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Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf

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I was sitting with Hubert Sumlin in the Green Room of Jazz Alley last week, when Mark Hoffman peeked through the doorway. The customary mischievous twinkle in his eye was augmented by an excited sense of urgency. In his hands he held a book; not just any book, but one he had written himself. This particular copy was a gift for Hubert, because Hubert had provided a critical link in the book's research. How could anyone write the definitive biography of Howlin' Wolf without consulting the man who'd been Wolf's guitarist for 25 years?

Hubert grinned, Mark bubbled with appreciation. Crisp new pages and a freshly-pressed sepia close-up of a cigarette-puffing Howlin' Wolf on the cover. Someone set the finished product down on the table; that's when I grabbed it and started leafing through. It was impossible to resist.

Moanin' at Midnight, The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf, finally gives the blues world back its missing link. When Howlin' Wolf left this earth in January 1976, he took with him his stories, his imposing presence and his immensely powerful voice. Fortunately, he left behind his recordings, which, for a generation now, are all we've had by which to remember him. Fortunately also, Wolf had many friends and associates who refused to let go of his memory, and were willing to share their recollections with co-authors Hoffman and James Segrest.

Throughout the book, Hoffman and Segrest use words like gargantuan, ferocious and primal to describe Wolf's persona. If you ever were lucky enough to see Wolf perform, you know why. But even the surviving videos are enough to get the point across. It was not only the man's size that was intimidating, it was the way he wrapped his huge and startling voice around a song. It was his big hands dwarfing a guitar neck or reducing a harmonica to relative invisibility. As the equally legendary record producer Sam Phillips remarked the first time he heard Wolf on the radio in 1951, "This is where the soul of man never dies."

Moanin' at Midnight is as thorough as a biography can be, but to Hoffman and Segrest the project was clearly a labor of love. A dozen years, hundreds of hours of interviews, cross-country commutes to glean insights into a personal hero, the relentless pursuit of detail...the devotion is unmistakable, and it shows.

What Hoffman and Segrest have accomplished with their book is nothing short of magnificent. What they have given us, at long last, is the big picture of Chester Arthur Burnett, aka Howlin' Wolf . At 6'3" (some say 6'6") and nearly 300 pounds, Burnett demands a big picture. Wolf was not only a bluesman's bluesman, he really was larger than life.

If you have any doubts, ask Hubert Sumlin.

One thing about music bios. When the subject is an artistic giant, they generally seem compelled to report "new" or "previously unknown" scandals to keep readers interested.

But not this book. The authors have dutifully and truly captured the unique essence of Howlin' Wolf. In short, it is not only the definitive bio of the artist and the man, but it might well rank as one of the best and most loving comprehensive studies of anyone in music.

After decades of listening to Wolf's music, and reading tons o' material about him, I approached this book with no small degree of caution. Would it be tawdry? Would it simply rehash facts? Be another potboiler?

Happily the book is a superlative effort, seemlessly meshing history with artistry.

Do yourself a favor. Read it and enjoy.

For any fan of Howlin' Wolf, this book is a must. It sheds a lot of light on a man that was as complex as he was talented. Wolf learned his craft from blues legends, like Charley Patton, and took the blues he heard when he was a child and molded it into his own sound. With a voice that was truly unique and actually quite flexible, he put everything he had into a song.

It tells the heroic story of a man born in the south in the first decade of the 20th century amid grinding poverty, extreme racial prejudice, and an unhappy childhood, that found his freedom and his place in the world of the traveling blues man. His early life scarred him both physically and emotionally, and it can be heard in his music.

The musical structure of his music could be very simple sometimes, but he put so much heart, so much emotion into it that the music is never boring, never trite. His childhood and life were hard, but his music is not merely a reflection of hard times. It also can reflect the joy he took in his talent and sharing it with people. A totally unique performer and voice in all of music, not just the blues. And a truly unique man.

The book is well written and is easy to read, with many bluesmen telling about their encounters with 'The Wolf'.

Highly recommended!

This book sets a new standard for music biographies, the authors have really done their research. Not only that, Chester almost jumps off the pages so well do they reveal a complex and private man. Descriptions of live performances and studio sessions are finely detailed, due to the numerous interviews the authors conducted with sidemen, producers, fans and family members. Good thing these writers started work on the book many years ago; a number of the interviewees have since died, making this the final word on working/living with the Wolf. Outstanding.

This book is without doubt, an excellent, well-researched and detailed account of the life of Howlin' Wolf. The life of the blues pioneer was one of hardship, sadness, and overcoming adversity, and the authors do a good job of conveying what the Wolf dealt with.

From his hardscrabble upbringing, an abusive and hypocritical father, and mother lost in psychological and religious madness, and just obstacle after obstacle, the Wolf endured, but sometimes I feel never achieved the full happiness he wanted. There's no doubt he loved his family, cared for his bandmates and did his best, but you could tell the sadness that the blues often heals might not have been enough.

There's a good examination here of Wolf's music, his influences and how he managed a signature sound as well as a performance style that blew nearly all the others away. All the same, Wolf was very protective of that sound, demanding of his mates and making sure they did it the way he wanted it done. Sometimes he was overbearing and arrogant, as witnessed by the defection of Hubert Sumlin to the Muddy Waters band. But Hubert later did return, and many would come in and out over the years.

The rift between Waters and Wolf is noted here; was there ever really one, beyond the professional rivalry? It does appear that Wolf saw Waters as a company man, in terms of his relationship with the Chess brothers. Wolf was very careful about his money, making sure the brothers paid him what he was due, while Waters was content to allow the brothers to get him a new car or a home now and then, perhaps a bit too trustful.

But in the end, it does seem they cared about each other and made up any differences near the end of their lives.

I do think there's a certain God-worship by the authors of Wolf. Too much in some places I think, where a writer makes the subject the greatest thing ever, and all others are chaff. Just the same, this is a sometimes funny, often sad look at a great musician, writer and performer, who influenced those who followed, such as the Rolling Stones.

When I hear "Smokestack Lightning" now, I don't hear it quite the way I once did. It has a more sorrowful quality now than ever. RIP, Wolf...you deserve it.

When I was a young kid growing up in Florida my parents brought home an album with a rocking chair on the cover. This is the famous "rocking chair" Howlin' Wolf album. It's probably the best blues album ever recorded, but it goes beyond blues. The arrangements are amazing, the playing incredible, and the vocals are...Howlin' Wolf. All I knew about Chester Burnett was that I loved this record. The biography is excellent, truly a labor of love. Howlin' Wolf was not only a remarkable singer and performer, but a highly organized bandleader and a very intelligent man. If you can find it, get the video, it is a great companion to this wonderful book.

Two years ago, I reviewed Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box in this very hallowed cyberspace, wonderin' aloud (as Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull would have it) when in the world would someone please write the definitive bio of Wolf and his massive (reportedly 6' 3" and 300 pounds) persona? Well, folks, wonder no longer. Within the past year, James Segrest and Mark Hoffman have written said biography. In fact, I first purchased and eagerly devoured this tome a year ago; it was only upon rereading it that I decided it was time for review. Sam Phillips once reportedly said that Wolf was the greatest talent he had ever discovered. (For perspective, remember that Mr Phillips helped discover such "nobodies" as Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the King himself, Mr. Elvis Presley. To say that Wolf was his greatest discovery was quite a statement, doncher know.) We see the early Wolf, cast out by his own mother because his music was "too sinful", and beaten repeatedly by his father, drive a plow on a Mississippi plantatation, until one day, (reads like a fairy tale, don't it?) first Charlie Patton, then Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) come along to teach Chester Arthur Burnett the rudiments of guitar and harp, respectively. We see Wolf through the glory years of Chess, making his classic records, and giving his incredible performances (including reportedly sliding down the length of a fire curtain when he was 57 YEARS OLD, no less!), through the good and bad times with his multitalented bandmates (including a VERY young James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin, his nonpareli guitarist), through the unbelievable records (some of which were originals; others, such as "Sittin' On Top of the World", "Pony Blues" and "Built for Comfort", he received from artists like Charlie Patton and Willie Dixon); and finally, through the later, sick years (when he recorded London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, six years before his death, he was reportedly so ill, he could only complete one song per day). Hoffman and Segrest's excellent prose leaves you spellbound and wishing you could rush right out and purchase some of his music. TA DAAA!!!! The wait is over. When you are done reading this review, why not just do another search and pull up Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box and send yourself 71 of the Howlin'est, Wolfingest tunes as an early Christmas present???? WHY NOT????? So don't delay, order both Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf and Howlin' Wolf: The Chess Box today, even as we speak. Trust me it's the kind of music (and writing) that will put hair on your chest and make you want to howl all night long!!!!!

In a word: spectacular. These writers have filled in what was, until now, the blank slate of Wolf's childhood and early life. They also describe every facet of his long career in detail, all the way from when he first started playing with Charlie Patton in the 1920s up to his last big show in Chicago in the 1970s. All the major players are in here: Willie Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Sam Lay, Jody Williams, Eddie Shaw, Jimmy Rogers, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boys I and II, Little Walter, and on and on. So are an amazing number of fists, knives, bullets, and other instruments of mayhem-a lot more than you'd expect any human could survive in one lifetime. This is the big book about the big man that every blues fan's been waiting for for many years. It'll probably be the definitive biography and maybe the only one needed about the Wolf. Blues biographies don't get any better than this.

Howlin Wolf was born in 1910 as a poverty-stricken sharecropper in Mississippi who began his career singing for two decades in juke joints with the first Delta blues stars: James Segrest and Mark Hoffman's Moanin' At Midnight: The Life And Times Of Howlin' Wolf provides a powerful definitive biography of the blues musician which delves into his early years. These years are often overlooked in competing biographies which focus on his successful years, so Moanin At Midnight stands out on this point if nothing else, providing surprising new details about his youth and later years. Highly recommended for any prior Howlin Wolf fan.

Regardless of the fact that I just love Howlin' Wolf and his music, this is one of the most well written and interesting biographies I have ever read. What I like most about it is that in addition to getting the story of his life, you also get a lot of the history of what was going on at that point in time and around Howlin' Wolf and the Chicago blues scene. It is very well researched. This is more than a biography, it is a major history of the blues. It's "must reading" for any serious blues fan or musicologist.