[Harp-L] Re: Howlin' Wolf



Hey formerly known as Smo-Joe:

Hope that this just isn't to bait us lurkers out of the closet, but that you really haven't been exposed to the aura of THE definitive example of what the blues is all about.  There is no music in existance that best exemplifies the genre than what Howlin' Wolf's various bands put out on record.  They were esquisite bluesmen and, yep, waayyy popular in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s by those enamored with the soul of the music.

Not gonna get into a big spiel here, but, yeah, he did play a bit of harp.  Great harp, with great tone--that made a statement, was to the point and was essential to the song.  He, along with Muddy Waters, WAS/IS/ALWAYS will be the definition of Chicago Blues.  

His vocal style was rough and tough, much like his main influence--Charley Patton (one of the deep wells from which the music sprang), but it is a style that is one of the most emulated in the blues.  Takes some awhile to acquire a taste or appreciation for what either of these men put out there, but once it seeps in--it ain't coming back out and you can't rub it off.  It is blues that is more than skin deep.

Pick up Wolf's '50s and early '60s recordings for his harp work.  Pick up Moanin' At Midnight-The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf by Jame Segrest and Mark Hoffman as an essential read of the great bluesman's life.  As a Wolf fan, I was a little dissappointed by the film that you mentioned, but there just is not much out there documented on film and they did the best with what they had.  Kind of a shame, that more documentation is not available.  Then, again, I think my first exposure to music on film wasn't until the Woodstock festival film was released.  

Well, anyway, the bottom line is that to understand the blues, you've got to try to understand the Howlin' Wolf.

See ya--
The Bushman



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