Howlin' Wolf



Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), 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 had an imposing presence, with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. (Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel

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Festive Fifty Entries

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Sessions

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Other Shows Played

 * 1967
 * 12 July 1967: Meet Me In The Bottom (LP - Howlin' Wolf) Chess LP-1469 (US release)
 * 16 July 1967: Little Red Rooster (LP - Howlin' Wolf) Chess LP-1469 (The Rolling Stones made it a hit, "which was good"...)
 * 18 July 1967: Shake for Me (with jumps; Peel apologises to Peter Shertser of the Firm, who lent him the record)
 * 14 August 1967: Dust My Broom


 * 1972
 * 31 March 1972: Howlin' Wolf (LP - unknown) (Song title not found. Possibly "Howlin' Wolf Boogie".)
 * 01 August 1972: Wang Dang Doodle (2xLP - Chester Burnett A.K.A. Howlin' Wolf) Chess


 * 1979
 * 14 May 1979: Back Door Man
 * 24 May 1979: Shake For Me
 * 28 May 1979: Red Rooster
 * 05 June 1979: Shake For Me


 * 1980
 * 21 January 1980: Going Down Slow / Down In The Bottom / Back Door Man (LP-Howlin' Wolf) Chess (Peel gets carried away and plays three successive tracks from the same old LP.)


 * 1981
 * 27 July 1981: Down At The Bottom Chess
 * 12 August 1981: You'll Be Mine (LP – Chess Masters) Chess


 * 1982
 * 07 August 1982: Wang Dang Doodle (Peel's Pleasures)
 * 11 October 1982: Tail Dragger


 * 1982
 * 11 June 1984: Goin' Down Slow
 * 29 October 1984: Down In The Bottom (unknown LP/single “with reconstituted stereo”)


 * 1990
 * 14 May 1990: Driving This Highway
 * 24 July 1990: Little Red Rooster (album - Moaning and Howling)
 * 31 July 1990: Going Down Slow (album - Moaning And Howling)
 * 02 August 1990: You'll Be Mine (CD - Moaning And Howling) Chess


 * 1991
 * 16 March 1991: Going Down Slow
 * 15 June 1991: Shake It For Me (LP - Moanin' & Howlin')
 * 16 June 1991: Going Down Slow (album - Moaning And Howling)
 * 22 June 1991: You'll Be Mine (album - Moaning and Howling)
 * 13 July 1991: Goin' Down Slow (CD - Moanin' & Howlin') Charly
 * 02 November 1991: Down In The Bottom (CD-Moaning And Howling) Chess (JP: 'Most peculiar sound on that, it sounded like Howling Wolf had phoned the vocals in in some way. ... That's the miracle of CDs for you...Never sounded anything like that on vinyl.')
 * 29 December 1991: Going Down Slow


 * 1992
 * 25 April 1992: Little Red Rooster
 * 03 October 1992: Little Red Rooster
 * 11 October 1992 (BFBS): Going Down Slow


 * 1994
 * 14 May 1994: Down In The Bottom
 * 21 May 1994: Goin' Down Slow (CD - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess
 * 28 May 1994 (BFBS): Down In The Bottom


 * 1995
 * 21 April 1995: I Have A Little Girl (Various Artists CD - House Rockin' Blues) Ace
 * 24 June 1995 (BFBS): Going Down Slow (LP-Howlin' Wolf) Chess


 * 1997
 * 26 January 1997: Down In The Bottom
 * 09 February 1997 (BBC World Service): Down In The Bottom


 * 1999
 * 19 May 1999: Goin' Down Slow (white label)
 * 24 June 1999: Goin' Down Slow
 * 08 September 1999: Goin' Down Slow (John Peel ('Fat Boy') and Steve Lamacq ('Slim') Mix)


 * 2001
 * 21 November 2001: Going Down Slow (unknown album/single)


 * 2002
 * 04 December 2002: Commit A Crime (LP-Poor Boy) Stars
 * 10 December 2002: Down In The Bottom (LP - Moanin' And Howlin') Chess


 * 2003
 * 04 February 2003: Back Door Man (LP: Moanin' And Howlin') Chess International


 * 2004
 * 21 April 2004: No Place to Go (LP - Howlin' in the Moonlight) Chess
 * 22 April 2004: Evil (LP- Moanin' In The Moonlight) Chess
 * 20 May 2004: Down In The Bottom (LP: Howlin' Wolf) Chess (Peel plays the wrong Howling Wolf track for Peel Acres guest PJ Harvey: 'Back Door Man' was the one requested).
 * 25 August 2004: Back Door Man (LP - 'Moanin' and Howlin') Chess