Among his peers at Chess Records, only Muddy Waters scored more hits than Little Walter, and, arguably, only Muddy Waters, whose band Walter played in, was a more towering solo blues figure in the '50s. Little Walter amplified the harmonica-in the same way Muddy electrified the guitar-and in so doing created a critical instrument in the development of electric blues. No one played "harp" leads-soaring, screeching, rockin' leads-better than Walter, and as a front man, he made history with numbers like "Mean Old World" and "Sad Hours," the latter sporting the one of the best harp solos ever recorded.