1. Shaped Like Jelly on a Tree
2. Upon the Killing Floor
3. Howlin' Pig
4. Queen Bee
5. Getting Late, Goin' Back to the Water
6. Rollin' n Tumblin' (for a Clear Spot)
Powerful in presence and voice, Howlin' Wolf (aka Chester Arthur Burnett ) is the undisputed King of the Chicago Blues scene.
Armed with a harmonica and acoustic guitar, Howlin' Wolf's primary instrument was his voice. Moans and high-pitched falsetto wails defined his vocal style, bringing an emotional urgency to his recordings.
With a booming voice and looming physical presence, (6 feet, 6 inches and close to 300 pounds ) "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."
He writhed, moaned, climbed up draperies, pounded on posts, rolled on the floor...
His influence stretched far beyond the realm of the blues. In the mid-1960's he began playing with newer artists of the time, such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart).
He frequently appeared at blues and rock festivals in the late '60s and early '70s. His 1971 album, The London Sessions, featured backup support from Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Steve Winwood, and Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones.
CRAWDADDY: Now some of your stuff’s being recorded by other people—“Red Rooster” got to #1 in England—what do you think of groups like Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band?
WOLF: Wonderful, wonderful. I worked with them, and the Muleskinners too… they dig me the most, you know.
CRAWDADDY: You traveled around with them?
WOLF: No, you see, they were living on the plantation and I’d go to their house at night when they quit work. You know, a big crowd of people be around, listening to them playing, and I got interested in it."
Wolf's childhood idol was country singer Jimmie Rodgers, who was noted for his "blues-yodel." Wolf tried to emulate the yodel, but found that his efforts sounded more like a growl or a howl. "I couldn't do no yodelin', so I turned to howlin'. And it's done me just fine."
Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart), the undisputed King of Fractured Blues, was heavily influenced by the Wolf's vocal stylings (though he always denied it). In a twist of fate, these two giants crossed paths on a London stage one magic evening back in 1972 . And the sparks flew as they exchanged howls and moans, on that dark and stormy night..
