Howling Wolf- Shake For Me

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 16 May 2006 12:32 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnxz34EydEg&search=howlin%27%20wolf

for whatever it's worth, Sam Phillips once said that he thought Howling Wolf was the most talented singer he ever recorded.

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My web site
[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 16 May 2006 at 01:32 AM.]

Richard Sevigny · Post by **Richard Sevigny** » 16 May 2006 3:59 pm

I've been a huge fan of the 'Wolf since I first heard of him 25 years ago. There's lots to choose from there I see.

Thanks for sharin' Mike

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 16 May 2006 4:59 pm

Great clips, with a young Hubert Sumlin on guitar. Talk about a 1-2 punch, with Sunnyland Slim on piano. Now, this is the blues.

Jack Francis · Post by **Jack Francis** » 16 May 2006 5:39 pm

Thanx,,great to see this clip from a documentary of "Howlin Wolf".

They said that he treated his band like "Family", including making sure that thier taxes were paid.

Seems like he was a good man!

Mike Winter · Post by **Mike Winter** » 16 May 2006 8:44 pm

Nobody played the blues like the Wolf...not Muddy, not nobody...

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

[This message was edited by Mike Winter on 17 May 2006 at 07:46 AM.]

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 17 May 2006 6:40 am

I generally favor more primitive acoustic blues, but IMO Wolf was the highest evolution of pure blues. You can hear all the old blues greats and even field hollers in his music, a quality that is lost in much of the electric music played by Buddy Guy, Albert King, et.al. He is as good as it gets.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 17 May 2006 8:28 am

You can hear all the old blues greats and even field hollers in his music,

One of the Wolf's earliest recordings is a remake of a Charlie Patton song song called "Saddle My Pony," or "Pony Blues." You can really hear Patton's influence on the record.

The piano play on it was Ike Turner.

Personally, I think the Wolf's most fertile period was the late 50s and early 60s when he began experimenting with rhythms like the one in this video.

I think the Wolf's influence on rock music is inestimable. I think it whold have evolved quite differenty had it not been for him.

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 17 May 2006 4:17 pm

At the Greek Theater on the UC Berkeley campus in 1968 Wolf was right down at the edge of the stage down on his knees howlin' like a wolf when a little kid crawled up to the the stage right in front of him. He stopped the howling for a bit and patted the kid on the head with a smile and went right back to howlin' To this day that was the most inspiring musical performance I have ever witnessed. Not to mention the wacked out guitar stylings of Hubert Sumlin!!

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 19 May 2006 6:24 pm

Gotta keep this one around a little more. TTT

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 20 May 2006 11:49 am

Mike, I don't mean to hijack this post, but one can hardly talk about the great Chester Burnet (aka) "Howlin' Wolf" without mentioning his brother-inlaw, and the person who taught Howlin' Wolf his unique harmonica style, the equally great Willie Rice Miller (aka) "Sonny Boy Williamson". Sadly, Sonny Boy was killed 41 years ago this month. Fortunately, he lives on on YouTube:

This clip features legends Otis Spann on piano and Willie Dixon on string bass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9c_A1vKeRE&search=Sonny%20Boy%20Williamson

Sonny Boy was renown for his amazing ability to sing and play harp seamingly, without taking a breath. In this next clip, he demonstrates that ability on "Bye Bye Bird". Then Sunnyland Slim and Willie Dixon join him on "In My Younger Days": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgkUaHT4gHs&search=Sonny%20Boy%20Williamson

Both Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy have been musical heros to me for years. Thanks for find the Howlin' Wolf clips, Mike.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

[This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 20 May 2006 at 12:51 PM.][This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 20 May 2006 at 01:23 PM.]

Mike Winter · Post by **Mike Winter** » 21 May 2006 1:54 am

I love the scene in The Last Waltz where Robbie is talking about hanging with Sonny Boy, and the Hawks (future Band) were jamming with him in his kitchen. He kept spitting into a can on the floor. The boys figured it was chew until they looked...and it was blood. Sonny Boy died a few months later, and the plan for the Hawks being his backing band for a while was never realised. This was around 1965, I believe.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

[This message was edited by Mike Winter on 21 May 2006 at 02:55 AM.][This message was edited by Mike Winter on 23 May 2006 at 11:39 AM.]

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 21 May 2006 7:35 am

I looked it up, Sonny Boy Williamson died May 25th 1965. Also, it seems the blues "scholors" had his real name wrong. It really was Alex "Rice" Miller not Willie. See the real story from a 1972 interview with his sister Mary Ashford: http://www.bluesworld.com/GDWSonnyboy.html

Here's another great link describing Sonny Boy's harp abilities: http://www.sonnyboy.com/harp/harp.html

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn[This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 21 May 2006 at 08:37 AM.][This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 21 May 2006 at 08:41 AM.][This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 21 May 2006 at 08:43 AM.]

Geoff Brown · Post by **Geoff Brown** » 21 May 2006 7:47 am

That clip on YouTube is from a documentary called, The Howlin' Wolf Story (2003). 90 minutes. It shows up on cable and satellite channels from time to time, and it's chock full of great footage. I got lucky and found it one night and TiVo'd it. This scene was from a TV shoot in Germany during Wolf's first European tour.
One of the best scenes is where Wolf basically tells off a drunk and obnoxious Son House who is interupting a scene being filmed someplace. Priceless. There are a number of scenes on YouTube from that documentary.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 21 May 2006 9:41 am

That docmentary is available on DVD. You can buy it on Amazon.com

I've been told that Son House was so suceptable to alcohol that he would get roarong drunk on even a teaspoon full of licquor. I was told the condition is called being a "wet drunk."

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My web site

Bunky Markert · Post by **Bunky Markert** » 31 May 2006 8:23 am

There are three DVD's (sold separately) which you can get at amazon or on ebay called the American Folk Blues Festival, Vols. 1, 2, & 3. You will want to own them all. They are a compilation of TV specials and concert footage from the early 60's by a German producer. The performances are first rate, by all of these blues artists in their prime. It was from this series of concerts that the Brits got to see their blues heros for the first time. The Howlin' Wolf clip is included. He was primal, wasn't he?