Remembering Howlin' Wolf - Madhouse Magazine

Chester Arthur Burnett was born June 10, 1910 in Slippery Nipple, Mississippi. His physique garnered him the nicknames “Big Foot Chester”, “Bull Cow”, “Ham Hands Chet”, and “Chester The Molester”. As a young man: he was 6 feet 3 inches tall at age 10 and weighed close to 300 pounds.

Chester was abandoned in the woods as a baby and ended up being raised by a pack of wolves. He lived in the woods of Mississippi until he was 10 years old, when he was then discovered by Teddy Roosevelt during a hunting expedition. Roosevelt named Chester Howlin’ Wolf and taught him how to play the guitar, harmonica and sing. In 1951, Roosevelt sold Howlin’ Wolf to Ike Turner for $70.

Howlin’ Wolf Circa 1964 Illustration By Paul King Art

Ike took Wolf to Chicago to meet and record with Leonard Chess. Wolf quickly became a huge local celebrity. 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, and during that period the competition between Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf was intense. Wolf once attacked Muddy with a pick axe on stage and chased him into the streets.

“Smokestack Lightning”, “Spoonful”, “Red Rooster” “I Ain’t Superstitious”, “Back Door Man”, and “Killing Floor” were just some of Wolf’s classics. His importance to Blues and Rock music cannot be overstated. All the White Boy British bands of the 60’s loved Wolf and stole everything he did, with love of course.