WULF Howlin '(Chester Arthur Burnett)

Real Name: Chester Arthur Bernett (Chester Arthur Burnett)
. Born: June 10, 1910 at West Point, Massachusetts (West Point, MS)
. Died: Jan. 10, 1976 in Hines, Illinois (Hines, IL)
. Genre: Blues
. Style: Electric Chicago Blues
. Instruments: vocals, guitar, harmonica
. Label: Chess (22), MCA / Chess (9), Charly (5), Sound Solutions (3), Vogue (2), New Rose (2), MCA Special Products (2),

. "When I heard him, I said: this is for me
. This is, . what the soul of man never dies: He, . used, . I sat, . craning their beetle-crusher, . so do not go, . naigryvaya something on the harmonica, . and I tell you: the best show, . which can be found today - this is one of those gatherings Burnett in my studio,
. You should have seen this passion in his face when he sang: And he sang damn soul. "

. These emotional memories remained in Memphis recording studio director of Sun Records, Sam Phillips (Sam Phillips) from the first meeting with Howlin 'Wolf in 1950
. Togo of the director of the studio itself, which "were written, then Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison: Then in the 50th, Wolfe was already a blues authority, had a broad background, and even led his show at the local Radio. Yes, and knocked him to the then already forty. But before the studio got just now.

And it all began as much in 1910, 10 June, when a farmer Doc Barnett and his wife Gertrude was born next child, fiance Chester (Chester Arthur Burnett). West Point, Mississippi - this is a blessed place in the sun, where it happened. Enough there and the sun, and work on cotton plantations. Enough and relocations from place to place - typical of farm families - in search of bread posytnee. When Chester turns 13, the family moved to the Mississippi Delta plantation near Ruleville. Musical Experience "difficult child", as has already been dubbed Chester, at that time was reduced to singing in a Baptist church on Sundays. Five years later, his father, hardly aware of the seriousness of the moment, will provide his first guitar. Around the same time, Burnett Jr., met with the legendary Charlie Patton (Charlie Patton), bluesy "pillar" of the time.

"With this man for me started," - recalled Barnett, - "He instilled in me such tastes. I asked him to teach me and in the evenings after work began to come to him ". That Patton introduced him to the basics of the Delta blues style. Besides, . Chester Patton have borrowed something from the, . what is called "doing the show", . namely, the demeanor on stage, . many of those tricks - falling down on my knees, . crawling on all fours, . screams and howls, . lying on his back, . - Which will then be well to impress the audience at the concerts of the Barnett.,

. But then
. And while the case was limited to occasional appearances in local eatery, at parties, or simply on the streets. About to give up farming and to engage seriously in music, speech, had not yet passed.

In 1933 the family moved again. At this time the plantation Nat Phillips', in Arkansas. There Barnett will face a "landmark" meeting with another blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson (Sonny Boy Williamson, present. name - Alex Miller), who in turn teaches him to play the harmonica. Later, the couple skooperiruetsya and, forgetting the serious responsibilities of farm life, go rolling around on the Delta. (More - more. The musicians will be almost no kinship, tk. Williamson marries a half-sister Mary Burnett). Audience standard - bars, streets: During these trips the way Burnett often crossed paths with almost every notable bluesmen of that time, and soon he was "widely known in narrow circles" Mississippi musicians. Married - by that time again. And if the first marriage was a passing fad, then the second, with Miss Lily Handley (Lillie Handley), was union for life.

. Even then, he has earned from his colleagues nicknames one another eloquent - Bull Cow (husky), Big Foot (Yeti)
. Indeed, inconspicuous figure Barnett was not. With the growth of 6 feet 6 inches and weighing under 300 pounds, he stood out against the backdrop of the surrounding. From modesty, too, not suffered, and his unbridled temper, deliberately wildly habits, coupled with expressive appearance attracted attention in any company. Many (even competitors), he inspired respect, some - awe. Shayns Johnny (Johnny Shines) - one of the musicians with whom Barnett worked in those days - compared him with wild beasts, and confessed that for the first time, even afraid to lend a hand to him.

. Person with dimensions on the scene instantly memorable
. But the main feature, which Barnett forever "staked" a place in the blues Hall of Fame, was and remains his inimitable voice. "Out of the uterine depth", "bubbling and roaring, guttural, fierce, piercing - you can endlessly pick epithets for the fact that, once heard, is with anything you will not confuse. His aggressive vocal style, a combination of low enveloping vocal range with faltsetnymi howling, a cooling blood, strikes the imagination and still breeds a lot of imitators. This so "savage" stirred the audience Mississippi backwoods, with varying success until 1941, when Barnett came turn to step up protection of the homeland. The times were turbulent, but Chester was lucky - in military actions against Nazi Germany, he did not participate, although he served in the Army from bell to bell (1941-1945 gg.). After demobilization he returned to their homes and even a couple of years returned to his farming. But for a long time to make a stern farmer's way of "the soul of a poet" could not. By 1948, he made his own "electric" band - Junior Parker, James Cotton, Matt Murphy, Pat Hare, Willie Johnson - and once again took up the old.

. If you can talk about some kind of off in a relatively flat Burnett's career, he has it at this time
. Only 38 years old the first time he really falls chance - it was proposed to work in the West Memphis disc jockey on radio station KWEM, focused largely on blacks audience. And Barnett is already in there all run by its own 30-timinutnym show, which alternates advertising crops and farming equipment. The success of the show contributes to the fact that it even offered a job leading advertising agent in the local "general store". During this combined work - day in the shop, in the evening on the radio - it firmly adheres to the new nickname. From now on it once and for always Howlin 'Wolf, wolf howling Delta - characterization could not be more suitable for his manner of singing, boundless energy and sexual bravado on stage.

. Radio - the thing is democratic, accessible to all, and soon the show Wolf gets in the field of view (rather - hearing) is already mentioned by Sam Phillips
. For Wulff opened the door of his studio, where he recorded his debut single, "Moanin 'at Midnight" / "How Many More Years" with Ike Turner (Ike Turner) on the piano and Willie Johnson on guitar. Phillips realized that despite the hit of these things, the forces on their promotion he did not have enough, and decided to sell profitable. Enterprising Sam suggested writing to two companies - Los Angeles-based RPM, ownership brothers Bihari (Bihari), and Chicago's "Chess Records", project no less ambitious brothers Chess. Between companies occurred even something like a long "showdown" for the single. In the end, the disc was released on RPM, but it had the rights to "Chess Records", which in the end and get $ Wulff. In exchange RPM got some Rosco Gordon. Wolfe, quite been met in Los Angeles, went all the same in Chicago. "The only one who escaped from the South like a gentleman," - talked about it Colleagues. In the yard at that time was already autumn of 1952.

Brothers Chess is not in vain so persistently lured Wulff in his camp. Record, for which was broken so many copies, went on to sell 60 thousand - a very respectable figure for that time. Subsequently, Wolf remained faithful to "Chess" by the end of his career.

Self-confident, dignified, with a contract in his pocket, Howlin 'Wolf, dipped in the atmosphere to saturation fifties Chicago. The fact that she was from a represented, have repeatedly written, including in the pages of this publication. However, a word from an eyewitness. Samlin Hubert (Hubert Sumlin), guitarist, whom Woolf pulled with him from Memphis, and which since 1956 has been a permanent member of his band until his last days: "Music in Chicago sounded better, with greater candor. It was just the blues. It's impossible to modernize too: Tradition came from New Orleans, from Tennessee, Arkansas - we have there been different sound from anywhere. When we got to Chicago, there were all these guys from New Orleans, from Mississippi, the guys from the South - then all gathered in one place. Everyone played their. We also had a couple of chords, this couple: It took me a while to develop a style. Had a lot to learn. "

Have something to learn Wolfe, who himself could teach anyone, is unknown. However, the musical climate of Chicago, dating from the musicians who were gathered under the wing of "Chess Records" and advocated "new style" - a hard, dense, sometimes even fierce electric blues - could not affect the Wolf. Nevertheless, southern blues roots are still deep, and he was quite reluctant to adjust to the times. Much more reluctant than the same Muddy Waters (Muddy Waters), the age-old colleague-rival Wulff. Arguments about which of these two "cooler" is not rife in those days. This issue is a matter of debate even now. The musicians were never too warm, but so banal confrontations are not an issue - with difficulty, they still recognized the authority of each other. But the rivalry was uncovered, and the palm is not always going to the Wolfe. Even loyal Hubert Samlin somehow could not resist and ran to Waters. Yes, and how not to run away, if that same Waters earn at first could be three times larger than that of Wulff. And he has toured across the country, while the audience is still only limited Wulff Chicago and its environs. However Samlin soon returned to his old patron and longer running nowhere. But how to compare Wolf and Waters "gray cardinal blues", . by practically all the gold fund blues, . bassist Willie Dixon (Willie Dixon): "Muddy - the type of personality, . whom you can trust any texts, . as he says, . fast in the teaching,
. Woolf - this should not give too much text, because it it is still perekoverkaet. And if even sing properly, you still are not so meaningful. "However, the inexhaustible repertoire Dixon is more than enough not only for these two. In his article "parasitic" all and sundry, until our days. And if such undeniable hits, . as "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I Just Want to Make Love to You" got Waters, . Wolf Dixon then gave at least downhole "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy", . "Wang-Dang-Doodle", . "Back Door Man" and countless more "netlenki",
. To complete the theme of the uneasy relationship between Waters and Wolf together again at the Hubert Samlina: "After many years at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, somewhere in the seventies, something happened, something I had never seen before. They met - they were both sick. They met and began to cuddle, and sent his musicians to have a heart. Finally decided. This was the first time I saw these guys together. It was like a reunion, to return home. They were drinking beer, hugging and crying, behaving like children: "Such a moment of truth here.

For 50's - early 60's primary for the Wolf is his work in Chicago clubs such as "708" and "Syvio's Lounge". Preserved the memories of eyewitnesses, describing the Wolf "in": "His eyes burned and almost crawled out of their sockets: He opened his huge mouth and started to sing. Lips almost twisted around a microphone, and it seemed to eat it now. Wolf looked weird enough to do it. During the singing he was not the case before the public, to his musicians. He was really furious when he sang. "

Wolf is also active in the studio. In 1956-1957 years have seen the peak of its popularity in terms of sales drives. Recording such hits as "Smokestack Lightnin '" and "Killing Floor" with guitarists Willie Johnson and Hubert Samlinom, Hoshi Lee Kennard (Hosea Lee Kennard) for piano, Dixon on bass and Earl Filliplom (Earl Phillips) on drums. Kennard and Samlin - personality, in many ways ensured the records of the period Wulff their unique sound. Guitar passages Samlina as well as possible combined with vulfovskim voice, his howls and moans. Around the same time recorded "Howlin 'For My Baby", "Wang-Dang-Doodle" and "Shake For Me" with the participation of such distinguished pianists as Otis Spann (Otis Spann) and Johnny Jones (Johnny Johns).

. The sixties brought the era of the undivided rule of rock 'n' roll
. However, at this time Wolfe has managed not only to keep its audience, but to expand its. He not only actively tours the U.S.. In 1964, when there is a significant surge of interest in traditional blues, Wolf, first arrived in Europe, the UK, as part of chessovskogo "Shaw revival of the blues" and no further visits to this hospitable continent. To his great surprise, he found that all of these wildly popular white guys like "Rolling Stones", "Yardbirds" and the like in the whole record and popularize "his" music. The paradox, but he, one of the founding fathers of the new "postwar" blues, often to serve as the opening act for these greenhorns, that nearly any of his grandchildren were good.

. With Stones' Wolf even gets on British television, a teenager Shindig television show
. The role of the Stones in the popularization of the blues on British soil has eloquently outlined the Muddy Waters: "Before the" Rolling Stones "people did not know anything about me and did not want to know anything. I did so-called "continuous" record. But there Stones, the other English team, began play this music, and now the kids are buying my records and listen to them. "Incidentally, Waters and Wolf were not always so favorable to his followers. Nevertheless, in 1971 published "London Sessions", an album in the record which involved Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts.

. In general, the influence of the Chicago blues tradition in the development of rock music - a topic for separate discussion
. It has not been spared virtually no one famous rocker new time. Besides the already mentioned "Rolling Stones", the impact on their creativity Wulff admitted "The Animals", Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and many others. Same Morrison of "The Doors" on their debut album in 1967, not yelling something, and "Back Door Man", the creation Dixon - Barnett.

From the studio work this time Wolf is primarily to provide his second LP, the album "Howlin 'Wolf". This is a classic assembly of the 12 songs, recorded at different times, from the very beginning of his experiments recordings. In the picture on the envelope of the plate, he became known to the public under the name "Rocking Chair Album". Interesting view of the Wolf on this album. It is very brief: "dogshit" (Bullshit). Well, perhaps he was with which to compare. However, for most fans, this record is vulfovskogo anthologies of blues, giving the most complete picture of his work for nearly two decades of studio work.

. Wolf remains constantly on tour, but health begins to take
. Almost all of them with absolute precision reminiscent of the plot, described in his own song "Goin 'Down Slow": "I was pretty amused - even if not oklemayus. My health is weakening. I quietly dohozhu. "Wulf suffers from chronic kidney pain, and even avoided to speak in cities where there are no dialysis machines. But after exhausting every such procedure, he again hastened to concerts. By the end of 1975, he had finally exhausted. Several heart attacks, a recently discovered cancer: Wulff placed in the Veterans Administration Hospital, Chicago. January 10, 1976, he was gone.