Blues Musician. Born Chester Arthur Burnett, he was schooled in Mississippi by Delta blues great, Charley Patton and by 1949, fronted his own band which started performing on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas alternating between musical performances and pitching farm equipment. At this time, he was recorded by Sam Phillips for Sun Records, then moved to Chess Records in 1951. A prominent harmonica player, proficient guitarist and master showman, Wolf penned such blues classics as: "Sitting On Top Of The World," "Smokestack Lighting," "Tell Me," "Killing Floor" and "Tell Me What I've Done," plus recorded numerous Willie Dixon compositions. The final contribution to his legacy was the 1970 "Howlin' Wolf" London Sessions, recorded with British blues admirers Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Ringo "Richie" Starr along with longtime guitarist and friend, Hubert Sumlin. By the mid-1970s, health problems had taken their toll and his last performance was in November 1975 at the Chicago Amphitheater with B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Little Milton. He entered the Veterans Administration Hospital at Hines, Illinois in mid December and died a month later at age 65 of complications from kidney disease. In 1991, Howlin' Wolf was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Blues Musician. Born Chester Arthur Burnett, he was schooled in Mississippi by Delta blues great, Charley Patton and by 1949, fronted his own band which started performing on KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas alternating between musical performances and pitching farm equipment. At this time, he was recorded by Sam Phillips for Sun Records, then moved to Chess Records in 1951. A prominent harmonica player, proficient guitarist and master showman, Wolf penned such blues classics as: "Sitting On Top Of The World," "Smokestack Lighting," "Tell Me," "Killing Floor" and "Tell Me What I've Done," plus recorded numerous Willie Dixon compositions. The final contribution to his legacy was the 1970 "Howlin' Wolf" London Sessions, recorded with British blues admirers Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Ringo "Richie" Starr along with longtime guitarist and friend, Hubert Sumlin. By the mid-1970s, health problems had taken their toll and his last performance was in November 1975 at the Chicago Amphitheater with B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Little Milton. He entered the Veterans Administration Hospital at Hines, Illinois in mid December and died a month later at age 65 of complications from kidney disease. In 1991, Howlin' Wolf was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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