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.
Wang-Dong-Doodle
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell Butcher Knife Totin' Annie, tell Fast Talking Fanny
A we gonna pitch a ball, a down to that union hall
We gonna romp and tromp till midnight
We gonna fuss and fight till daylight
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
All night long
All night long
Tell Kudu-Crawlin' Red, tell Abyssinian Ned
Tell ol' Pistol Pete, everybody gonna meet
Tonight we need no rest, we really gonna throw a mess
We gonna to break out all of the windows
We gonna kick down all the doors
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
Tell Fats and Washboard Sam that everybody gonna to jam
Tell Shaky and Boxcar Joe, we got sawdust on the floor
Tell Peg and Caroline Dye, we gonna have a time
When the fish scent fill the air
There'll be snuff juice everywhere
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
The song "Wang-Dang-Doodle" by Howlin' Wolf is an upbeat and energetic song which captures the essence of a wild party. The lyrics are a call to all the party attendees, as the singer tells everyone to tell their friends and loved ones and bring them to the union hall. The lyrics of the song frame the party as an all-night event with no rest, as everyone is expected to stay up and have a great time.
The song prominently features the phrase "pitch a wang dang doodle," which refers to a wild and exciting party. The lyrics suggest that the party will be full of lively activities, including romping, tromping, fussing, and fighting. The party-goers are also instructed to break out all of the windows and kick down all the doors, which suggests that this party might not be an entirely legal affair. The song paints a picture of a wild and raucous night, full of music, dancing, and general mayhem.
In conclusion, the song "Wang-Dang-Doodle" is a classic blues song that has stood the test of time. The energetic beat, excellent vocal delivery, and catchy lyrics make this song an all-time favorite. The song's lyrics paint a vivid picture of a wild and raucous party, full of lively activities, and it is easy to see why this song has become synonymous with wild fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell Automatic Slim , tell Razor Totin' Jim
Spread the word to Automatic Slim and Razor Totin' Jim
Tell Butcher Knife Totin' Annie, tell Fast Talking Fanny
Also spread the word to Butcher Knife Totin' Annie and Fast Talking Fanny
A we gonna pitch a ball, a down to that union hall
We will all gather at the union hall to party
We gonna romp and tromp till midnight
We will dance wildly and energetically until midnight
We gonna fuss and fight till daylight
We will argue and quarrel until the sun comes up
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
We will have an extremely wild and crazy party all night long
Tell Kudu-Crawlin' Red, tell Abyssinian Ned
Spread the word to Kudu-Crawlin' Red and Abyssinian Ned too
Tell ol' Pistol Pete, everybody gonna meet
Also tell Pistol Pete that everyone will be there
Tonight we need no rest, we really gonna throw a mess
We don't need to sleep tonight, we will have a very wild party
We gonna to break out all of the windows
We will smash all the windows
We gonna kick down all the doors
We will kick down all the doors
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
We will keep the wild party going all night long
Tell Fats and Washboard Sam that everybody gonna to jam
Spread the word to Fats and Washboard Sam that everyone will be playing music
Tell Shaky and Boxcar Joe, we got sawdust on the floor
Also tell Shaky and Boxcar Joe that there is sawdust on the floor
Tell Peg and Caroline Dye, we gonna have a time
Finally, tell Peg and Caroline Dye that we will have a great time
When the fish scent fill the air
When the smell of fish is in the air
There'll be snuff juice everywhere
People will be spitting tobacco juice everywhere
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
We will keep the wild party going all night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lozalolliepop7
Tell automatic slim
Tell razor totin' jim
Tell butcher knife totin' annie
Tell fast talkin' fanny
Tonite we're gonna pitch a ball
Down to that union hall
Gonna romp and tromp 'till midnite
We're gonna fuss and fight 'till daylight
We're gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
Tell poodle I'll tell him here
Tell albert I'll see him near
Tell old pistol pete
Everybody gonna meet
Tonite we need no rest
We're really gonna throw a mess
We're gonna break out all the windows
Gonna kick down all the doors
We're gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
Tell fats and washboard sam
That everybody's gonna jam
Just shake it boxcar joe
We got sawdust on the floor
Tell chicken head till I die
We're gonna have a time
When the fish head fills the air
Be snuff juice everywhere
We're gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
@quintenvlecken4531
Tell Automatic Slim , tell Razor-Totin' Jim
Tell Butcher Knife-Totin' Annie, tell Fast-Talking Fanny
We gonna pitch a ball, down to that union hall
We gonna romp and tromp till midnight
We gonna fuss and fight till daylight
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
Tell Kudu-Crawlin' Red, tell Abyssinian Ned
Tell ol' Pistol Pete, everybody gonna meet
Tonight we need no rest, we really gonna throw a mess
We gonna to break out all of the windows
We gonna kick down all the doors
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
All night long
All night long
All night long, all night long
All night long
Tell Fats and Washboard Sam that everybody gonna jam
Tell Shaky and Boxcar Joe, we got sawdust on the floor
Tell Peg and Caroline Dye, we gonna have a time
When the fish scent fill the air
There'll be snuff juice everywhere
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
All night long
@darioschaeffer5513
130k people still know who Howlin' Wolf is. That's awesome
@BostonHollyAndSnoop
We listened to all the real Bluesmen throughout the many years we spent partying, instead of studying, @ B.U. 1972++.
@blujazz10000
Makes the hair stand up on my neck! Electrifying.
Blues goosebumps.
@claywright1100
Hubert Sumlin breaking out windows with that stinging/ringing guitar.
@johnjeffire
This is the Wolf's best take on this classic.
@cedricrust9953
You can really hear where Captain Beefheart got his vocal inspirations from in this one
@BostonHollyAndSnoop
My immediate thought, as well !!
@ophergoodwin9236
Willie Dixon wrote some genius songs for Howlin' Wolf and he did them all justice!
@prltqdf9
ingenious songs
@berachtdorian6191
And yet Wolf insisted that it was his own songs that he sang best...