The Men Who Make The Blues: Howlin' Wolf
Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 March 1969
HOWLIN' WOLF is, as his name suggests, one of the "heavy" bluesmen. A 6ft 3in singer, weighing 280 lbs or more, he is as tough in vocal expression as physique. He plays guitar, which he learned from Charley Patton, and down-home harmonica, which he was taught by Willie "Rice" Miller (Sonny Boy No 2) , but is noted more for his direct, somewhat evil-voiced singing. For the Wolf, as for many of the older-school blues artists, down-home is Mississippi. He was born Chester Arthur Burnett in Aberdeen on June 10, 1910, and lived on a farm during his formative years.
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