With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "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." A number of songs written or popularized by Burnett—such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful"—have become blues and blues rock standards.
At 6 feet, 6 inches (198 cm) and close to 300 pounds (136 kg), he was an imposing presence with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. This rough-edged, slightly fearsome musical style is often contrasted with the less crude but still powerful presentation of his contemporary and professional rival, Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Little Walter Jacobs, and Muddy Waters are usually regarded in retrospect as the greatest blues artists who recorded for Chess in Chicago. Sam Phillips once remarked, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'" In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #51 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Burnett died at Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois on January 10, 1976 and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Hillside, Cook County, Illinois in a plot in Section 18, on the east side of the road. His large gravestone, allegedly purchased by Eric Clapton, has an image of a guitar and harmonica etched into it.
The Howlin' Wolf Memorial Blues Festival is held each year in West Point, Mississippi. Wolf's Juke Joint Jam is another annual Howlin' Wolf tribute festival held in West Point. Some of the artists who have played 'Wolf Jam' include Wolf's lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters' back band of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and "Steady Rollin" Bob Margolin, Willie King, Blind Mississippi Morris, Kenny Brown, Burnside Exploration, etc. The festival is held at the 500-acre (2.0 km2) festival grounds known as Waverly Waters Resort.
A popular music venue in New Orleans, Louisiana was named The Howlin' Wolf when it opened in 1988.
Burnett was portrayed by Eamonn Walker in the 2008 motion picture Cadillac Records.
Hard Luck
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
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Highway is my home and I'd rather be dead
I'm walking Lord I don't have nowhere to go
The road I'm traveling on oh the road is mighty cold
I have a lot of trouble sometime I can cry
I have a lot of trouble sometime I can cry
My mama dead and gone
Nobody in this world to call my own
I need help bad time on the way
I'm walkin' Lord I don't have nowhere to go
But the road I'm travelin' on
You know the road is mighty cold
I have a lot of worries sometime I can cry
Lord I got a lot of worries sometime I can cry
Going to my mama's grave for no tombstone and died
The lyrics to Howlin' Wolf's song "Hard Luck" paint a vivid picture of a man who has hit rock bottom. He describes his situation as having rocks for a pillow and the cold ground for his bed. He has no place to call home except for the highway he travels on, which he describes as "mighty cold." The man is alone in the world, with his mother dead and gone and no one else to call his own. He has had troubled times and has cried about them, with the weight of his worries weighing heavily on him. He attempted to find comfort in religion and prayer but he feels that even that is not enough to help him through the hard times. The man is struggling and feels as though he has nowhere to turn.
The lyrics of the song are powerful in their simplicity, conveying the raw emotion and hopelessness of the singer. The repetition of the phrase "I have a lot of trouble sometimes I can cry" and "I have a lot of worries sometimes I can cry" emphasizes the man's helplessness and despair. Through these lyrics, Howlin' Wolf portrays the harsh realities faced by many African Americans in the early 20th century, who were subject to racism and poverty.
Line by Line Meaning
Well rocks is my pillow cold ground is my bed
I sleep on rocks and the ground is my bed.
Highway is my home and I'd rather be dead
I have no home, only the highway, and I'd rather be dead than live like this.
I'm walking Lord I don't have nowhere to go
I'm walking without a destination.
The road I'm traveling on oh the road is mighty cold
The path I'm on is lonely and difficult.
I have a lot of trouble sometime I can cry
I face many problems that make me want to cry.
My mama dead and gone
My mother has passed away.
Nobody in this world to call my own
I have no one in this world who belongs to me.
Well I tried to get religion Learn how to pray
I attempted to become religious and to learn how to pray.
I need help bad time on the way
I need help badly as difficult times are coming.
I'm walkin' Lord I don't have nowhere to go
I'm moving aimlessly without a destination.
But the road I'm travelin' on
But the journey I'm on
You know the road is mighty cold
It's challenging and lonely.
I have a lot of worries sometime I can cry
I worry a lot that sometimes it makes me cry.
Lord I got a lot of worries sometime I can cry
I have many worries that sometimes make me cry.
Going to my mama's grave for no tombstone and died
I'll end up like my mother, buried without a tombstone when I die.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHESTER BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Todd George
baddest blues man ever!