The Grave of Howlin Wolf, Blues Legend

Chester Arthur Burnett (06-10-1910 - 01-10-1976) was a Blues musician who was professionally known as Howlin Wolf. He was born in West Point, Mississippi. Wolf was given his nicknamed by his grandfather, who scolded him for chocking chickens, saying the wolves would come for him. As a child, he sang in the White Station Baptist church choir where his uncle Will Young was a preacher.


When Wolf was a young teenager, he left home to rejoin his father Dock who separated from his mother when Wolf was one. Wolf's father bought him his first guitar. It was while living with his father on the Young-Morrow that Wolf became enthralled with the Blues. His father soon bought Wolf his first guitar, and Wolf took lessons Charley Patton who lived at a neighboring plantation. He also took harmonica lessons from Sonny Boy Williamson II.

Throughout the 1930's, Wolf played solo sets throughout the South, as well as with future legends Honeyboy Edwards, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Robert Johnson, Robert Lockwood Jr., and Son House.

In 1941, Wolf was drafted by the U.S. Army and discharged in 1943 after suffering from a nervous breakdown. He moved to Tennessee with a girlfriend but moved back home in 1945 after she had a nervous breakdown. When Wolf wasn't playing throughout the South, he'd be back at home helping his father on the plantation.

In 1948, Wolf formed a group with Matt "Guitar" Murphy and Willie Johnson on guitars, Junior Parker and James Cotton on harmonica, and Willie Steele on drums. KWEM based out of West Memphis, Arkansas would broadcast their live shows.

In 1951, Wolf caught his big break when Ike Turner brought him to Sam Phillip's Memphis Recording Service where he recorded "Moanin' at Midnight" and "How Many More Years." Phillips licensed the two recordings to Chess Records as he had yet to form Sun Records. Wolf recorded several other songs for Phillips who licensed them to Chess as well as RPM Records. By the end of 1952, Wolf had ceased recording for Phillips and relocated to Chicago, Illinois.

Wolf would form a new band when he came to Chicago. He first recruited guitarist Jody Williams and about a year later convinced Hubert Sumlin to join the band. While Wolf would bring in other guitarists, Sumlin would for the most part remain in the band until Wolf's death.

While under contract to Chess Records, Wolf wrote and recorded "Smokestack Lightning," and "Killing Floor." Willie Dixon would also pen material for him such as "Backdoor Man," "Evil," "Little Red Rooster," and many others. All of these became Blues standards and Wolf's material has been covered by countless groups including The Doors, Cream, The Rolling Stones, and the Yardbirds.

Wolf continued to play clubs around the United States and would tour Europe and The United Kingdom during the Blues Revival of the 1960's, playing on the American Folk Blues Festival, and appearing on the UK tv show Shindig! at the urging of the Rolling Stones who had a #1 hit with their cover of "Little Red Rooster."


Wolf's health began to deteriorate in the late 1960's. He suffered from several heart attacks and injured his kidneys in a car accident in 1970. As a result, he would cut back on his touring and the number of songs he would play in a performance. Wolf recorded his last album The Back Door Wolf in 1973. His last public performance was at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago on November 7, 1975, on a bill that included B.B. King, Albert King and Luther Allison.

In early 1976, Wolf checked into the hospital for kidney surgery. He passed away from complications on the 10th of January 1976. He is buried at Oakridge-Glen Oak Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. Local legend has it that Eric Clapton paid for the headstone. Wolf was posthumously elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.