Howlin' Wolf

[beatbo]

so many sessions on you-tube have been recently spent searching for the howlin' wolf. as i now sit in a time where the blues sound slick, over-produced, tame, and yes, white...it only takes a single howlin' wolf performance to bring the blues back home to mississippi for me (via west memphis and chicago).

the wolf-1966

howlin' wolf was born chester burnett on june 10, 1910 in white station, mississippi. not the delta, several counties from it, very close to west point. the trauma borne by chester in his early life pierced a window in his soul, allowing all the rage, passion, pain, and intensity to rumble deep in his chest. the wolf howled his way through jim crow, fish parties and juke joints, he rambled all over the delta, playing with son house, robert johnson, willie brown, both sonny boys (but sharing sisters with sonny boy 2/rice miller) and gripping the most indigenous music in america to his fist, only to let it out onstage on a saturday night, shaking the floorboards in every blues joint with his voice, guitar, harp, and size 16 feet.

i'll be back someday

west memphis-1948. the town is wide open. beale ain't got nothin' on 8th street. wolf gets himself known on the radio KWM, and proceeds to put together the first great electric blues band: the houserockers. willie johnson, matt 'guitar' murphy, junior parker, willie steele, pat hare and james cotton. if muddy was doing it in chicago, the wolf was doing it and more of it at the same time in west memphis. two recordings burst into the daylight from the dark memphis studio soon to be known as 'sun'. sam phillips regretted losing the wolf to chess more than elvis to rca. 'moaning at midnight' and 'how many more years' were to be the first 2 of many classics to form a canon and you could hear wolf on the radio, watch him drive his two-tone desoto with placard on the side down the street, or head over to watch his band tear it up live on 8th street. hubert sumlin did when he was only 12 and fell through the window. wolf let him sit onstage until he was through and then took him home to his mother and said "don't beats him. this boy got the music in him..."

evil

chicago-1953. this town is so ripe with great mississippi-born music that it falls from the trees all over the south side. chess records, silvio's, the zanzibar (there were two zanzibars- one on paulina and one on the westside: ashland and 13th) and the 708 club. wolf's new record deal at chess somehow put's him in muddy water's basement. the two greats had never played together but they certainly knew each others music. portrayed as great rivals (and they were very competitive) neither could stand in the other's way. where muddy might let his great band play for 30-45 minutes before he took the stage, the wolf would play a harp with his mouth and a harp with his nose at the same time. you got your money's worth with both bands but wolf always gave extra...

killing floor

his second great band: called from arkansas-the still young hubert sumlin. jody williams, earl phillips, hosea lee kennard cut heads with the best of them. great records followed: smokestack lightning, evil, little red rooster, spoonful, killing floor, many written for him by willie dixon (and more than a couple stole from him by wille!)

the wolf conquered chicago and played blues and folk clubs all through the 50's and 60's. the impact of the man on rock music is undeniable. the rolling stones insisted that he appear on 'shindig' with them, hendrix, zeppelin, clapton and many more covered his work and wolf enjoyed popularity right up until his last show in 1975 at the chicago amphitheater. with heart problems and failing kidneys, wolf had to get out of his sickbed for this show and gave the audience everything they had heard about. after a majestic performance, paramedics were called to revive him. he died two months later.

i can't leave without pointing out one of the greatest blues guitar players ever. hubert sumlin was like a son to the wolf and was a stalwart player for many sides and many singers. but wolf an him, they are together special, man.

to all of those searching for the real blues, with roots all the way back to the porch in mississippi, learn how to howl.....

smokestack lightning

backdoorman

how many more years

[ally]

Thanks Beatbo The body of work this man has put out is simply amazing. His Rough and Ready style and his musical genius, are sorely missed on today's scene. No need to mention his influence on our music. Absolutely brilliant

[Swede]

Great post beatbo!!! I'd kill to have been able to see the Wolf live. He's as real as it gets. Thanks for posting the links. I've been checking out those live clips on youtube as well, they are brilliant! Here's another clip of How Many More Years with some great comments from Howlin' Wolf on the subject of having the blues!

[BIGDAN]

Thanks Beatbo The body of work this man has put out is simply amazing. His Rough and Ready style and his musical genius, are sorely missed on today's scene. No need to mention his influence on our music. Absolutely brilliant

Hi ally,

You mean beatbo obviously?

Regards, Danny

PS. and i wholeheartedly agree with you.

[jimmie ray]

Just caught Bill Wyman's "Blues Oddeusy" (sp - I gave up trying) on TV, which he was featured in. Very good sampling of Early American bluesman, and their influences on musicians in England.

[BIGDAN]

Just caught Bill Wyman's "Blues Oddeusy" (sp - I gave up trying) on TV, which he was featured in. Very good sampling of Early American bluesman, and their influences on musicians in England.

Hi Jimmy Ray,

Nice 2 meat a fella dislexhick, we all nows wat ur tri-ing 2 say m8.

Regards, Danny

[jimmie ray]

Hi Jimmy Ray,

Nice 2 meat a fella dislexhick, we all nows wat ur tri-ing 2 say m8.

Regards, Danny

URN DICKSLEXIT TEXTR 2?

[BIGDAN]

URN DICKSLEXIT TEXTR 2?

Yoh 1 his, but lets get back on track or topic, anyone seen Seasick Steve on TV? A white Blues man (if thats possible) from California but lived a lot in Tennesse and Mississippi, do you know him beatbo?

I saw him on Jools Holands show in 2006 but he only did one song, at Reading he did a few more. I like many others love both his warmth, honesty, integrity and his music.

This is the guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasick_Steve

Now thats getting back too the root of the music we all love ah?

Regards, Danny

[beatbo]

for those in the neighborhood, the howling wolf blues fest in west point, ms is held the last week of august...

also:

The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society

- Our Mission Statement -

To Preserve, Promote, Educate, and Celebrate

Mississippi's Blues Heritage!

The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society of West Point, Ms. Inc. is a state chartered non-profit corporation and was established in 1995 by Mayor Kenny Dill, Dr. Joe K. Stephens, and Albert Mattix. That same year, Chester Arthur Burnett, “The Howlin’ Wolf”, was inducted into the West Point Hall of Fame.

The objectives of the Blues Society are to promote blues education in North Mississippi and to perpetuate the musical achievements of Chester Arthur Burnett, a native son of Clay County, Ms., and other blues greats such as Bukka White, Big Joe Williams, and West Point's lesser known Bluesman, "Piano Red". To honor “The Wolf”, his home town holds an annual memorial festival. To date, there have been eleven successful festivals and a memorial black granite statue of “The Wolf”, along with a memorial bench and marker honoring Lillie Handley Burnett, "Ms. Wolf", placed in our park. In honor of Wolf, our society and the Burnett family received the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame Award, the Walk of Fame Award on historic Beale Street at the VIP party before the 2002 Handy Awards, and the Peavine Award at Cleveland, MS. given by Steve Lavere and the Mississippi Delta Blues Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Society was honored by receiving the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive Award.

We introduced the achievements of “The Wolf’s” role in American music to the public through newspaper, television, and our Blues in the School Program. Subsequent educational projects have included hundreds of public, private and college students in Blues history along with Blues artists and hands on sessions.

We are currently involved in promoting the establishment in West Point of a Howlin’ Wolf Museum that will house a Blues educational/research center and archive depository.

The Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival is sponsored by The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society, area businesses and many other prominent organizations. The festival has a strong educational element which is tied to Howlin’ Wolf and other great Mississippi Blues artists. Previous festival artists have included: J. B. and the Midnighters (Delta Blues Educational Program), Candy Shines and Johnny Shines T-Town Allstars, Paul “Wine” Jones, Kenny Brown Blues Band, R. L. Burnside, Cedric Burnside, Junior Kimbrough with the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan, Jake and Louise Moore, Mookie Wilson Band, Honeyboy Edwards, The Blue Birds, Clarence “Bluesman” Davis, Mr. Downchild, Little Howlin’ Wolf, Ben Hall, Lightnin’ Boy Malcom, Blah Blah Woof Woof, Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, The Sam Lay Blues Band, Henry Gray and The Cats with Buck Sinegal, Frank Swan, Jody Williams, Hubert Sumlin, Rob Stone and the CNotes, The Breakbone Blues Band, Big Joe Shelton, Willie King and the Liberators, Richard Johnston, Rev. Slicks BBQ, Mark Lemhouse, Bobby Rush, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, Rory Block, Diunna Greenleaf and the Blue Mercy Band, Willie King and the Black Prairie Blues Kings, Blind Mississippi Morris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Colin Linden, Topper Price, Ben Prestage, and Big George Brock.

The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society has attracted world-wide interest. We are active members of The Blues Foundation of Memphis, TN, which is the “father” of all Blues societies. We maintain strong ties with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss University, and the Mississippi ETV has twice filmed specials. The Living Blues Magazine with former editors, Jim O’Neal and David Nelson along with Scott Baretta are strong supporters. The Chester Arthur Burnett family, the late Mrs. Lillie Burnett along with daughters, Barbra and Bettye support our efforts and have been a prominent part of our society from the beginning. Mr. Sam Phillips of Sun Records, who was the first to record “The Wolf”, endorsed our program and has participated in radio and newspaper interviews. He was also our honored guest at the Fifth festival. Sam stated that of all the artists he recorded, that the Wolf was the most powerful. We couldn't agree more! After Wolf's departure from West Point as a teen, he continued to come back every year to hunt and fish, visit friends and relatives, and perform his powerful and haunting blues.

With this said, The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society will continue to work to preserve and educate the people about the great musical heritage that is called “The Blues”.

link

[BIGDAN]

Many thanks beatbo, you do a lot of good research for us on here and its warmly recieved, you'll get your reward in heaven, thats my bet.

By the way, do you know anything about Seasick Steve as he comes from down your way?

Many thanks and Kind Regards, Danny

"Oh i wish i lived in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten, look away, look away, look away, Dixieland" God Bless You Man.

[beatbo]

Many thanks beatbo, you do a lot of good research for us on here and its warmly recieved, you'll get your reward in heaven, thats my bet.

By the way, do you know anything about Seasick Steve as he comes from down your way?

Many thanks and Kind Regards, Danny

"Oh i wish i lived in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten, look away, look away, look away, Dixieland" God Bless You Man.

hey, friend!

seasick plays a diddley bow, doesn't he? he's not from around this way, although he may have passed through. been around awhile, i think. doesn't he do doghouse blues?

damn...i've got to go look him up now.

but, knowing your musical tastes, it should be a treat.

[BIGDAN]

hey, friend!

seasick plays a diddley bow, doesn't he? he's not from around this way, although he may have passed through. been around awhile, i think. doesn't he do doghouse blues?

damn...i've got to go look him up now.

but, knowing your musical tastes, it should be a treat.

Hi beat,

You got him, comes from California but has spent a long time on the road (and tracks, he's a hobo by the way) around Tennessee and Mississippi. Lives in Norway now, or he did do.

He was doing "Doghouse Blues" when i first saw him, i was blown away, such energy from a man in his late sixties. (Born cica, 1941 makes him 68 now)

I've got him on my digital set top box which i'll convert to VHS one day, 30min interview and 30min of him at Reading Festival, its in the collection now, Blues man, blows me away every time.

Kind Regards, Danny

[beatbo]

Hi beat,

You got him, comes from California but has spent a long time on the road (and tracks, he's a hobo by the way) around Tennessee and Mississippi. Lives in Norway now, or he did do.

He was doing "Doghouse Blues" when i first saw him, i was blown away, such energy from a man in his late sixties. (Born cica, 1941 makes him 68 now)

I've got him on my digital set top box which i'll convert to VHS one day, 30min interview and 30min of him at Reading Festival, its in the collection now, Blues man, blows me away every time.

Kind Regards, Danny

yeah, i know this cat. he plays a diddley bow (a homemade one string instrument) and kills! i just you-tubed him, excellent call. he was playing a three string as well. the jools holland clip i recommend....

[BIGDAN]

yeah, i know this cat. he plays a diddley bow (a homemade one string instrument) and kills! i just you-tubed him, excellent call. he was playing a three string as well. the jools holland clip i recommend....

You got it "beatbo", good swap dont you think? We send over Jimmy and the Boys and you send us back Seasick Steve, i really like him, he is such a truely humble guy with a big heart, i hope he makes it big time, whatever he wants he deserves in my book.

Kind Regards, Danny

[BUCK'EYE' DOC]

Just caught Bill Wyman's "Blues Oddeusy" (sp - I gave up trying) on TV, which he was featured in. Very good sampling of Early American bluesman, and their influences on musicians in England.

I watched this show also, it was on Ovation TV.

It was great to see the old blues masters.

The show did a good job in highlighting the roots of blues-based rock and roll.

And much thanks to Beatbo for this posting.

Howlin' Wolf was a great muscian.

[beatbo]

from hubertsumlinblues.com:

HUBERT SUMLIN BIOGRAPHY by Bob Margolin

When Hubert Sumlin plays guitar he takes you to his World of Blues Feeling -- from despair to ecstasy, from delicate grace to raw power, from lost to found. Though he’s influenced and inspired many of the most famous guitar players, Hubert owns the magic. His style is original and personal and instantly recognizable. What kind of man can make or break your heart with his guitar?

Hubert’s website is where you’d expect to find the historical and professional facts of his life, but that kind of writing could easily miss Hubert’s gift to us and how he stirs our deepest emotions both musically and personally. I’m writing this from the perspective of a friend, a musician who sometimes performs with Hubert, and a Blues guitar player who appreciates him. This is neither an objective, journalistic biography nor promotional hype, but it will tell you who Hubert is.

I met Hubert in the mid-‘70s when I was playing guitar in Muddy Waters’ band and Hubert was with Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, Howlin’ Wolf’s band carrying on right after Wolf had passed. I knew and loved Hubert’s guitar playing and so did Muddy -- an ultimate endorsement. I was thrilled to meet Hubert, but completely surprised and moved that he immediately treated me like an old, special friend. When you hear Hubert say, “I know THAT’S right, partner!” and see that big smile, you’ll be charmed, and dedicated to him for life. Hubert’s sweet Soul is the special secret ingredient in everything he does, including in his guitar playing. He’s already spent a long lifetime making us feel good, and Hubert assures us he “ain’t through yet!”

Hubert Sumlin was born on November 16, 1931 in Greenwood, Mississippi and raised in Hughes, Arkansas. He was taken by the great Blues players he heard -- Charlie Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, and Son House. Hubert was born to take his place with these masters. His brother A.D. had nailed baling wire to a wall and plucked music out of it. Hubert told his mother that he wanted a guitar and she spent her entire $5 weekly paycheck to buy him his first. Good investment!

When Hubert was about 10, he sneaked out to the local juke joint and stood on a pile of Coca Cola crates to see Howlin’ Wolf. Drawn in by the music, he fell through the window and landed right on the stage. The club owner tried to throw out the underage boy, but Wolf insisted that Hubert stay and sit on the stage while he played. He later took Hubert home to his Mama and asked that he not be punished.

A few years later, Hubert and James Cotton started a band together. Howlin’ Wolf heard about them in West Memphis and soon brought Hubert to Chicago. Along with Wolf’s other great guitar players in the ‘50s, Willie Johnson and Jody Williams, Hubert contributed to some of the deepest, darkest, most primitive and powerful Blues the world has ever known. Hubert was developing his own guitar style, but still had a way to go. Hubert tells of how Wolf once told him to step down from the bandstand, complaining that Hubert was playing over his voice. Wolf suggested that Hubert lose the guitar picks, letting Hubert play softer but with more expression and tone. Embarrassed and hurt, Hubert went home to woodshed. He was talented enough to turn the setback into an opportunity for greatness and strong enough to return. Hubert developed a guitar style based on the human touch of flesh on steel, perfectly framing and answering Wolf’s roars and moans, and soloing with pain and humor, trouble and transcendence.

It is on Howlin’ Wolf’s early- to mid-‘60s recordings for Chess Records that Hubert Sumlin’s guitar playing crossed the line between impressive and legendary. Listen to, “Built For Comfort,” “Shake For Me,” “300 Pounds of Joy,” “Louise,” “Goin’ Down Slow,” “Killing Floor,” and “Wang Dang Doodle.” How did this grinning genius come up with these original, emotional, Hell-to-Heaven guitar parts? Fortunately, we don’t need to know to enjoy them.

Howlin’ Wolf passed in 1976, but Hubert’s signature guitar tone and style lives on. Wolf’s band continued on under the leadership of his great sax/harp player, Eddie Shaw. The Wolf Gang featured Hubert with Detroit Junior on Piano, Shorty Gilbert on bass, and Chico Chism on drums. Eddie and Shorty are still out there in today’s edition of Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, carrying on their deep Chicago Blues. Hubert left the band for a solo career in 1980, replaced by Eddie’s son Vaan, a very original and progressive Blues guitar player in his own right.

Hubert was helped and inspired to claim his legacy as a bandleader by his very close friend, Clifford Antone, the Austin club owner who built the ‘70s Austin scene that brought us Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. As with many Blues legends of his generation, Hubert has been recorded often, both as a leader and as a sideman. Still, Hubert’s albums and his gigs frankly brought him more love and respect than fame and fortune. I remember playing with Hubert in ’85 at New York City’s Lone Star Cafe and being awed that another of my musical heroes, Rockabilly star Carl Perkins, had stopped in to hear Hubert. Where do Blues and Rock legends go to get inspired? To Hubert Sumlin, who lacks their fame but has their love and admiration. That continues today – The Rolling Stones invited Hubert to sit in with them at one of their Madison Square Garden shows in January ’03.

In April 2000, a new Hubert Sumlin album was recorded that should bring Hubert’s recognition in line with his accomplishments. Due to Music Business Bullshit, this album has yet to be released, but it’s fair to say that this is the most anticipated unreleased Blues album today. The album was conceived and produced by Rolling Stones guitar player Keith Richards, wanting to play Blues with Hubert. The album has an interesting and legitimate concept: applying Hubert’s guitar playing to Muddy Waters’ songs. It features Levon Helm on drums, David Maxwell on piano, Paul Oscher on harp, Mudcat Ward on bass, and I’m proud to contribute some guitar. Keith Richards recorded “Two Trains Runnin’” with just him and Hubert. Eric Clapton plays and sings on “I’m Ready” and “Long Distance Call.” The final vocal guests have not been decided yet, but they will have to do justice to the Blues that has already been recorded for this album, as well as Muddy’s incomparable original vocals. Please watch this website for the latest news of progress in completing and releasing Hubert’s album.

More than 50 years after his musical career began, Hubert Sumlin enjoys being one of today’s Blues stars. He gigs as a bandleader all over the world. He’s often asked to be part of all-star Tributes to Howlin’ Wolf, and Hubert’s playing gives these a direct connection to Wolf, complementing the sincere homage of David Johanssen and Jimmy Vivino. It’s my pleasure to feature Hubert in the Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Revue shows that I put together, and on the Telarc Records album of the same name that will be released in June ’03. Hubert delivers his trademark guitar style on an acoustic guitar, recorded at my house.

Still gigging often while most legends of his age are gone or retired, Hubert has faced and met the biggest challenge of his life. In the Fall of ’02, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had one lung removed, and has been tested to be cancer-free. He not only has already recovered his youthful strength, but has quit smoking and drinking. Given the chance to continue to make his music, and thrilled to survive, Hubert is living and performing with fresh fire. “I ain’t through yet!” he assures us, and proves it with every twisted Blue note he burns on his guitar.

Does Hubert Sumlin have a secret? What makes him one of the all-time great Blues guitar players as well as such a good guy? I don’t know, but I think they’re somehow related. I do know, however, that I’m blessed to enjoy his music and his friendship.

Bob Margolin, February ‘03

[ninelives]

Yoh 1 his, but lets get back on track or topic, anyone seen Seasick Steve on TV? A white Blues man (if thats possible) from California but lived a lot in Tennesse and Mississippi, do you know him beatbo?

I saw him on Jools Holands show in 2006 but he only did one song, at Reading he did a few more. I like many others love both his warmth, honesty, integrity and his music.

This is the guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasick_Steve

Now thats getting back too the root of the music we all love ah?

Regards, Danny

Seasick Steve is great!

[Jahfin]

Cool to see Bob Margolin's name, he's a blues picker from here in the Cackalack.

[ally]

Hi ally,

You mean beatbo obviously?

Regards, Danny

PS. and i wholeheartedly agree with you.

Yes, beatbo is amazing Or so I've been told

[beatbo]

Yes, beatbo is amazing Or so I've been told

it's a dirty lie......

[ZeppFanForever]

so many sessions on you-tube have been recently spent searching for the howlin' wolf. as i now sit in a time where the blues sound slick, over-produced, tame, and yes, white...it only takes a single howlin' wolf performance to bring the blues back home to mississippi for me (via west memphis and chicago).

the wolf-1966

howlin' wolf was born chester burnett on june 10, 1910 in white station, mississippi. not the delta, several counties from it, very close to west point. the trauma borne by chester in his early life pierced a window in his soul, allowing all the rage, passion, pain, and intensity to rumble deep in his chest. the wolf howled his way through jim crow, fish parties and juke joints, he rambled all over the delta, playing with son house, robert johnson, willie brown, both sonny boys (but sharing sisters with sonny boy 2/rice miller) and gripping the most indigenous music in america to his fist, only to let it out onstage on a saturday night, shaking the floorboards in every blues joint with his voice, guitar, harp, and size 16 feet.

i'll be back someday

west memphis-1948. the town is wide open. beale ain't got nothin' on 8th street. wolf gets himself known on the radio KWM, and proceeds to put together the first great electric blues band: the houserockers. willie johnson, matt 'guitar' murphy, junior parker, willie steele, pat hare and james cotton. if muddy was doing it in chicago, the wolf was doing it and more of it at the same time in west memphis. two recordings burst into the daylight from the dark memphis studio soon to be known as 'sun'. sam phillips regretted losing the wolf to chess more than elvis to rca. 'moaning at midnight' and 'how many more years' were to be the first 2 of many classics to form a canon and you could hear wolf on the radio, watch him drive his two-tone desoto with placard on the side down the street, or head over to watch his band tear it up live on 8th street. hubert sumlin did when he was only 12 and fell through the window. wolf let him sit onstage until he was through and then took him home to his mother and said "don't beats him. this boy got the music in him..."

evil

chicago-1953. this town is so ripe with great mississippi-born music that it falls from the trees all over the south side. chess records, silvio's, the zanzibar (there were two zanzibars- one on paulina and one on the westside: ashland and 13th) and the 708 club. wolf's new record deal at chess somehow put's him in muddy water's basement. the two greats had never played together but they certainly knew each others music. portrayed as great rivals (and they were very competitive) neither could stand in the other's way. where muddy might let his great band play for 30-45 minutes before he took the stage, the wolf would play a harp with his mouth and a harp with his nose at the same time. you got your money's worth with both bands but wolf always gave extra...

killing floor

his second great band: called from arkansas-the still young hubert sumlin. jody williams, earl phillips, hosea lee kennard cut heads with the best of them. great records followed: smokestack lightning, evil, little red rooster, spoonful, killing floor, many written for him by willie dixon (and more than a couple stole from him by wille!)

the wolf conquered chicago and played blues and folk clubs all through the 50's and 60's. the impact of the man on rock music is undeniable. the rolling stones insisted that he appear on 'shindig' with them, hendrix, zeppelin, clapton and many more covered his work and wolf enjoyed popularity right up until his last show in 1975 at the chicago amphitheater. with heart problems and failing kidneys, wolf had to get out of his sickbed for this show and gave the audience everything they had heard about. after a majestic performance, paramedics were called to revive him. he died two months later.

i can't leave without pointing out one of the greatest blues guitar players ever. hubert sumlin was like a son to the wolf and was a stalwart player for many sides and many singers. but wolf an him, they are together special, man.

to all of those searching for the real blues, with roots all the way back to the porch in mississippi, learn how to howl.....

smokestack lightning

backdoorman

how many more years

How's it going "beatbo" as well as our fellow die hard hard core ZEPPELIN fanatics? Long time no hear "beatbo!" This is a great thread! Howlin' Wolf is one of the all-time greats. Besides Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon and B.B. King to name a few, Howlin' Wolf was a very big influence on THE ROLLING STONES as well as the mighty LED ZEPPELIN. I am really into the Blues, I can talk about the Blues forever. ROCK ON!

[danelectro]

Cool to see Bob Margolin's name.

It is, I kinda sorta know him and he's a cool guy. My buddies have a blues band here and they back up all the big blues acts when they come through town. I've chatted with Bob and Big Bill Morganfield on several occassions, they've both been kind enough to endure my questions about Muddy.

I like Wolf but IMO the best thing about Wolf is Hubert. Though one of my fave blues albums ever is Wolf's London Sessions, Eric Clapton kills it on that album. Funny how people don't consider that amongst his best playing because it is.

[beatbo]

How's it going "beatbo" as well as our fellow die hard hard core ZEPPELIN fanatics? Long time no hear "beatbo!" This is a great thread! Howlin' Wolf is one of the all-time greats. Besides Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon and B.B. King to name a few, Howlin' Wolf was a very big influence on THE ROLLING STONES as well as the mighty LED ZEPPELIN. I am really into the Blues, I can talk about the Blues forever. ROCK ON!

how ya doin', ZFF? nice to see a post from you, friend. i'm with you on the influence of wolf on the stones. brian jones (who first performed slide guitar with the alexis korner band 'blues incorporated' as "elmo lewis") first saw sonny boy williamson2 onstage in england with chris barbers' band. the effect was devastating. howlin' wolf, elmore james, and bo diddley (with whom the stones toured) became personal shrines for brian and therefore the stones.

of course, the stones second number one was little red rooster, and what a ballsy release! in a time of beatles saturation and northern pop and rock songs, the stones keep the faith and release a slow blues and turn on a whole nation!

here's wolf's version:

rock on!

[beatbo]

It is, I kinda sorta know him and he's a cool guy. My buddies have a blues band here and they back up all the big blues acts when they come through town. I've chatted with Bob and Big Bill Morganfield on several occassions, they've both been kind enough to endure my questions about Muddy.

I like Wolf but IMO the best thing about Wolf is Hubert. Though one of my fave blues albums ever is Wolf's London Sessions, Eric Clapton kills it on that album. Funny how people don't consider that amongst his best playing because it is.

an excellent review of 'london sessions' on amazon.com: link

4.0 out of 5 stars June 18, 2004

By Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae)

(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

...Before the "superstar session" had become a total cliche, producer Norman Dayron asked Eric Clapton if he would like to do an album with Chicago blues icon Howlin' Wolf.

Clapton jumped at the idea, Wolf was flown over from Chicago with his lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin, young harmonica ace Jeffrey Carp was called in, and bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts from the Rolling Stones made up the rhythm section.

And after the first day, Eric Clapton almost walked out, seriously intimidated by a sceptical Howlin' Wolf who had little faith in the abilities of the young Englishmen.

But then Clapton made a gesture which seemingly made Wolf thaw a little: Feeling (or maybe just pretending) that he and the band couldn't get the right sound on "The Red Rooster", he convinced Wolf to play the main riff for them. The tape was running, and you can hear the resulting "practice session" on disc one...Howlin' Wolf reluctantly agrees to play the guitar, and, refusing the one which is offered to him, he picks up his own instrument, puts on a glass bottleneck, and plays the instantly recognizable, muscular slide guitar riff which he first recorded in 1961.

That song is one of the highlights of this album, and one of the few of these sixteen re-recordings which matches the original.

Well, it gets really close, anyway.

Wolf was a sick man in 1970, suffering from heart problems and kidney disorder, and the often presented claim that these recordings lack the gritty power of his original Chess sides certainly has some truth to it. But that doesn't mean that "The London Sessions" is a waste of time...Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts form a very convincing bluesy rhythm section, 19-year-old Jeffrey Carp was a tremendous harmonica player, and Eric Clapton refrains from any kind of psychedelic blues-rock excesses like the ones which irreparably destroyed Muddy Waters' completely superflous "Electric Mud" album (and Wolf's own "This Is Howlin' Wolf's New Album", which he himself detested with a vengeance).

Disc I consists of the original London Sessions album plus three cuts from the same session which were left off the 1971 LP, and later released on 1974's weird throwoff "London Revisited".

Among those three are a pretty good "Going Down Slow" (Wolf does all the vocals, unlike the Chess version which had Willie Dixon speaking the first verse), and a rendition of "Killing Floor" which doesn't quite match the awesome original from 1964. It's still pretty good, though.

Disc I's "Who's Been Talking" is marred by a hideous organ solo, but the arrangements are generally very good, sticking close to the originals, and Steve Winwood stays away from the organ on the rest of the album, playing some good piano parts instead. He shares piano duties with Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart, and Chicago great Lafayette Leake shows up as well, rolling the ivories on "The Red Rooster", "Worried About My Baby", and "Sittin' On Top Of The World".

Also on disc I, Ringo Starr (billed as "Richie") plays drums on a good "I Ain't Superstitious" with a beefy horn arrangement, and the band lay down a really tough, powerful version of "Highway 49", and a slow, grittier-than-usual "Wang Dang Doodle".

Disc II opens with a lean, bare-bones rehearsal take of "Worried About My Baby", followed by a great, swaggering "The Red Rooster" which is at least as good as the one originally chosen.

"What A Woman" (better known as "Commit A Crime") is here in a really good, tough alternate version, and a completely superflous one with an artificial-sounding organ part overdubbed. "I Ain't Superstitious" is included in a horn-less rendition (as well as an alternate mix), and there is a great alternate take of "Highway 49" as well, a muscular alternate take of "Worried About You" (apart from the rehearsal), and a very good, significantly different version of "Poor Boy".

But the highlight on disc II has to be the tough, syncopated "Who's Been Talking" in an organ-free rendition which opens with two minutes of dialogue...Wolf is directing drummer Charlie Watts, and once Watts and bassist Wyman get on the beat, the result is magnificent. Too bad that it ends rather abruptly.

Howlin' Wolf's hoarse voice doesn't quite have the power it did just a few years earlier, but he still sings with conviction and lots of authority, and while this deluxe edition is probably too much for the casual fan, it does have lot of stuff which should interest serious Wolf fans. And the band actually do play the blues...a lot of rock drummers just can't do that, but Charlie Watts in totally convincing, as is the young harpist Carp and of course Wolf's own right hand man, the great Hubert Sumlin.

This is not the place to start your Wolf collection (always start with the classic Chess stuff!), but certainly not one to shy away from, either. Not everybody need to own this two-disc edition, but the London Sessions are definitely worth a listen. This 2003 reissue comes with an interesting essay by Bill Dahl, and the fidelity is excellent, notably better than on the original CD reissue.

"The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions" lack the incredible raw power of Wolf's early sides, but it's an interesting document for Wolf fans anyway.

danelectro, i don't agree with you about the wolf not being the best thing of his own records or band, but i do agree that hubert sumlin is one of THE GREATS.

[BIGDAN]

how ya doin', ZFF? nice to see a post from you, friend. i'm with you on the influence of wolf on the stones. brian jones (who first performed slide guitar with the alexis korner band 'blues incorporated' as "elmo lewis") first saw sonny boy williamson2 onstage in england with chris barbers' band. the effect was devastating. howlin' wolf, elmore james, and bo diddley (with whom the stones toured) became personal shrines for brian and therefore the stones.

of course, the stones second number one was little red rooster, and what a ballsy release! in a time of beatles saturation and northern pop and rock songs, the stones keep the faith and release a slow blues and turn on a whole nation!

here's wolf's version:

rock on!

Hi beatbo

Your doing overtime for us again, i hope people remember that.

Thanks for the links, took me back to when the world was sane, well a lot more than it is now.

Keep on rockin mate, Kind regards, Danny