Howlin' Wolf

Howlin ' Wolf ( born June 10, 1910 in White Station near West Point, Mississippi, Chester Arthur Burnett, † January 10, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American blues musician.

Howlin 'Wolf was known for his distinctive vocal style and his " reibeisende " voice. He seems almost omnipresent through it, but also strong harmonica on his recordings. He influenced many singers such as John Fogerty, Tom Waits or even Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stone listed it on rank 31 of the 100 greatest singers of all time and on the 51st place of the greatest music artists of all time. The legendary record producer Sam Phillips of Sun Records ( where Wolf made ​​recordings in the early 1950s ) said about Howlin ' Wolf: When I Howlin'. Heard Wolf I said to myself, "That's for me This is the place where the soul of man never dies. "

Howlin 'Wolf was also next to Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter and Muddy Waters also just one of the most successful musicians of the Chicago blues singer, in particular for the label Chess Records. Many of his songs were played a lot of hit singles (very often composed by Willie Dixon, such as Spoonful or Evil ). Many artists and bands - even outside of the blues - songs by Howlin 'Wolf gecovert, including The Rolling Stones and Cream.

Life and work

Born Chester Arthur Burnett in White Station, he received his name after an American President of the 19th century. After his parents separated, his mother handed over to his uncle Will, through which a childhood friend said he was the meanest man between here and been hell. At the age of thirteen, he left his hometown and went to his father in the Delta, who lived on the Young and Morrow plantation near Ruleville. Even as a child he was given the nickname " Howlin 'Wolf ". His model was Charley Patton, from which he received his first guitar lessons, as Patton worked on the near Dockerey plantation. He received his first harmonica lessons from Sonny Boy Williamson II, who made ​​his step- sister's yard. After he was discharged from the army, he went to West Memphis, Arkansas. In 1951, he took over for Sam Phillips on his first album, which became a hit immediately. It reached number 10 on the Billboard R & B charts. After his recording contract 1953 went to Chess Records, he moved to Chicago, where he spent the rest of his life. He has played with Willie Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, and Willie Dixon.

The latter wrote a considerable part of the biggest hits Howlin ' Wolf, including Evil, Spoonful, I Is not Superstitious and Back Door Man. A moderate success achieved Burnett with his composition Smokestack Lightnin '. Well-known bands such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and the Doors had success with pieces of Howlin 'Wolf. One of the most outstanding features of the music Howlin ' Wolf was his powerful, often rough, raspy voice acting, which served many white rock singers such as Jim Morrison, early Rod Stewart, and later Tom Waits as a model.

The Blue career of Howlin 'Wolf began at the age of 18, when he got in 1928 as a gift from his father, a guitar and, inspired by Charley Patton, Blues began to play. In 1935, he moved with his brother Sonny Boy Williamson II and Robert Lockwood Jr. through the southern states and performed in pubs jukebox. In 1948 he formed his first blues band shared with Little Junior Parker, James Cotton, Matt Murphy, Pat Hare and Willie Johnson.

The first recordings of Howlin 'Wolf are from the year 1951. In the Sun Records studio, the title How Many More Years and Moanin were with the 41 -year-olds ' at Midnight recorded with Ike Turner on piano and Willie Johnson on guitar.

After the singer had gone to Chicago, he became one of the most popular artists on the label Chess Records. At Chess Records Muddy Waters was also under contract and there was a rivalry as to who was the better blues musicians. According to statements made by musicians who had played for both, Howlin 'Wolf was the better band leader because he paid on time and they paid for unemployment insurance and social security. From 1956 he regularly took to pieces. Two of his biggest hits, Wang Dang Doodle and Back Door Man originated 1960. 1961 followed Little Red Rooster and I Is not Superstitious. 1964 traveled Howlin 'Wolf for the first time to Europe for American Folk and Blues Festival.

One of the most famous albums created in 1967 together with the blues artists Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley: The Super Super Blues Band. Three years later, in 1970 created the London Sessions, together with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. The last album The Back Door Wolf was born in 1973.

Last Performance and death

He had his last appearance in November 1975 at the Chicago Amphitheater, along with BB King, Albert King, OV Wright and Luther Allison. On the very intense concert he crawled while the track " Crawling King Snake" on the stage, at the end he received a standing ovation for 5 minutes. Behind the stage, waited for a more -person medical team to take care of him after the show. Two months later he died in a heart surgery on January 10, 1976 in Chicago. Howlin 'Wolf is located next to his wife Lillie buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Hillside, Cook County, Illinois. Each year, in memory of him in West Point, Mississippi annually, The Howlin 'Wolf Memorial Blues Festival.

In the movie Cadillac Records Howlin 'Wolf was played by British actor Eamonn Walker.

Awards

1980 Howlin 'Wolf was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and in 1991 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2004 made ​​him the Rolling Stone magazine # 51 of the hundred most important artists of all time. Wolf's song " Spoonful " in 2010 was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame Blues Foundation. "This is Howlin ' Wolf's New Album And He Does not Like It" was included in the list Wire The Wire 's " 100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening ) ".

Discography

Albums

DVD

• 2003 - American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966 - Volume Two
• 2003 - Howlin 'Wolf Story
• 2007 - Howlin 'Wolf - In Concert 1970