Released: 1948 on Chess
Charts: Predates pop charts
For the first single ever on Chess Records, Waters reworked Mississippi bluesman Robert Petway's "Catfish Blues" into a spare, spooky track he named "Rollin' Stone." "We wouldn't do it exactly like those older fellows," Waters said. "We put the beat with it, put a little drive to it." The Rolling Stones took their name from the title, as did, in part, this magazine; Bob Dylan tipped his hat with "Like a Rolling Stone."
Appears on: The Anthology: 1947-1972 (Chess/MCA)