Howlin’ Wolf (1910-1976) was an important blues singer, songwriter, and musician. He was known for his gruff, booming voice and his powerful stage presence. Howlin’ Wolf’s music influenced many rock performers, including Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin.
Howlin’ Wolf was born on June 10, 1910, in White Station, Mississippi. His given and family name was Chester Arthur Burnett. He picked up the nickname Howlin’ Wolf as a youth. In 1928, he met the blues musician Charley Patton, who taught him to play the guitar. In 1933, Howlin’ Wolf moved to Parkin, Arkansas. There, he met the blues musician Sonny Boy Williamson II, who taught him to play the harmonica. In the 1930’s, Howlin’ Wolf performed throughout the southern United States as a solo performer and with a number of blues musicians. In 1948, he formed a blues band in West Memphis, Arkansas. In 1951, Sam Phillips, the founder of Memphis Recording Service (later Sun Records), recorded Howlin’ Wolf at his recording studio in Memphis. Later that year, the blues record label Chess Records in Chicago signed Howlin’ Wolf.
Howlin’ Wolf’s first and biggest hit was his composition ”How Many More Years” (1951). He also wrote and recorded the songs “Moanin’ at Midnight” (1951), “Smokestack Lightning” (1956), and “Killing Floor” (1966). Many other songs that Howlin’ Wolf recorded were written for him by the Chess songwriter Willie Dixon. They include “Evil” (1954); “Spoonful” (1960); and “Back Door Man,” “I Ain’t Superstitious,” “Little Red Rooster,” and “Wang Dang Doodle” (all 1961). Howlin’ Wolf died on Jan. 10, 1976. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
See also Dixon, Willie ; Guy, Buddy .
