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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1972)
dailu n monday, november 20, 1 972 lincoln, nebraska vol. 96, no. 45 (filff(Q Muddy Waters makes waves By Bart Becker I was driving to the Muddy Waters concert at the Nebraska Union last Saturday with my car radio tuned to station WOW out of Omaha. First they played some song by the Chantelles from about '57 and then they followed it with "Mojo" by Muddy himself. The reason I mention it is that I don't think I've heard Muddy on the AM radio for probably six or seven years. Coincidence? Maybe. Blues singer Muddy Waters pleased, awed and probably blew the minds of various segments of an overflow audience in the Union Saturday night. The crowd obviously dug it, and Muddy and his current "Muddy Waters Blues Band" visibly dug the crowd's reaction to them. The free concert was sponsored by the Union Concerts Committee. It included a solid set by Cotton, a local band that leans toward the blues. By the time Cotton played their first note, the crowd had pushed back out of the Centennial Room into the adjacent ballroom and was bunching in the doorways from the hall. Cotton warmed up the crowd in fine style. During its set, people were bobbing their heads and stamping their feet a little. "Lucille" moved some scattered folks to their feet. vThe sound from Cotton's set barely drifted into the dressing room where Muddy and his band were relaxing. Some musicians were lounging in chairs and couches, making small talk. Card Game But Muddy sat at a table playing a furious game of cards. A plastic-tipped cigar never left the corner of his mouth. The card game goes on "all the time, man, all the time," according to Muddy. "We pass the time away." He played methodically, chatting a bit about other blues musicians and nodding "thank you, thank you" to well-wishers. He also seemed to win most of the tricks in the card game. By the time the Muddy Waters Blues Band took the stage, the crowd was ready. The six-piece band played three songs alone. When Muddy was introduced, the audience was on its feet before he was five steps on the stage. When he sang it sounded good. It took "Hootchie Cootchie" to really light up Muddy and the audience. He sand: got a black cat bone I got a mojo too I got John the Conqueroo I'm gonna mess with you At that moment he probably convinced the doubters. Between shows Muddy returned to the card game, cigar in his mouth again, talking as he played. "I've had this band, the drummer, guitars, piano player, off and on for eight, ten, twelve years," he said. "My guitar player hurt himself in an accident, so we got one more guitarist. "I learned to play my style of guitar from Son House when I was young. Down there around Clarksdale." 30 Years Ago Muddy started performing about 30 years ago near Clarksdale, Miss. After he had developed his style for awhile, he moved to Chicago. There he built a large local following. During the years 1947-1952 his group consisted of Muddy, Little Walter and Jimmy Rodgers, with Willie Dixon helping in recording sessions. Although Muddy became well-known in the blues market, most of the American public had never heard of him. His popularity in England, however, was widespread. When groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones began making visits to America, they mentioned Muddy as one of their musical paragons. Muddy and his band soon began playing to college audiences. Their current tour has been mostly one-night college concerts. It has taken them through dates in New York State and Michigan. It has made Muddy a busy man. "You know how it is, man," he said, "These long tours, ain't got time to do nothing. "No time to write any songs, just enough time to play." He said he enjoys performing. "We just love to play," he said. "We like to play for these kids." The piano player agreed, "Yeah, we enjoy playing. Not last night, though." Friday night in Detroit the band had been plagued by an excessively loud sound system. But Saturday it was doing fairly well. Besides the conversation about the show and the crowd, some of the musicians worry about the possibility of snowy weather and not being able to get out of Lincoln. When the band goes back out for the second show, Muddy stays to finish a hand of cards. His health is good, he said. In 1969 the car he was riding in was run into. Muddy Turn to pago 7 V Y V J X V X : if ' ... V? - Photo by Bill Ganzd Muddy Waters . . . "When I do come on after another singer, you can see that somebody's up there." Orange Bowl pairs old rivals If Bob Devaney and his Nebraska football players would have had it their way, the Cornhuskers would be playing No. 2-ranked Alabama in the 1973 Orange Bowl. But Alabama, as expected, accepted a Cotton Bowl invitation to meet No. 6-ranked Texas. The Huskers now are Orange Bowl-bound against No. 10 rated Notre Dame. The announcement was made official at 6 p.m. Saturday after Nebraska won 59-7 over Kansas State and Notre Dame slipped past Miami, 20-17. Four other Big Eight teams also accepted bowl invitations. Oklahoma will meet Penn State in the Sugar Bowl, Iowa State will play Georgia Tech in the Liberty Bowl, Missouri will meet the Western Athletic Conference champion in the Fiesta Bowl and Colorado will play a yet to be named opponent in the Gator Bowl. Although Devaney had called Alabama coach Bear Bryant earlier in the week, the Cornhusker head coach did not criticize Bryant for his decision. Devaney did note, however, that a call was made in 1965 which was just the opposite of this year's situation. Nebraska was 10-0 in 1965 and Alabama had a loss and a tie and was looking for some way to bolster its national ranking. Nebraska elected to play Alabama in the Orange Bowl. The Huskers lost. "It cost us a national championship," Devaney said. "It proves that Dear Bryant is smarter than I was. If we'd gone to the Cotton Bowl in 1965, we could have played Arkansas. They lost their quarterback and we might have beaten them and been national champions." Instead, Alabama won the national championship after the nation's top-ranked teams were defeated. Devaney, although indicating he would have preferred to meet a higher ranked team, was not discourage by the Orange Bowl's selection of Notre Dame. It will mark the Huskers' fifth Orange Bowl appearance In Devaney's 11 years at Nebraska. A special student sale for Orange Bowl tickets will be held at the UNL Coliseum Nov. 27-29. According to ticket manager Jim Pittenger, approximately 2,000 tickets are available for students. Each applicant must apply in person and present a University ID. Married students will be allowed to purchase two tickets. Ticket price is $8.50. Tickets need not be paid for at the time they are requested. Each student or block requesting tickets will draw a lottery number. In the event more than 2,000 requests are received, lottery numbers will determine those who will receive tickets. Winning lottery numbers will be announced in the Daily Nebraskan during the first week of December. The Coliseum ticket office is open from 9-12 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.