Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was born in West Point, Mississippi, in an area now known as White Station. With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits". A number of songs written or popularized by Burnett—such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful"—have become blues and blues rock standards. He was a large man and had an imposing presence, with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. (Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links to Peel ==
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Howlin' Wolf was one of those "wild men of the blues" who were lifetime favourites of John Peel. Although his records did not make the US pop charts when Peel was living and working in the States, he was rediscovered by American listeners thanks to the Rolling Stones, one of the many 1960s British groups who had been inspired by him. When Peel returned to Britain, he had to borrow a Wolf LP to play on the Perfumed Garden, as the singer's records were not available on the Radio London ship. The album was supplied by Peter Shertser, leader of "psychedelic pranksters" and blues fans The Firm, who Peel had met at the UFO club during his shore leave. Shertser was later to run the blues reissue label Red Lightnin' Records.
In addition to his own recordings, Howlin' Wolf was influential on other Peel favourites, notably Captain Beefheart, whose vocals and harmonica style bears a strong resemblance to Howlin' Wolf's, particularly on the LP "Safe As Milk" which was such an important part of Peel's 1967-68 playlists. Wolf's songs were also recorded by The Doors ("Back Door Man" on their first LP) and the most memorable track by Mike Bloomfield's short-lived band The Electric Flag was their version of Wolf's "Killing Floor".
In the late 1960s, Chess Records attempted to cash in on Howlin' Wolf's popularity with rock musicians by having him record a "psychedelic blues" album. Wolf himself hated this release, but Peel played a few tracks from it. The singer's collaborations with white blues-rock musicians in the early 1970s were warmly received, but in his later playlists Peel favoured the classic tracks for which Wolf is best remembered.
On 21 April 2004, Peel recalled seeing the artist play in London mostly likely in the late Sixties or very early Seventies:
"It was a fantastically disappointing night. I went along with Peter Green who used to be in Fleetwood Mac and was an amazing guitar player and a really nice bloke. We went along to see him play at this kind of trendy club just around the corner from the BBC called the Speakeasy. He'd obviously been playing I think for too long for kind of, white college audiences and things, and he did a kind of Amos 'n' Andy routine which... made you feel really uncomfortable. He was really kind of mugging it up for the white folks. Peter Green actually I seem to remember was in tears by the end of it and I wasn't far off. It was really very depressing indeed."
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*None
== Sessions ==
*None
== Other Shows Played ==
(The list below was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive. Please add more information if known.)
;1967
*12 July 1967: Meet Me In The Bottom (LP - Howlin' Wolf) Chess LP-1469 (US release)
*16 July 1967: Little Red Rooster (LP - Howlin' Wolf) Chess LP-1469 (The Rolling Stones made it a hit, "which was good"...)
*19 July 1967: Shake for Me (with jumps; Peel apologises to Peter Shertser of the Firm, who lent him the record)
*14 August 1967: Dust My Broom
;1969
*21 May 1969: Down In The Bottom (album - Howlin' Wolf) Chess LP 1469
*15 June 1969: Down In The Bottom (album - Howlin' Wolf) Chess LP 1469
;1971
*28 August 1971: Rockin' Daddy
;1972
*31 March 1972: Howlin' Wolf (LP - unknown) (Song title not found. Possibly "Howlin' Wolf Boogie".)
*01 August 1972: Wang Dang Doodle (2xLP - Chester Burnett A.K.A. Howlin' Wolf) Chess
;1976
*The following tracks were played as a tribute
*28 January 1976: Down In The Bottom
* 28 January 1976: Moanin' For My Baby
* 28 January 1976: Back Door Man
* 28 January 1976: My Baby Stole Off (v/a album - Blues For Mr Crump) Polydor 2383 257
* 28 January 1976: Who's Been Talkin'
* 28 January 1976: Goin' Down Slow
;1979
*14 May 1979: Back Door Man
*16 May 1979: Going Down Slow
*24 May 1979: Shake For Me
*28 May 1979: Red Rooster
*05 June 1979: Shake For Me
*20 June 1979: You'll Be Mine
;1980
*21 January 1980: Going Down Slow / Down In The Bottom / Back Door Man (LP-Howlin' Wolf) Chess (Peel gets carried away and plays three successive tracks from the same old LP.)
*26 January 1980 (BFBS): You'll Be Mine
;1981
*09 June 1981 (John Walters): Howling For My Baby
*27 July 1981: Down At The Bottom () Chess
*12 August 1981: You'll Be Mine (LP – Chess Masters) Chess
;1982
*07 August 1982: Wang Dang Doodle (Peel's Pleasures)
*11 October 1982: Tail Dragger
;1984
*11 June 1984: Goin' Down Slow
*12 June 1984: own In The Bottom
*20 June 1984 (BFBS): Down In The Bottom
*29 October 1984: Down In The Bottom (unknown LP/single “with reconstituted stereo”)
;1985
*09 January 1985: Shake For Me (LP - Howlin' Wolf) Chess
*21 April 1985 (BFBS): Killing Floor (album - The Real Folk Blues)
;1986
*15 January 1986: Come Back Home (v/a 9xLP - Sun Records - The Blues Years 1950-1956) Sun
*07 May 1986 (BFBS): Down In The Bottom
;1987
*14 January 1987: Forty-Four (LP - Moanin' In The Moonlight) Chess
;1988
*12 April 1988: Down In The Bottom (v/a LP - Chess: The Rhythm And The Blues) Chess
*23 April 1988 (BFBS): Down In The Bottom (v/a LP - Chess: The Rhythm And The Blues) Chess
;1990
*14 May 1990: Driving This Highway
*10 July 1990: You'll Be Mine (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*17 July 1990: Down In The Bottom (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*24 July 1990: Little Red Rooster (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*27 July 1990 (BFBS): Down In The Bottom (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*31 July 1990: Going Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*02 August 1990: You'll Be Mine (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*25 August 1990 (BFBS) (Peel 156 (BFBS)): Killing Floor (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*29 September 1990: Goin' Down Slow
;1991
*16 March 1991: Going Down Slow
*15 June 1991: Shake It For Me (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*16 June 1991: Going Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*22 June 1991: You'll Be Mine (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*30 June 1991: Goin' Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*13 July 1991: Goin' Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*21 September 1991: You'll Be Mine (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*02 November 1991: Down In The Bottom (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3 (JP: 'Most peculiar sound on that, it sounded like Howling Wolf had phoned the vocals in in some way. ... That's the miracle of CDs for you...Never sounded anything like that on vinyl.')
*29 December 1991: Going Down Slow
;1992
*25 April 1992: Little Red Rooster
*03 October 1992: Little Red Rooster
*11 October 1992 (BFBS): Going Down Slow
;1994
*29 January 1994: Goin' Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*14 May 1994: Down In The Bottom
*21 May 1994: Goin' Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess CD RED 3
*28 May 1994 (BFBS): Down In The Bottom
;1995
*21 April 1995: I Have A Little Girl (Various Artists CD - House Rockin' Blues) Ace
*16 June 1995: Goin' Down Slow (CD: Moanin' And Howlin') Chess
*24 June 1995 (BFBS): Going Down Slow (LP-Howlin' Wolf) Chess
;1996
*04 April 1996: Somebody In My Home (CD - Who Will Be Next?) Charley Blues Masters
;1997
*26 January 1997: Down In The Bottom
*08 February 1997 (BBC World Service): Down In The Bottom
*26 August 1997: You'll Be Mine
*13 November 1997: You’ll Be Mine (CD - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess
;1999
*19 May 1999: Goin' Down Slow (white label)
*24 June 1999: Goin' Down Slow
*08 September 1999: Goin' Down Slow (John Peel ('Fat Boy') and Steve Lamacq ('Slim') Mix)
*12 September 1999 (BFBS): 'Back Door Man (LP-Howlin' Wolf)' (Chess)
;2001
*21 November 2001: Going Down Slow (unknown album/single)
;2002
*18 July 2002 (Radio Eins): Goin' Down Slow (album - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess
*04 December 2002: Commit A Crime (LP-Poor Boy) Stars
*10 December 2002: Down In The Bottom (LP - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess
*19 December 2002 (Radio Eins): Down In The Bottom (album - Moanin' & Howlin) Chess
;2003
*03 January 2003 (BBC World Service): Down In The Bottom (LP - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess
*04 February 2003: Back Door Man (LP: Moanin' And Howlin') Chess International
;2004
*21 April 2004: No Place to Go (LP - Howlin' in the Moonlight) Chess
*22 April 2004: Evil (LP- Moanin' In The Moonlight) Chess
*20 May 2004: Down In The Bottom (LP: Howlin' Wolf) Chess (Peel plays the wrong Howlin' Wolf track for Peel Acres guest PJ Harvey: 'Back Door Man' was the one requested).
*25 August 2004: Back Door Man (LP - 'Moanin' and Howlin') Chess
== Covered ==
(Information from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Song | First known Peel play
*Bakerloo Line: Smokestack Lightnin' (session) 20 October 1968
*Jeff Beck Group: I Ain’t Superstitious (session) 05 November 1967
*Black-Eyed Snakes: Smokestack Lightning 13 November 2001
*Aretha Franklin: Going Down Slow 13 November 2003
*Jack O’Fire: Moanin' At Midnight 30 October 1993
*Jesus & Mary Chain: Little Red Rooster 26 September 1992
*Love Sculpture: Wang Dang Doodle (session) 06 October 1968
*Mr Airplane Man: Commit A Crime 04 December 2002
*Mr Airplane Man: No Place To Go (session) 21 April 2004
*Yardbirds: Smokestack Lightning Radio Luxembourg Tracklistings 4
== See Also ==
*Rebellious Jukebox
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
Category:Artists
Category:Covered