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.
Little Red Rooster
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too lazy to crow for day
I have a little red rooster
Too lazy to crow for day
Keep everything in the barnyard
Upset in every way
Oh, the dogs begin to bark and the
Oh, the dogs begin to bark
Hound begin to howl
Oh, watch out, strange-kin people 'cause the
Little red rooster's on the prowl
If you see my little red rooster
Please drag him home
If you see my little red rooster
Please drag him home
There's been no peace in the barnyard
Since the little red rooster been gone
Howlin' Wolf's "The Red Rooster" is a song with a barrage of symbolism that speaks about the singer's little red rooster that is too lazy to crow during the day. The rooster is lazy and ineffective, and the lyrics come off as somewhat sarcastic. The rooster is portrayed as a key figure, holding influence within the barnyard, but ironically, the lazy rooster keeps everything in the barnyard upset. The song personifies the rooster's laziness as a means of disrupting the peace in the barnyard, and everyone is upset about it.
The lyrics start off by detailing that the little red rooster is too lazy to crow, and this laziness is causing resentment amongst the other animals in the barnyard. The dogs begin to bark and howl, signifying that something strange or perhaps dangerous is afoot. The singer warns everyone to watch out because the rooster is on the prowl, insinuating that the rooster is up to no good. The message behind the lyrics is that those who are lazy and unproductive can create chaos, and those who are high-strung and active become the watchdogs, always vigilant.
In summary, the meaning of "The Red Rooster" seems to be that even those who are seen as insignificant can create disruption and chaos if they're not doing their job properly. Sometimes the quiet ones cause the most noise.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a little red rooster
I own a small rooster
Too lazy to crow for day
It does not make a sound in the morning
Keep everything in the barnyard
It is the center of attention in the barnyard
Upset in every way
It disturbs and makes all animals restless in the barnyard
Oh, the dogs begin to bark and the
The sound of the rooster causes a reaction in the dogs and
Hound begin to howl
Hounds start to howl in response to the rooster's noise
Oh, watch out, strange-kin people 'cause the
Be cautious, the rooster may cause trouble
Little red rooster's on the prowl
The rooster is wandering around
If you see my little red rooster
If you find my small rooster
Please drag him home
Bring it back to me
There's been no peace in the barnyard
The absence of the rooster has made things quiet in the barnyard
Since the little red rooster been gone
Ever since the rooster disappeared
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Willie Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@phayzyre1052
I don't know why blues speaks to me like it does but it speaks to me like no other style of music can!
@eoj2495
I know what you mean
@stuartsegan2783
very peculiar isn't it; from the first time my buddy (an audiophile) came home from one of the famous so cal record stores with a copy of one of the two RJ records it moved me like nothing else ever had. in all my life (i was 17 at the time!) i hadn't really moved beyond an intellectual appreciation of an art form. blues captured something in me that was very very real. i LOVE music, in the past twenty years my listening hours are devoted to mostly to mid to late 20th century composers - from Schoenberg to Webern to Elliott Carter and a few others. To this day i can lean into the Blues Masters like I'm studying scripture. I will confess that my tastes definitely run toward the "d**k in the dirt" style - never really dug the Chicago Blues and certainly not the more poppy blues. Even my cherished rock bands I always listened more to those with an obvious blues soul - Zeppelin, Stones, White Stripes, Velvet Underground, Joy Division, - Little Red Rooster ranks up there with Whole Lotta Love, Jumpin Jack Flash for iconic intor riff.
@TheBoogie813
Listening to this song on repeat with a bottle of Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch......life is good!!! Howlin will live forever!!!! Pass his legend on to everyone you know...this is American history at it's finest!!!
@mikehollingworth2262
yea craig......u so groovy.....and so eloquent
@nuf294w
Willie Dixon's bass - never intrudes, never underplays, always exactly right for the moment.
@doitnowvideosyeah5841
So if I had better speakers I would hear the bass? Good to know. Woth MP3 s never know
@ChrisMorgan42
@@doitnowvideosyeah5841 it's most prominent in the right channel, check your balance as well maybe
@mikelogan7735
Unfortunately I didn't get to see Howlin Wolf perform!! l got some of his music. I really enjoy listening to him
Now that's the real blues. Rest in ✌️.
@denisethorne3956
Brilliant, so deep, so soulful, so rich. You can just feel the little red rooster strutting his stuff, head popping backwards & forwards, pecking & chilling, surrounded by his barnyard ladies. 🤙🏻