Editing Howlin' Wolf (section)

{{Short description|American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player (1910–1976)}}
{{Redirect|Chester Burnett|the football player|Chester Burnett (American football)|the visual artist|Howling Wolf (Cheyenne)|the disc jockey|Wolfman Jack}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name               =
| image              = Howlin Wolf AABF 1970 JT.jpg
| alt                = Howlin' Wolf photographed at the 1970 Ann Arbor Blues Festival
| caption            = Howlin' Wolf in 1970
| other_names        = Big Foot Chester, Bull Cow, John D.
| birth_name         = Chester Arthur Burnett
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1910|6|10|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[White Station, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1976|1|10|1910|6|10}}
| death_place        = [[Hines, Illinois]]
| resting_place      = [[Oakridge Cemetery]], [[Hillside, Illinois|Hillside]], Illinois
| spouse             = {{marriage|Lillie Handley|1964}}
| children           = 2
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|musician|bandleader}}
| years_active       = 1930s–1976
| relatives          = [[Skeme]] (great-nephew)
| awards             = [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] (1991)
| website            = {{url|howlinwolf.com}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed           = yes<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| background      = solo_singer
| label           = {{hlist|[[RPM Records (United States)|RPM]]|[[Chess Records|Chess]]}}
| genre           = {{hlist|[[Chicago blues]]|[[rhythm and blues]]|[[electric blues]]|[[rock and roll]]}}
| instrument      = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|harmonica}}
}}
}}

'''Chester Arthur Burnett''' (June 10, 1910{{snd}}January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name '''Howlin' Wolf''', was an American [[blues]] singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic [[Delta blues]] into electric [[Chicago blues]], and over a four-decade career, recorded blues, [[rhythm and blues]], [[rock and roll]], and [[psychedelic rock]]. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time.

Born into poverty in [[Mississippi]], Burnett became a protégé of Delta blues musician [[Charley Patton]] in the 1930s. In the [[Deep South]], he began a solo career by performing with other notable blues musicians of the day. By the end of the decade, he had established himself in the [[Mississippi Delta]]. Following a number of legal issues, a stint in prison, and Army service, he was recruited by A&R man [[Ike Turner]] to record for producer [[Sam Phillips]] in Memphis. His first record "[[Moanin' at Midnight]]" (1951) led to a record deal with [[Chess Records]] in Chicago. Between 1951 and 1969, six of his songs reached the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] R&B charts. His studio albums include ''Howlin' Wolf'' a..k.a The Rocking Chair Album, a collection of singles from 1957 to 1961, ''[[The Howlin' Wolf Album]]'' (1969), ''[[Message to the Young]]'' (1971), ''[[The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions]]'' (1971), and ''[[The Back Door Wolf]]'' (1973). His reputation grew throughout the [[American folk music revival|blues revival]] of the 1960s, and he continued to perform until November 1975, when he performed for the last time alongside fellow blues musician [[B. B. King|B.B. King]]. He died on January 10, 1976, after years of deteriorating health. In 1980, Howlin' Wolf was inducted into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]], and in 1991, he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].

With a booming voice and an imposing physical presence, he is one of the best-known Chicago blues artists. [[AllMusic]] has described him as "a primal, ferocious blues belter with a roster of classics rivaling anyone else, and a sandpaper growl of a voice that has been widely imitated".<ref name="Howlin' Wolf">{{cite web |last1=Koda |first1=Cub |title=Howlin' Wolf  |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/howlin-wolf-mn0000276085 |website=AllMusic |access-date=September 8, 2022}}</ref> Several of his songs have become blues and blues rock standards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed "[[Little Red Rooster]]", "[[Smokestack Lightning]]" and "[[Spoonful]]" in its "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and “Smokestack Lightning" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.<ref name="500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll">{{cite web |last1=Whitaker |first1=Dave |title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll |url=https://davesmusicdatabase.blogspot.com/2004/11/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-500-songs.html |website=Dave's Music Database |date=April 14, 2018 |access-date=September 9, 2022}}</ref> In 2011, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine ranked him number 54 on its list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]".<ref>{{cite magazine | year = 2004 | title = The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | issue = 946 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231 | access-date = July 26, 2016}}</ref>