Cadillac Daddy - Memphis Recordings, 1952

Howlin' Wolf

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder Select
• ASIN: B0000002BV
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,863 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
These are the recordings that prompted Sun Records chief Sam Phillips's oft-repeated assertion: "This is where the soul of a man dies." Phillips oversaw sessions by the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and B.B. King, but the guttural electric blues of Howlin' Wolf captured his fancy like nothing else--and it's not hard to see why. The Wolf of these '52 sessions was just a few years off the farm, having begun to play West Memphis, Arkansas, juke joints, and cat houses following World War II. Working with a small but feral band highlighted by lead guitarist Willie Johnson (called by some the Jimi Hendrix of his day), the already middle-aged singer and harmonica player created a sound in the early '50s that bridged the Mississippi blues that were his roots with the amped Chicago blues that were his destiny. Phillips captured the man born Chester Burnett on the title track, "Drivin' C.V. Wine," and also on the other 10 selections included here, three of which were previously released while all but one of the remaining numbers have never appeared before in North America. Wolf's Chess sides are, of course, landmarks, but this is Wolf untamed and running wild. --Steven Stolder

Product Description
Some of the most primordial and absolutely raw blues from one of the true geniuses of postwar blues, shaping traditional elements into a personal and compelling style. The Wolf is supported by the slashing, distorted guitar of Willie Johnson on these, his earliest recordings from Memphis' Sun Studios.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete, March 8, 2002

By	Blues Bro "bluesbro" (Lakewood, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

Dont get me wrong these are all classic, incredible recordings. But its incomplete,they could have added more tracks from those legendary sun sessions. Other compilations have surfaced through the years including extra tracks. You'll want more, no doubt about it.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Howlin' Wolf Album, November 30, 1999

By	P. S. Finegan (Carmel, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Screaming, distorted guitars..surprises me that Willie Johnson, the guitar player, would have thought his tone sounded good here...but how right he was! Full of raw intensity, yet melodic and danceable: hard to achieve. Highly recommend it, but only to traditional blues purists.