Chicago Blues Legend Howlin’ Wolf – Blues Musician Facts
Chester Arthur Burnett, (named after the 21st President of the United States) known the world over as Howlin’ Wolf, was born on June 10, 1910, in West Point, Mississippi.
From September of 1951 to February of 1952 Wolf recorded for both with Sam Phillips, who was leasing the finished numbers to Chess Records and the Bihari brothers’ RPM label. The Chess brothers ultimately obtained exclusive rights to Wolf’s services and in late 1953, Wolf was Chicago bound.
Wolf, “I had a four-thousand-dollar car and $3,900 in my pocket. I’m the onliest one drove out of the South like a gentleman.”
More than most of his contemporaries, Wolf’s music proudly displayed its Delta roots, from his Charley Patton inspired vocals, to the raw intensity of the playing.
