Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett
File:Howlinwolf-portrait.jpg Howlin' Wolf
Born	June 10, 1910 White Station, Mississippi
Died	January 10, 1976 Hines, Illinois
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist
Website	www.howlinwolf.com

Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), better known as Howlin' Wolf or sometimes, The Howlin' Wolf, was an influential blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player.

Early life

Born in White Station near West Point, Mississippi, he was nicknamed "Big Foot" and "Bull Cow" in his early years, and he explained the origin of the name "Howlin' Wolf" thus: "I got that from my grandfather. He used to tell me stories about the wolves in that part of the country." As a youth he listened to Charley Patton, who taught him the rudiments of guitar, as well as to the Mississippi Sheiks, Tommy Johnson and Jimmie Rodgers, whose famous "blue yodel" Burnett integrated into his singing style. His harmonica playing was modelled after that of Rice Miller, (also known as Sonny Boy Williamson II) who had lived with his sister for a time and taught him how to play.

He farmed during the 1930s, served in the United States Army as a radioman in Seattle during World War II, and by 1948 had formed a band which included guitarists Willie Johnson and M. T. Murphy, harmonica-player Junior Parker, a pianist named Destruction, and drummer Willie Steele. He began broadcasting on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas, alternating between performing and pitching farm equipment, and auditioned for Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service in 1951.

Howlin' Wolf's mother reportedly disowned him for "playing the devil's music."

Career

Howlin' Wolf quickly became a local celebrity, and soon began working with a band that included both Willie Johnson and guitarist Pat Hare. His first recordings came in 1951, when he was simultaneously signed to The Bihari Brothers' Modern Records and to Leonard Chess' Chess Records. Chess issued Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" in August 1951; Wolf also recorded sides for Modern, with Ike Turner, in late 1951 and early 1952. Chess eventually won the war over the singer, and Wolf settled in Chicago, Illinois. He began playing with guitarist Hubert Sumlin, whose terse, curlicued solos perfectly complemented Burnett's huge voice and surprisingly subtle phrasing. In the mid-'50s Wolf released "Evil" and "Smokestack Lightnin'," both major R&B hits.

His 1962 album Howlin' Wolf is one of the most famous and influential blues records, known for its cover illustration of an acoustic guitar leaning against a rocking chair. This album contained "Wang Dang Doodle," "Goin' Down Slow," "Spoonful" and "The Red Rooster," songs which found their way into the repertoires of British and American bands infatuated with Chicago blues. In 1965 he appeared on the television show Shindig along with the Rolling Stones, who had covered "The Red Rooster" on an early album. He was often backed by bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon who authored such Howlin' Wolf standards as "Spoonful," "I Ain't Superstitious," "Little Red Rooster," "Back Door Man," "Evil," "Wang Dang Doodle" (primarily known as a Koko Taylor hit), and others.

File:Howlinwolf.jpg

Howlin' Wolf album cover

In 1971, Howlin' Wolf and his long-time guitarist Hubert Sumlin travelled to London to record the Howlin' Wolf London Sessions LP. British blues/rock musicians Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ian Stewart, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts played alongside the Wolf on this album. He recorded his last album for Chess, The Back Door Wolf, in 1973.

At 6 foot, 6 inches (198cm) and close to 300 pounds (136 kg), he was an imposing presence with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s blues singers. Howlin' Wolf's voice has been compared to "the sound of heavy machinery operating on a gravel road".

Howlin' Wolf, Rice Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson), Little Walter Jacobs and Muddy Waters are usually regarded as the greatest blues artists who recorded for Chess in Chicago. Sam Phillips once remarked of Chester Arthur Burnett, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.' "

Chester Burnett "Howlin Wolf" is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Hillside, Cook County, Illinois, USA Plot: Section 18, right by the road. His gravestone has an image of a guitar and harmonica etched into it.

Covers

Numerous artists have recorded cover versions of Howlin' Wolf songs:

• "Little Red Rooster" was covered by Sam Cooke in 1963 and by The Rolling Stones in 1964.
• Both The Yardbirds and The Animals covered "Smokestack Lightning" in 1964 and 1966 respectively.
• Led Zeppelin covered "How Many More Years" (they changed the name of the song to "How Many More Times") on their eponymous debut. They also covered "Killing Floor" in an altered version dubbed "The Lemon Song" on their second album, Led Zeppelin II.
• The Doors covered "Back Door Man" for their first, self titled album, The Doors
• The Electric Prunes regularly covered "Smokestack Lightnin'" in their live shows, a recording of which can be found on their "Stockholm '67" LP.
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience covered "Killing Floor" at a BBC Saturday Club radio session in 1967, a recording of which is available on their 1998 BBC Sessions compilation.
• Cream also covered one of his songs on their double-album Wheels of Fire. On the first (studio) disc, they covered "Sitting on Top of the World". This song has also been covered by Bob Dylan in the 1992 album Good as I been to you. There is also a cover by Jimi Hendrix.
• Soundgarden covered "Smokestack Lightning" on their first album Ultramega OK.
• Clutch covers "Who's Been Talking" on their 2005 release "Robot Hive/Exodus".
• Stevie Ray Vaughan covered three Howlin' Wolf songs on his studio albums: "Tell Me" appears on Texas Flood; "You'll be mine" (written dy W.Dixon) on Soul to Soul and "Love Me Darlin'" on In Step. Vaughan also played "Shake for me" (written by W.Dixon) on the live album In the Beginning, even copying the original guitar solo, played by Hubert Sumlin and "I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime)" can be found from Live-Alive album.
• George Thorogood covered "Highway 49" and "Smokestack Lightning" on Born to be Bad in 1988. He also covered "Howlin' for My Baby" in 1993 on Haircut.

References

• Segrest, James and Mark Hoffman. Moanin' at Midnight. New York: Random House, Inc. 2004 - ISBN 0375422463

External links

• Bio @ HowlinWolf.com
• [1] iconic and rare portraits of Howlin' Wolf, from 1968 and 1969
• Howlin' Wolf Gravesite