"I stone got crazy when I saw somebody run down them strings with a bottleneck. My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and I said that I had to learn"

Muddy Waters describes an electrifying moment of inspiration and discovery upon witnessing a musician’s slide guitar technique, using a bottleneck to move fluidly over the strings. His phrase “I stone got crazy” conveys an intense, almost overwhelming excitement, a visceral, emotional reaction rather than a measured appreciation. This wording emphasizes that the impact went beyond intellectual curiosity and struck something deep within him, stirring a passion that could not be ignored.

The vivid image of his eyes lighting up “like a Christmas tree” communicates the sudden illumination of possibility and wonder. There’s an innocence and joy here, reminiscent of a child’s awe, suggesting that music can spark moments of magic even in those who have already been playing or listening for years. The link to Christmas, a time of gifts and anticipation, hints that this discovery felt like receiving something precious and life-changing.

Witnessing someone’s mastery with the bottleneck, Waters is captivated not just by the notes themselves, but by the expressive possibilities and emotional character that slide guitar can evoke. Slide blues guitar, especially within Delta blues traditions, has a unique ability to mimic the human voice, bend notes, and create longing, mournful, or ecstatic tones. The urgency in his response, “I said that I had to learn”, points to a compulsion born of artistic drive, the sense that music is both a calling and a craft that demands devotion.

This anecdote encapsulates the way tradition is passed along in blues culture: not through formal instruction, but through powerful, almost spiritual encounters with sound and performance. Waters’s words convey that transformative spark that turns listeners into participants, shaping not only his signature sound but, eventually, the course of popular music itself, as his awe-struck vow to master the bottleneck would lead him to become a legendary figure in the blues movement.