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.
I Don't Know
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No I didn't know, baby you was out last night
Well I do know, you don't treat me right
I didn't know, you was ridin' him in my car last night
No I didn't know, you was ridin' him in my car last night
Well I do know darling, you don't treat me right
I didn't know, you was down in New Orleans last night
No I didn't know, you was in New Orleans last night
I didn't know, you was lovin' somebody else
No I didn't know, babe you was lovin' somebody else
I didn't know, but I know now
The song "I Didn't Know" by Howlin' Wolf is a blues lamentation about the singer's discovery of his lover's infidelity. The lyrics express the singer's shock and disbelief upon finding out that his lover has been cheating on him. He laments that he was unaware of her unfaithfulness and that she has been treating him badly, and that he has now lost his trust in her. The lines "No I didn't know, baby you was out last night" and "No I didn't know, you was ridin' him in my car last night" show that the singer is shocked and hurt by his lover's actions.
The singer's sense of betrayal and sadness is palpable in lines like "I didn't know, you was down in New Orleans last night" and "I didn't know, babe you was lovin' somebody else". The song is a powerful representation of the pain of infidelity and the destruction it causes to the trust and love between two people.
Overall, "I Didn't Know" is a somber reminder of how relationships can unravel when one partner is unfaithful, and the emotional pain it can cause for the other partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't know, you was out last night baby
I was unaware that you were out of the house last night, my dear.
No I didn't know, baby you was out last night
I had no idea you were out last night, my dear.
Well I do know, you don't treat me right
I have come to realize that you do not treat me fairly, my beloved.
I didn't know, you was ridin' him in my car last night
I was oblivious to the fact that you were in my car with another man last night.
No I didn't know, you was ridin' him in my car last night
I had no idea that you were with another man in my car last night.
Well I do know darling, you don't treat me right
I have come to understand that you are not treating me properly, my sweet.
I didn't know, you was down in New Orleans last night
I was not aware that you had gone to New Orleans last night.
No I didn't know, you was in New Orleans last night
I had no clue that you were in New Orleans last night.
Well I do know sweetheart, you don't treat me nice
I now realize that you are not treating me kindly, my dear.
I didn't know, you was lovin' somebody else
I was not aware that you had fallen in love with another person.
No I didn't know, babe you was lovin' somebody else
I had no idea that you were in love with someone else, my dear.
I didn't know, but I know now
I was ignorant of the situation before, but I am now aware.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHESTER BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Red Svain
Brilliant tune, Bill. I didn't know it, but I know now.
Erlon Boechat
Thank you!
Henry Frost
Brilliant