Howlin' Wolf is the second album from the Chicago blues singer/guitarist/harmonicist, Howlin' Wolf.[5] Released in 1962, it is a collection of twelve Chess singles that they previously released between June, 1957 and December, 1961 .[6][7] Because of the illustration on its sleeve (by Don S. Bronstein), the album is often called The Rockin' Chair Album, a nickname even added to the cover on some reissue pressings of the LP.
| Howlin' Wolf | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | January 11, 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 1959–1962 | |||
| Genre | Chicago blues | |||
| Length | 31:57 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Producer | Ralph Bass | |||
| Howlin' Wolf chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Howlin' Wolf | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| Mojo |  [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Legacy and awards
editIn 1966, fellow Chess artist Koko Taylor recorded a cover version of "Wang Dang Doodle" which reached No. 4 on the Billboard's R&B Charts and became a minor crossover hit by making No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8] Earlier in 1963, Sam Cooke released a single of "Little Red Rooster" making No. 7 on the R&B Singles chart and No. 11 on the Hot 100.[9]
In 1964, the Rolling Stones" released "Little Red Rooster" which became the first and only time that a blues record reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart (see Little Red Rooster#Rolling Stones version). In 1966, Cream recorded "Spoonful" on their debut album Fresh Cream and included a live, 17-minute version on their 1968 album Wheels of Fire. In 1969 the songs "Shake for Me" and "Back Door Man" were used in the lyrics to the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love."
In 1985, the album won a Blues Music Award by The Blues Foundation for 'Classics of Blues Recordings—Album'.[10] In 2012, the album was ranked No. 238 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and described as "an outrageous set of sex songs written by Willie Dixon."[11] It was named the third greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine in 2004.[12]
Reissue
editIn 1984, this album was reissued by Chess as CH-9183. The cover picture was changed slightly adding an elliptical logo beneath the album title that reads "CHICAGO 26 Golden years Single Album" and the "Chess LP 1469" trademark was replaced with the "CH-9183" identifier.
Track listing
editAll tracks composed by Willie Dixon; except where indicated
- Side one
- "Shake for Me" – 2:12
- "The Red Rooster" – 2:22
- "You'll Be Mine" – 2:25
- "Who's Been Talkin'" (Howlin' Wolf) – 2:18
- "Wang Dang Doodle" – 2:18
- "Little Baby" – 2:45
- Side two
- "Spoonful" – 2:42
- "Going Down Slow" (St. Louis Jimmy Oden) – 3:18
- "Down in the Bottom" – 2:05
- "Back Door Man" – 2:45
- "Howlin' for My Darlin'" – 2:28
- "Tell Me" (Howlin' Wolf) – 2:52[1]
Personnel
edit- Performers
- Howlin' Wolf – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
- William Johnson – guitar
- Freddy Robinson – guitar
- Jimmy Rogers – guitar
- Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers – guitar
- Hubert Sumlin – guitar
- Jody Williams – guitar
- Henry Gray – piano
- Johnny Jones – piano
- Hosea Lee Kennard – piano
- Lafayette Leake – piano
- Otis Spann – piano
- Willie Dixon – bass, vocals on “Going Down Slow”
- Buddy Guy – bass
- Fred Below – drums
- Junior Blackman – drums
- Sam Lay – drums
- S.P. Leary – drums
- Sammy Lewis – drums
- Earl Phillips – drums
- J. T. Brown – saxophone
- Donald Hankins – baritone saxophone
- Arnold Rogers – tenor saxophone[1]
- Production
- Ralph Bass – producer, sleeve notes
- Ron Malo – engineer
- Don S. Bronstein – cover art, photography
References
edit- ^ a b c Cook, Stephen. "AllMusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
- ^ Brown, Geoff (November 2014), "Howlin' Wolf Howlin' Wolf", Mojo, p. 112
- ^ "223) Howlin' Wolf : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Both Sides Now: Chess Album Discography, Part 1: LP-1425 to LPS-1553, Bsnpubs.com, accessed September 19, 2019
- ^ Wirz' American Music: Howlin' Wolf Discography, Wirz.de, accessed September 19, 2019
- ^ Howlin' Wolf Sessionography, Depanorama.net, accessed September 19, 2019
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Koko Taylor - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942-1988, Records Research, Inc., ISBN 978-0-89820-069-0.
- ^ "The Blues Foundation - Past Hall of Fame Inductees". Blues.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
- ^ "Howlin' Wolf, Rolling Stone Music, Lists". Rollingstone.com. April 5, 2010. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ Barnes, Anthony (21 July 2003). "Hendrix heads list of 100 guitar greats with 'Are You Experienced'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2010.