Howlin' Wolf

"Chester Burnett" redirects here. For the football player, see Chester Burnett (American football). For the visual artist, see Howling Wolf (Cheyenne). For the disc jockey, see Wolfman Jack.

Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf photographed at the 1970 Ann Arbor Blues Festival
Howlin' Wolf in 1970
Born
Chester Arthur Burnett

(1910-06-10)June 10, 1910
White Station, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 1976(1976-01-10) (aged 65)
Hines, Illinois
Resting placeOakridge Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois
Other namesBig Foot Chester, Bull Cow, John D.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
  • bandleader
Years active1930s–1976
Spouse
Lillie Handley
​
(m. 1964)​
Children2
RelativesSkeme (great-nephew)
AwardsRock & Roll Hall of Fame (1991)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • harmonica
Labels
Websitehowlinwolf.com

Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chicago blues, and over a four-decade career, recorded blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and psychedelic rock. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time.

Born into poverty in Mississippi, Burnett became a protégé of Delta blues musician Charley Patton in the 1930s. In the Deep South, he began a solo career by performing with other notable blues musicians of the day. By the end of the decade, he had established himself in the Mississippi Delta. Following a number of legal issues, a stint in prison, and Army service, he was recruited by A&R man Ike Turner to record for producer Sam Phillips in Memphis. His first record "Moanin' at Midnight" (1951) led to a record deal with Chess Records in Chicago. Between 1951 and 1969, six of his songs reached the Billboard R&B charts. His studio albums include Howlin' Wolf a..k.a The Rocking Chair Album, a collection of singles from 1857 to 1961, The Howlin' Wolf Album (1969), Message to the Young (1971), The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (1971), and The Back Door Wolf (1973). His reputation grew throughout the blues revival of the 1960s, and he continued to perform until November 1975, when he performed for the last time alongside fellow blues musician B.B. King. He died on January 10, 1976, after years of deteriorating health. In 1980, Howlin' Wolf was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and in 1991, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

With a booming voice and an imposing physical presence, he is one of the best-known Chicago blues artists. AllMusic has described him as "a primal, ferocious blues belter with a roster of classics rivaling anyone else, and a sandpaper growl of a voice that has been widely imitated".[1] Several of his songs have become blues and blues rock standards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed Little Red Rooster, Smokestack Lightning and Spoonful in its "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and Smokestack Lightnin'" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999,[2] In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 54 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[3]

  1. ^ Koda, Cub. "Howlin' Wolf". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Whitaker, Dave (April 14, 2018). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Dave's Music Database. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Rolling Stone. No. 946. 2004. Retrieved July 26, 2016.