Howlin' Wolf
Blues, Musical Artist
1910 – 1976
Who was Howlin' Wolf?
Chester Arthur Burnett, 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 an imposing presence, with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. This rough-edged, slightly fearsome musical style is often contrasted with the less crude but still powerful presentation of his contemporary and professional rival, Muddy Waters.
Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter Jacobs, and Muddy Waters are usually regarded in retrospect as the greatest blues artists who recorded for Chess in Chicago. Sam Phillips once remarked, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'" In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 51st on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
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- Born
- Jun 10, 1910
White Station, Mississippi - Also known as
- Chester Arthur Burnett
- Chester Burnett
- Howling Wolf
- The Howlin' Wolf
- Howlin¹ Wolf
- Howlin Wolf
- Big Foot Chester
- Bull Cow
- Howlin'Wolf
- Parents
- Spouses
- Lillie Handley
(1964 - 1976/01/10)
- Lillie Handley
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Lived in
- Memphis
- Died
- Jan 10, 1976
Hines, Illinois
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Howlin' Wolf." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/howlin_wolf>.
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