We are starting a monthly Blues Artist of the Month feature.
As our first Blues Artist of the Month we are featuring Howlin’ Wolf (1910-1975), who was born 10 June 1910 near West Point, Clay County, Mississippi.
The Mississippi Blues Trail marker for Howlin’ Wolf is in West Point, Clay County, Mississippi.
During the late 1920’s Howlin Wolf lived and worked on the Dockery Farm, the the Dockery Plantation, in Sunflower County, Mississippi.
Howlin’ Wolf made his first recordings for Sam Phillips at Memphis Recording Service (later Sun Recording Studio) in Memphis in 1951. Sam Phillips considered Howlin’ Wolf the most important artist he recorded.
Howlin’ Wolf was/is an extremely influential artist. Artists like the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton have cited him as a major influence on their work.
Here’s a video of Mick Jagger and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones introducing Howlin’ Wolf on the TV show Shindig! in 1965:
Here’s a video of Howlin’ Wolf performing Smokestack Lightnin’ in the U.K. in 1964. That’s Willie Dixon on bass behind him.
Howlin’ Wolf performing Elmore James’ Dust My Broom in 1966 (the video mistakenly says it’s Rollin’ & Tumblin’)
Howlin’ Wolf performing Highway 49 in 1970:
Here’s a documentary on Howlin’ Wolf called the Howlin Wolf Story:
Here some of our Recommended Recordings and a Recommended Book about Howlin’ Wolf:
The The Complete RPM & Chess Singles As & Bs 1951-62, on Acrobat Records has all of Howlin’ Wolf’s important recordings.
Moanin’ At Midnight by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman is the best biography of Howlin’ Wolf we have read so far:
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