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.
Who Will Be Next
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
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Who'd be the next one, baby you tear apart
Blessed be your heart, cursed be your name
Blessed be your heart, cursed be your name
Who'd be the next one darlin', that you'd put to shame?
Will it be the one, give you his gold
Babe I'll forget my pride, just to keep you by my side.
Cheat if you want to darlin', treat me unkind
Cheat if you want to darlin', treat me unkind
Come back and love me, when you can find a little time.
The lyrics to Howlin' Wolf's song "Who Will Be Next" seem to be addressing a woman who has a history of hurting men and tearing them apart emotionally. The singer is aware of her past behavior and wonders who will be the next victim of her cruelty. Despite acknowledging her actions, the singer also expresses his love for her and his willingness to overlook her flaws, asking her to return to him if she ever finds the time.
The lines "Blessed be your heart, cursed be your name" show the conflict within the singer's emotions towards the woman. On one hand, he recognizes that she has a good heart, but on the other hand, her actions have caused him pain and he cannot help but curse her name. The lines "Will it be the one, give you his gold, or will it be the young one, take all you hope" indicate that the woman may be motivated by material things or power, and that she is willing to manipulate and use men to get what she wants.
The final lines of the song "Cheat if you want to darlin', treat me unkind, come back and love me, when you can find a little time" demonstrate the singer's desperation for the woman's affection. He is willing to endure mistreatment from her, as long as she promises to eventually return to him.
Line by Line Meaning
Who will you hurt next, how will you start
Who is your next target to hurt and how do you plan on doing it?
Who'd be the next one, baby you tear apart
Who is the unlucky person that you will tear apart soon?
Blessed be your heart, cursed be your name
I bless your heart, but your actions are so terrible that your name is cursed.
Who'd be the next one darlin', that you'd put to shame?
Sweetheart, who is the next person you will humiliate and put to shame?
Will it be the one, give you his gold
Is the person who gives you his gold the next one you will hurt?
Or will it be the young one, take all you hope
Or is the young one who you will destroy by taking away all their hope?
Babe I'll forget my pride, just to keep you by my side.
My love for you is so deep that I am willing to forget my pride just to be with you.
Cheat if you want to darlin', treat me unkind
You can cheat and treat me badly if you want, my love for you will stay the same.
Come back and love me, when you can find a little time.
Even though you are hurting me, I’ll still love you and wait for you until you find a little time to come back to me.
Contributed by Olivia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mikey Polstein
One of the greatest master's of this genre.
Sherry the gypsy Salzman
killing me