Smokestack Lightnin' - Music
Smokestack Lightnin' by Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Artist Biography For Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett June 10 1910 In White Station Mississippi United States – January 10 1976 In Hines Illinois United States Known As Howlin' Wolf Was An Influential American Blues Singer Guitarist And Harmonica Player. 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.
Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Smokestack Lightnin'
Howlin'-Wolf - His Best
Based On One Riff And No Chord Changes Smokestack Lightning Has Been Called "a Distillation Of The Essence Of The Blues". It Was Loosely Was Based On "Crying At Daybreak" Another Earlier Recorded Song By Wolf Which Was Based On "Moon Going Down" By Charley Patton. Wolf Said The Song Was Inspired By Watching Trains In The Night "We Used To Sit Out In The Country And See The Trains Go By Watch The Sparks Come Out Of The Smokestack. That Was Smokestack Lightning." In Britain In 1964 Pye International Records Issued "Smokestack Lightning" As A Single And It Reached The Top 50. In 1999 The Record Was Given A Grammy Hall Of Fame Award Honoring Its Lasting Historical Significance. The Song Is Ranked #285 On The Rolling Stone Magazine's List Of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. In 1998 Hubert Sumlin Who Played Guitar On Wolf's Original Version Of The Song Released The Album I Know You Which Featured A Song Called "Smokestack". It Features The Same Riff As "Smokestack Lightning" But With Different Lyrics. The Lyrics On "Smokestack" Were Done In The Style Of John Lee Hooker Which Is More Of A Spoken Word Than Singing With A Rhyme Scheme. The Song Has Been Covered Numerous Times By Various Artists Including Muddy Waters Jimmy Rogers The Rolling Stones The Yardbirds John Mayer The Animals Mike Harrison The Grateful Dead Bob Dylan The Who The Electric Prunes Lynyrd Skynyrd Soundgarden Lester Butler Quicksilver Messenger Service And George Thorogood. Soul Coughing's Song "Down To This" Features A Sample Of The Original Version. Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Susie Q" Uses The Riff From This Song. The Kaleidoscope US Band Used The Riff And Distinctive Howl On The Tune 'A Beacon From Mars' On Their 1967 Album Of The Same Name. Because The Original Lyrics Did Not Feature Much Of A Rhyme Scheme And Included A Howl By The Wolf It Was Often Reworked.The Yardbirds First Covered It On Their Debut Five Live Yardbirds With Slightly Rewritten Lyrics Not Including The Howl. On The Yardbirds' BBC Sessions The Lyrics Were Rewritten Completely.
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Biography - Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett June 10 1910 In White Station Mississippi United States – January 10 1976 In Hines Illinois United States Known As Howlin' Wolf Was An Influential American Blues Singer Guitarist And Harmonica Player. 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.
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16 Similar Artists To Howlin' Wolf - Frogtoon Music
Muddy Waters Elmore James Little Walter John Lee Hooker Lightnin' Hopkins Jimmy Reed Sonny Boy Williamson Bo Diddley Sonny Boy Williamson II Albert King Willie Dixon Freddie King Magic Sam Slim Harpo Robert Johnson Junior Wells.
Based on one riff and no chord changes, Smokestack Lightning has been called "a distillation of the essence of the blues". It was loosely was based on "Crying at Daybreak", another earlier recorded song by Wolf which was based on "Moon Going Down" by Charley Patton. Wolf said the song was inspired by watching trains in the night: "We used to sit out in the country and see the trains go by, watch the sparks come out of the smokestack. That was smokestack lightning."
In Britain in 1964, Pye International Records issued "Smokestack Lightning" as a single and it reached the Top 50. In 1999, the record was given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award honoring its lasting historical significance. The song is ranked #285 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In 1998, Hubert Sumlin, who played guitar on Wolf's original version of the song, released the album I Know You which featured a song called "Smokestack". It features the same riff as "Smokestack Lightning", but with different lyrics. The lyrics on "Smokestack" were done in the style of John Lee Hooker, which is more of a spoken word than singing with a rhyme scheme.
The song has been covered numerous times by various artists including Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, John Mayer, The Animals, Mike Harrison, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Who, The Electric Prunes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Soundgarden, Lester Butler, Quicksilver Messenger Service and George Thorogood. Soul Coughing's song "Down to This" features a sample of the original version. Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Susie Q" uses the riff from this song. The Kaleidoscope (US band) used the riff and distinctive howl on the tune 'A Beacon From Mars' on their 1967 album of the same name.
Because the original lyrics did not feature much of a rhyme scheme and included a howl by the Wolf, it was often reworked.The Yardbirds first covered it on their debut, Five Live Yardbirds with slightly rewritten lyrics, not including the howl. On The Yardbirds' BBC Sessions, the lyrics were rewritten completely. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.