Chester Arthur Burnett (born 10th June 1910 and died 10th January 1976), known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. With a booming voice and looming physical presence, he is one of the best-known Chicago blues artists.
Learned to play from Charley Patton and later went on to record Patton’s Saddle My Pony in 1959.
Musician and critic Cub Koda noted, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits"; producer Sam Phillips added "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies'".
Several of his songs, such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful" have become blues and blues rock standards.
Howlin' wolf was posthumously inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2003.
