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Howlin' Wolf
American Folk Blues Festival, 1970 — photograph credited only as "JT" in the original source (Wikimedia Commons, public domain)
Chicago

Howlin' Wolf

This artist is no longer with us.
Born: June 10, 1910, White Station, Mississippi · Died: January 10, 1976, Hines, Illinois (brain tumor, heart failure and kidney disease)• United States
Chicago BluesElectric Blues
Instruments
Voice, Acoustic & electric guitar, Harmonica
Labels
RPM, Chess
from
Mississippi Delta → Memphis → Chicago
Born
June 10, 1910, White Station, Mississippi
Sam Phillips, the producer who discovered both Howlin' Wolf and Elvis Presley, once said "when I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'" At six foot three and close to 300 pounds, with a voice that sounded like gravel being shovelled, Chester Arthur Burnett was as close to a force of nature as the blues ever produced. He was born June 10, 1910, in White Station, Mississippi, near West Point, named after the 21st U.S. president Chester A. Arthur, to Gertrude Jones and Leon "Dock" Burnett. His parents separated when he was one, and his childhood turned genuinely brutal: his mother eventually threw him out of the house for reasons never explained, and he was taken in by his great-uncle Will Young, who ran a large household and treated him badly. At thirteen, after killing one of Young's hogs in a fit of anger, Young whipped him while chasing him on a mule — and young Burnett responded by walking 85 miles barefoot to find his father, where he finally found something like a happy home (Kilde: Wikipedia). His nickname came from his maternal grandfather, John Jones, who used to warn him that wolves would come and get him when he squeezed his grandmother's chickens too hard. He bought his first guitar in January 1928, at seventeen, and in 1930 met Charley Patton, the most popular bluesman in the Mississippi Delta, who taught him directly — Wolf later recalled that the first song he ever learned was Patton's own "Pony Blues." When he moved to Parkin, Arkansas in 1933, Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) taught him harmonica. His trademark howl, famously, came out of failure: trying to emulate country singer Jimmie Rodgers's yodel, Wolf found he simply couldn't yodel, "so I turned to howlin'. And it's done me just fine" (Kilde: Wikipedia). He served in the U.S. Army from April 1941, stationed with the 9th Cavalry Regiment — one of the historic "Buffalo Soldiers" units — until he was found unfit for duty and honorably discharged in November 1943. Back in Mississippi and then West Memphis, Arkansas, a nineteen-year-old freelance talent scout named Ike Turner heard him perform in 1951 and brought him to Sam Phillips's Memphis Recording Service. His first single, "Moanin' at Midnight" backed with "How Many More Years," came out on Chess Records in 1951. Leonard Chess secured his contract that December, and at Chess's urging, Wolf relocated permanently to Chicago in late 1952 (Kilde: Wikipedia). Within a year of arriving, he'd persuaded guitarist Hubert Sumlin to leave Memphis and join him — Sumlin's understated, unpredictable phrasing became the perfect foil for Wolf's enormous voice, and he stayed in the band for the rest of Wolf's career. Songwriter Willie Dixon, hired by the Chess brothers in 1950, wrote many of Wolf's most enduring songs, though getting Wolf to accept a song reportedly sometimes required what Dixon called reverse psychology — Wolf was famously competitive with labelmate Muddy Waters, at one point complaining directly to Dixon: "Hey man, you wrote that song for Muddy. How come you won't write me one like that?" (Kilde: Wikipedia). His catalogue through the 1950s and 60s is a run of foundational Chicago blues records: "Smokestack Lightning" (1956), the album "Moanin' in the Moonlight" (1959, his debut LP), "Spoonful" (June 1960), the self-titled "Howlin' Wolf" album — often called the "rocking chair album" for its cover — and "Killing Floor," recorded in Chicago in August 1964 and now regarded as one of the defining classics of Chicago electric blues (Kilde: Wikipedia). In 1965, the Rolling Stones insisted, as a condition of appearing on the American TV show "Shindig!", that Wolf be brought on as their special guest — he performed "How Many More Years" to a network television audience of millions with the Stones literally sitting at his feet. His later career took some unusual turns: "The Super Super Blues Band" (1968) paired him with Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters; "The Howlin' Wolf Album" (1969) was a psychedelic-rock experiment Wolf reportedly despised; and "The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions" (1971) reunited him with British admirers Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. His final studio album, "The Back Door Wolf," came out in 1973 (Kilde: Wikipedia). His health declined sharply in his final years: a first heart attack in 1969, then a serious 1970 car accident that sent him through the windshield and badly damaged his kidneys, requiring dialysis treatment every three days for the rest of his life, administered by his wife Lillie. His final public performance came in November 1975 at Chicago's International Amphitheatre, sharing a bill with B.B. King, Albert King, Luther Allison and O.V. Wright — witnesses described him crawling across the stage during "Crawling King Snake" in what became an unforgettable last show (Kilde: Wikipedia). He checked into the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital in January 1976 for kidney surgery; doctors found a brain tumor three days before he died, on January 10, 1976, at 65, from a combination of the tumor, heart failure and kidney disease. He was buried at Oakridge Cemetery outside Chicago, his gravestone etched with a guitar and a harmonica (Kilde: Wikipedia). Despite being functionally illiterate into his forties, he later went back to school for a GED and studied accounting — financial discipline unusual enough among blues bandleaders of his era that he was able to offer his musicians health insurance (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Musical Influence

Cream covered "Spoonful" until it became one of their signature live jams. Led Zeppelin's "The Lemon Song" borrows directly from "Killing Floor." The Doors covered "Back Door Man" on their debut album, and the Rolling Stones recorded "Little Red Rooster," which became a UK number-one single and remains the only blues cover ever to top the British charts. Jimi Hendrix cited him as a formative influence on his own showmanship and vocal phrasing. Four of his songs — "Little Red Rooster," "Smokestack Lightning," "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful" — are included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Influences

Charley PattonSonny Boy Williamson II

Family and personal life

Parents
Gertrude Jones & Leon "Dock" Burnett

Separated when Chester was one year old.

Great-uncle (caregiver)
Will Young

Took him in after his mother threw him out; treated him badly.

Wife
Lillie Handley (1925–2001)

Met at one of his Chicago club performances; administered his dialysis treatments in his final years.

Formative experiences

  • •Age 13: Walked 85 miles barefoot to find his father after abuse from his great-uncle. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1930: Met and was taught guitar directly by Charley Patton. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1941–1943: Served in the U.S. Army's 9th Cavalry Regiment. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1951: Discovered by talent scout Ike Turner and brought to Sam Phillips's studio in Memphis. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •Late 1952: Relocated permanently to Chicago at Leonard Chess's urging. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Instruments & Equipment

Guitar

Acoustic and electric guitar

Learned directly from Charley Patton starting in 1930.

Other

Harmonica

Learned directly from Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) in Parkin, Arkansas, 1933.

Vocals

Vocals

A distinctive gravel-toned howl born from a failed attempt to yodel like Jimmie Rodgers.

Stories & Anecdotes

"His signature howl was born from failure — trying to yodel like Jimmie Rodgers, he found he simply couldn't, "so I turned to howlin'." (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"As a condition of appearing on the American TV show "Shindig!" in 1965, the Rolling Stones insisted Wolf be brought on as their special guest. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"His final performance in November 1975 reportedly included him crawling across the stage during "Crawling King Snake" — witnesses called it unforgettable. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Despite being functionally illiterate into his forties, he later earned a GED and studied accounting, using the discipline to offer his band members health insurance. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Charley Patton

Directly taught him guitar starting in 1930; Wolf's first learned song was Patton's "Pony Blues."

Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller)

Taught him harmonica in Parkin, Arkansas, 1933.

Hubert Sumlin

Guitarist who joined him in Chicago within a year of his arrival and stayed for the rest of his career.

Willie Dixon

Songwriter who wrote many of his most enduring songs, including "Spoonful" and "Little Red Rooster."

Watch & Listen

Featured

Howlin' Wolf - "Smokestack Lightning" (1956)

One of four Wolf songs on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Douglas Allen

Howlin' Wolf - Killing Floor (1964)

Howlin' Wolf - Killing Floor (1964)

Howlin Wolf - Spoonful (1960)

Howlin Wolf - Spoonful (1960)

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

YearTitleProducerStudioLabelChartSalesMusiciansYouTubeNotes
1951"Moanin' at Midnight" / "How Many More Years" (debut single)Sam Phillips—Chess——Willie Johnson (Guitar), Pat Hare (Guitar), Junior Parker (Harmonica)Discovered by talent scout Ike Turner; recorded at Sam Phillips's Memphis Recording Service.
1956"Smokestack Lightning"Chess—Chess——Hubert Sumlin (Guitar)Recorded with Hubert Sumlin on guitar.
1959Moanin' in the MoonlightChess—Chess——Hubert Sumlin (Guitar), Willie Dixon (Bass, songwriter)His debut album, compiling earlier singles.
1960"Spoonful"Chess—Chess——Hubert Sumlin (Guitar), Willie Dixon (Bass, songwriter)Written by Willie Dixon, recorded June 1960.
1962Howlin' Wolf (self-titled, the "rocking chair album")Chess—Chess——Hubert Sumlin (Guitar), Willie Dixon (Bass, songwriter)Includes "Little Red Rooster" and "Back Door Man."
1964"Killing Floor"Chess—Chess——Hubert Sumlin (Guitar)Recorded Chicago, August 1964 — now regarded as a defining Chicago electric blues classic.
1966The Real Folk BluesChess—Chess———Compilation album.
1968The Super Super Blues BandChess—Checker——Bo Diddley (Guitar), Muddy Waters (Guitar)Paired him with Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters.
1969The Howlin' Wolf AlbumCadet Concept—Cadet Concept———Psychedelic-rock experiment Wolf reportedly despised.
1971The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions——Chess——Eric Clapton (Guitar), Steve Winwood (Piano), Bill Wyman (Bass), Charlie Watts (Drums)Reunited him with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts.
1973The Back Door WolfChess—Chess——Hubert Sumlin (Guitar), Detroit Junior (Piano), Eddie Shaw (Bandleader, saxophone)His final studio album.

Famous songs

01Smokestack Lightning
02Spoonful
03Killing Floor
04Back Door Man
05Little Red Rooster

External links

YouTube Music Wikipedia

Sources

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