Recommendations of the Editorial team
The man was a natural talent. When I heard a Howlin’-Wolf plate for the first time, I thought that this deep, scratching voice was set up and not real. Until I met him personally. He said “Hello”. And I just thought: “Oops is not made. That is real life.” And he spoke as he sang. I still remember that I involuntarily rocked my feet when he talked to me.
I heard his first big recordings – “Moanin ‘at Midnight” and “How many more years” – on an old battery -operated radio. I still lived in Louisiana, but where you could receive WLAC from Nashville, who had a half-hour blues program at night. I heard this voice. And tried to imagine how Howlin’s Wolf looked like. I thought it was a big, comparatively light -skinned man.
And he swung with his hips, as the kids did with the hula hoop tires at the time
Then I drove to Chicago – it was September 25, 1957 – and met all these great bluesers: Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin ‘Wolf. And when I saw Wolf … yes, he was big, but he was definitely not light -skinned. And then he brought this incredible show to the stage: he went to his knees, moved on all fours and howled like a wolf “I’m a tail dragger”. And he swung his hips, as the kids did with the Hula hoop tires at the time.
It was an experience to be on stage with him. Wolf was huge, but the man could move! People thought he would sit silently on a stool and sing the blues because he was so huge. But no, he let the sow out and jumped wildly on the stage. His fists were tall as car tires and he clenched them in front of the audience. When I got the call to play with some of his recordings, I thought: “Oh shit, just be careful not to play the right notes.” I was told that he could be violent, but it never fell an evil word between us – until his death.
Jimmy Rogers, who played in Muddy’s band, always shook himself with laughter when he heard what Muddy said about Wolf and Wolf about Muddy
There was a good reason why I was able to play on tracks like “Killing Floor”, “Built for Comfort” and “300 Pounds of Joy”: There were a lot of musicians who were far better than me, but most of them thought: “This is my opportunity to blow the big wolf from the stage.” I could never have said something like that; For me it was the big opportunity to learn something from wolf. But he was actually not a strict teacher. If you played something he liked, he turned and smiled at you. And when he smiled, there was also a fee.
I also played with Muddy and it was a great honor to have played with both. The rumor circulated that both were not green, but I didn’t notice anything. Jimmy Rogers, who played in Muddy’s band, always shook with laughter when he heard what Muddy said about Hownin ‘Wolf and Wolf about Muddy. Everyone called themselves “motherfucker” and made themselves. But “Motherfucker” was a nickname among musicians. And when Wolf said: “Motherfucker, you can’t play”, then he actually said: “I’ll make you fire under my ass so you show me what you can do on it.” It was the sign that you should get started.
My children didn’t know who I was actually – until they could go to a club at 21 and saw me playing
For me everything was close to touch in this voice – even if he didn’t sang. At that time we had the so -called “Blue Mondays” in Chicago, which started at 7 a.m. after playing in the night and wanted to chat a little. I only listened when Wolf spoke. It didn’t have to be about music either – he liked to go fishing and loved sport. Whatever he said: For me it sounded like the voice from heaven.
People don’t know howlin ‘wolf as they should. When Muddy died, I gave an interview on TV and asked: “How should you remember him?”, And I said that most cities with famous musicians name a street after him. And they actually called the street where he had lived most of the time. Nothing was never named after Wolf. And the young generation no longer knows these musicians. My children didn’t know who I was actually – until they could go to a club at 21 and saw me play.
We have to swirl back into time and some dust. We have to inform the people that it was Howlin ‘Wolf and Muddy and Little Walter and all the other Cats that made Chicago a metropolis of the blues. Chess Records is an official sight – but who did Chess Records? What about people like Wolf who are increasingly forgotten?