Howlin' Wolf (1910-1976)

US blues singer, songwriter, harmonica player, and guitarist. His music was characterized by a harsh, compelling vocal style. His most influential recordings, made in Chicago, feature the electric guitarist Hubert Sumlin (1931- ) and include ‘Smokestack Lightnin’ 1956, ‘Little Red Rooster’ 1961, and ‘Killin' Floor’ 1965.

Born in rural Mississippi, Wolf moved to Memphis, Tennessee, 1948. He formed a small band and made his first recordings for the Sun label there, before signing with the Chicago-based Chess label. Howlin' Wolf got his nickname from a habitual falsetto vocal call. He had a large, charismatic presence and his music is rough-edged and uncompromising. Most of his material was written by himself (‘Sitting On Top of the World’ 1957, ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ 1960) or Willie Dixon (1915-1992) (‘Spoonful’), or both (‘Back Door Man’).