Editing Howlin' Wolf (section)

==Musical career==
===Beginnings, 1930s===
On January 15, 1928, at the age of 17, Burnett gathered enough money to buy his first guitar. It was a date that Burnett reportedly never forgot until "the day he died".<ref name="Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf">{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Ed |title=The life and times of Howlin' Wolf |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-life-and-times-of-howlin-wolf-254631 |website=MusicRadar |date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=September 8, 2022}}</ref>

In 1930, Burnett met [[Charley Patton]], the most popular bluesman in the [[Mississippi Delta]] at the time. He would listen to Patton play nightly from outside a nearby [[juke joint]]. There he remembered Patton playing "[[Pony Blues]]", "[[High Water Everywhere]]", "A Spoonful Blues", and "Banty Rooster Blues". The two became acquainted, and soon Patton was teaching him guitar. Burnett recalled that "the first piece I ever played in my life was{{nbsp}}... a tune about hook up my pony and saddle up my black mare"—Patton's "Pony Blues".{{sfn|Segrest|Hoffman|2004|p=19}} He also learned about showmanship from Patton: "When he played his guitar, he would turn it over backwards and forwards, and throw it around over his shoulders, between his legs, throw it up in the sky".{{sfn|Segrest|Hoffman|2004|p=19}} He played with Patton often in small Delta communities{{sfn|Segrest|Hoffman|2004|p=20}} and would perform the guitar tricks he learned from him for the rest of his life. 

Burnett was influenced by other popular blues performers of the time, including the [[Mississippi Sheiks]], [[Blind Lemon Jefferson]], [[Ma Rainey]], [[Lonnie Johnson (musician)|Lonnie Johnson]], [[Tampa Red]], [[Blind Blake]], and [[Tommy Johnson (blues musician)|Tommy Johnson]]. Two of the earliest songs he mastered were Jefferson's "[[Matchbox (song)#.22Match Box Blues.22 history|Match Box Blues]]" and [[Leroy Carr]]'s "[[How Long, How Long Blues]]". The country singer Jimmie Rodgers was also an influence. Burnett tried to emulate Rodgers's "blue [[yodel]]" but found that his efforts sounded more like a growl or a howl: "I couldn't do no yodelin', so I turned to howlin'. And it's done me just fine".<ref>Gifford, Barry (1968). "Couldn't Do No Yodeling, So I Turned to Howlin'." ''Rolling Stone'', August 24, 1968.</ref> His harmonica playing was modeled after that of [[Sonny Boy Williamson II]], who taught him how to play when Burnett moved to [[Parkin, Arkansas]], in 1933.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Malone|first=Bill C. |title=The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 12: Music|date=2014-02-01 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AOynAgAAQBAJ&q=Sonny+Boy+Williamson+II+howlin+wolf+harmonica&pg=PA194 |publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=978-1-4696-1666-7|page=194|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=Welky|first1=Ali |last2=Keckhaver|first2=Mike |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bX2TAAAAQBAJ&q=Parkin%2C+Arkansas%2C+in+1933+howlin+wolf&pg=PA112|title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas Music |publisher=University of Arkansas Press|year=2013|isbn=978-1-935106-60-9|pages=112 |language=en}}</ref>

During the 1930s, Burnett performed in the South as a solo performer and with numerous blues musicians, including [[Floyd Jones]], [[Johnny Shines]], [[Honeyboy Edwards]], Sonny Boy Williamson II, [[Robert Johnson (musician)|Robert Johnson]], [[Robert Lockwood Jr.]], [[Willie Brown (musician)|Willie Brown]], [[Son House]] and [[Willie Johnson (guitarist)|Willie Johnson]]. By the end of the decade, he was a fixture in clubs, with a harmonica and an early [[electric guitar]]. It was around this time that Burnett got into some legal trouble in [[Hughes, Arkansas]]: While he was in town, he tried to protect a female acquaintance from an angry boyfriend, and the two men fought, with Burnett killing the man with a [[Hoe (tool)|hoe]]. What happened after this is a matter of dispute; Burnett either fled the area, or did some jail time.<ref name="Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976">{{cite web |last1=Lamplugh |first1=George |title=Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976: His Life, His Times, His Blues |url=https://georgelamplugh.com/2018/04/01/howlin-wolf1910-1976-his-life-his-times-his-blues-blues-stories-27/ |website=Retired But Not Shy |date=April 2018 |access-date=September 9, 2022}}</ref>

===Military service, 1940s===

On April 9, 1941, he was inducted into the U.S. Army and was stationed at several bases around the country. Years later, he stated that the plantation workers in the Delta had alerted military authorities because he refused to work in the fields. He was assigned to the [[9th Cavalry Regiment]], which was famous for being one of the units dubbed "[[Buffalo Soldiers]]". Burnett was first sent to [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]], for basic training, and was given long hours performing menial work. Then he was transferred to [[Camp Blanding]], in [[Starke, Florida]], where he was assigned to the kitchen patrol. During the day he would cook food for the enlisted soldiers, and at night he would play the guitar in the assembly room. Burnett was later sent to [[Fort Gordon]] in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and he would play his guitar on the steps of the mess hall, which is where a young [[James Brown]], who came to the Fort nearly every day to earn money shining shoes and performing buck dances for the troops, first heard him play.<ref name="How The Wolf Got Caged">{{cite web |last1=St. Clair |first1=Jeffrey |title=The Army Ain't No Place for a Black Man |url=https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/05/24/the-army-aint-no-place-for-a-black-man-how-the-wolf-got-caged/ |website=CounterPunch |date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=September 9, 2022}}</ref>

Burnett was then sent to a tutoring camp in [[Tacoma, Washington]], where he was in charge of decoding communications. Because Burnett was functionally illiterate, having never received formal education, he was repeatedly beaten by the drill instructor for reading and spelling errors. Soon, he began having uncontrollable shaking fits, dizzy spells, fainting, and also began experiencing mental confusion.<ref name="Howling Wolf">{{cite web |title=Howling Wolf |url=http://medicinthegreentime.com/howling-wolf/ |website=Medic in the Green Time |access-date=September 9, 2022}}</ref>

Burnett participated in the [[Louisiana Maneuvers]] in 1941, where one of the earliest photographs of him was taken cleaning the [[Frog (horse anatomy)|frog]] of a horse's hoof.<ref name="10 Things You Didn't Know About Howlin' Wolf">{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=JD |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Howlin' Wolf |url=https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2021/06/10-things-didnt-know-howlin-wolf/ |website=American Blues Scene |date=June 10, 2021 |access-date=September 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719214318/https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2021/06/10-things-didnt-know-howlin-wolf/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1943, he was evaluated at an Army mental hospital. In November 1943, Burnett was found unfit for duty and given an honorable discharge on November 3. Recalling his experiences in the Army years later, Burnett stated, "The Army ain't no place for a black man. Jus' couldn't take all that bossin' around, I guess. The Wolf's his own boss."<ref name="Howling Wolf"/>

He returned to his family, which had recently moved near [[West Memphis, Arkansas]], and helped with the farming while also performing, as he had done in the 1930s, with Floyd Jones and others. In 1948 he formed a band, which included the guitarists Willie Johnson and [[Matt Murphy (blues guitarist)|Matt "Guitar" Murphy]], the harmonica player [[Junior Parker]], a pianist remembered only as "Destruction" and the drummer Willie Steele. Radio station [[KWAM|KWEM]] in West Memphis began broadcasting his live performances, and he occasionally sat in with Williamson on [[KFFA (AM)|KFFA]] in [[Helena, Arkansas]].

===First recordings and initial success, 1950s===
In 1951, 19-year-old [[Ike Turner]], who was a freelance talent scout, heard Howlin' Wolf in West Memphis.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Selvin|first=Joel|date=September 14, 1997|title=POP QUIZ -- Q & A With Ike Turner|work=SFGATE|url=https://www.sfgate.com/music/popquiz/article/POP-QUIZ-Q-A-With-Ike-Turner-2807610.php|access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref> Turner brought him to record several songs for [[Sam Phillips]] at Memphis Recording Service (later renamed [[Sun Studio]]) and the [[Bihari brothers]] at [[Modern Records]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Howlin' Wolf Interview|url=https://arhoolie.org/howlin-wolf-interview-2/|date=April 20, 1967|website=The Arhoolie Foundation|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/howlin-wolf/biography|title=Howlin' Wolf Bio|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109044148/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/howlin-wolf/biography|archive-date=January 9, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Humphrey|2007|p=}} Phillips praised his singing, saying, "God, what it would be worth on film to see the fervour in that man's face when he sang. His eyes would light up, you'd see the veins come out on his neck and, buddy, there was nothing on his mind but that song.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Szatmary|first=David P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QTjaAAAAMAAJ&q=God,+what+it+would+be+worth+on+film+to+see+the+fervour+in+that+man's+face+when+he+sang.+His+eyes+would+light+up,+you'd+see+the+veins+come+out+on+his+neck+and,+buddy,+there+was+nothing+on+his+mind+but+that+song.|title=A Time to Rock: A Social History of Rock and Roll|date=1996|publisher=Schirmer Books|isbn=978-0-02-864670-1|pages=1645|language=en}}</ref> He sang with his damn soul." Howlin' Wolf quickly became a local celebrity and began working with a band that included the guitarists Willie Johnson and [[Pat Hare]]. [[Sun Records]] had not yet been formed, so Phillips licensed his recording to [[Chess Records]].{{sfn|Collis|1998|p=54}} Howlin' Wolf's first singles were issued by two different record companies in 1951: "[[Moanin' at Midnight]]"/"[[How Many More Years]]" was released on Chess, while "Riding in the Moonlight"/"Morning at Midnight" and "Passing By Blues"/"Crying at Daybreak" were released on Modern's subsidiary [[RPM Records (USA)|RPM Records]].{{sfn|Collis|1998|p=54}} In December 1951, [[Leonard Chess]] was able to secure Howlin' Wolf's contract,<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 22, 1951|title=Chess, Biharis Skirmish; This Time Over Wolf|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=17}}</ref> and at the urging of Chess, he relocated to Chicago in late 1952.{{sfn|Humphrey|2007|p=}}{{sfn|Sawyers|2012|p=161}}

In Chicago, Howlin' Wolf assembled a new band and recruited the Chicagoan [[Jody Williams (blues musician)|Jody Williams]] from Memphis Slim's band as his first guitarist. Within a year he had persuaded the guitarist [[Hubert Sumlin]] to leave Memphis and join him in Chicago; Sumlin's understated solos and surprisingly subtle phrasing perfectly complemented Burnett's huge voice. The lineup of the band changed often over the years. Wolf employed many different guitarists, both on recordings and in live performance, including Willie Johnson, Jody Williams, [[Lee Cooper (guitarist)|Lee Cooper]], L.D. McGhee, [[Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers]], his brother [[Little Smokey Smothers]], [[Jimmy Rogers]], [[Abu Talib (musician)|Freddie Robinson]], [[Buddy Guy]] and others. He was able to attract some of the best musicians available because of his policy, unusual among bandleaders, of paying his musicians well and on time, even including their [[unemployment insurance]] and [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security contributions]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.howlinwolf.com/articles/bio_2.htm |title=Howlin' Wolf Biography, Part 2 |last=Hoffman |first=Mark |date=July 18, 2012 |website=Howlinwolf.com |access-date=April 17, 2014}}</ref> With the exception of a couple of brief absences in the late 1950s, Sumlin remained a member of the band for the rest of Wolf's career and is the guitarist most often associated with the Howlin' Wolf sound.

Howlin' Wolf had a series of hits with songs written by [[Willie Dixon]], who had been hired by the Chess brothers in 1950 as a songwriter.  During that period, the competition between [[Muddy Waters]] and Howlin' Wolf was intense. Dixon reported "Every once in a while Wolf would mention the fact that, 'Hey man, you wrote that song for Muddy. How come you won't write me one like that?' But when you'd write for him he wouldn't like it." So, Dixon decided to use reverse psychology on him, by introducing the songs to Wolf as written for Muddy, thus getting Wolf to accept them.

In the 1950s, Howlin' Wolf had five songs on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' national R&B charts: "Moanin' at Midnight", "How Many More Years", "Who Will Be Next", "[[Smokestack Lightning]]", and "I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)".{{sfn|Whitburn|1988|pp=197–198}} His first LP, ''[[Moanin' in the Moonlight]]'', was released in 1959. As was standard practice during that time, it was a collection of previously released singles.

===Album releases and European tours, 1960s and 1970s===
In the early 1960s, Howlin' Wolf recorded several songs that became his most famous, despite receiving no radio play: "[[Wang Dang Doodle]]", "Back Door Man", "Spoonful", "[[Little Red Rooster|The Red Rooster]]", "[[I Ain't Superstitious]]", "[[Goin' Down Slow]]", and "[[Killing Floor (Howlin' Wolf song)|Killing Floor]]", many of which were written by [[Willie Dixon]]. Several became part of the repertoires of British and American rock groups, who further popularized them. Howlin' Wolf's second compilation album, ''[[Howlin' Wolf (album)|Howlin' Wolf]]''—often called "the rocking chair album" from its cover illustration—was released in 1962.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Jim Campilongo |date=2022-07-22 |title=Why Howlin' Wolf's Landmark 'Rockin' Chair Album' Remains One of the Greatest Blues Records of All Time |url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/why-howlin-wolfs-landmark-rockin-chair-album-remains-one-of-the-greatest-blues-records-of-all-time |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Guitar Player |language=en}}</ref>

During the [[American folk music revival|blues revival]] in the 1950s and 1960s, black blues musicians found a new audience among white youths, and Howlin' Wolf was among the first to capitalize on it. He toured Europe in 1964 as part of the [[American Folk Blues Festival]], produced by the German promoters [[Horst Lippmann]] and Fritz Rau.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Romano |first=Will |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mUn5sz5RWRwC&dq=American+Folk+Blues+Festival+howlin+wolf+1964&pg=PA74 |title=Incurable Blues: The Troubles & Triumph of Blues Legend Hubert Sumlin |date=2005 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=978-0-87930-833-9 |pages=74–75 |language=en}}</ref> Also, in that year, the [[The Rolling Stones|Rolling Stones]] recording of "Little Red Rooster" reached number one in the UK.  In 1965, at the height of the British Invasion, the Stones came to America for an appearance on ABC-TV's rock music show, ''[[Shindig!]]'' They insisted, as part of their appearing on the program, that Howlin' Wolf would be their special guest. With the Stones sitting at his feet, Wolf performed an empassioned version of "How Many More Years" with a few million people watching his network TV debut.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Howlin' Wolf on Shindig! |url=https://digital.nepr.net/music/2016/06/10/howlin-wolf-on-shindig/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=New England Public Radio}}</ref> 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Howlin' Wolf recorded albums with other established musicians starting with ''[[The Super Super Blues Band]]'' (1968), which featured [[Bo Diddley]] and Muddy Waters. ''[[The Howlin' Wolf Album]]'' (1969) had psychedelic rock and free-jazz musicians like Gene Barge, [[Pete Cosey]], Roland Faulkner, [[Morris Jennings]], [[Louis Satterfield]], [[Charles Stepney]] and [[Phil Upchurch]].''The Howlin' Wolf Album'', like rival bluesman Muddy Waters's album ''[[Electric Mud]]'', was designed to appeal to the hippie audience.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Manrique |first=Diego A. |date=2022-11-14 |title=Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters: Sitting on top of the world |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-11-14/howlin-wolf-and-muddy-waters-sitting-on-top-of-the-world.html |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref> The album had an attention-getting cover: large black letters on a white background proclaiming "This is Howlin' Wolf's new album. He doesn't like it. He didn't like his electric guitar at first either." The album cover may have contributed to its poor sales. Chess co-founder [[Leonard Chess]] admitted that the cover was a bad idea, saying, "I guess negativity isn't a good way to sell records. Who wants to hear that a musician doesn't like his own music?"

British rock musicians [[Eric Clapton]], [[Steve Winwood]], [[Ian Stewart (musician)|Ian Stewart]], [[Bill Wyman]], and [[Charlie Watts]] backed him for [[The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions]], which proved more successful with British audiences than American.<ref name=":2" /> His last album''[[The Back Door Wolf]]'' (1973) was entirely composed of new material. It was recorded with musicians who regularly backed him on stage, including Hubert Sumlin, [[Detroit Junior]], [[Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon]], Chico Chism, Lafayette "Shorty" Gilbert and the bandleader, [[Eddie Shaw]]. The album is shorter than any other he recorded, a little more than 35 minutes, because of his declining health.

Wolf's last public performance was in November 1975 at the [[International Amphitheatre]] in Chicago. He shared the bill with [[B.B. King]], [[Albert King]], [[Luther Allison]], and [[O. V. Wright]]. Wolf reportedly gave an "unforgettable" performance, even crawling across the stage during the song, "Crawling King Snake". The crowd gave him a five-minute standing ovation. When he got off the stage after the concert was over, a team of paramedics had to revive him.<ref name="Howlin' The Blues">{{cite web |first1=Don |last1=Draper|title=Howlin' Wolf – Howlin' the Blues, The Story of a Blues Giant |url=https://www.donstunes.com/howlin-wolf/ |website=Don's Tunes |date=June 10, 2018 |access-date=September 7, 2022}}</ref><ref name="10 Things You Didn't Know About Howlin' Wolf"/>