Anniversary of Howlin' Wolf's Death

Howlin' Wolf was, quite possibly, the most intimidating artist ever to take the stage. Standing 6'6" tall and tipping the scales at nearly 300 pounds, the Wolf was a massive presence, made even more fearsome by a thunderous, broken-glass voice. As bluesman John Shines once observed, "I was afraid of the Wolf, like you would be of some wild animal." And yet this giant of a man came from the most humble beginnings.

Chester Arthur Burnett (named after the president) was born on June 10, 1910 in White Station, Mississippi. He was the son of a farmer, Leon "Dock" Burnett, and a stern, religious mother, Gertrude Jones. Gertrude's father gave young Chester the nickname "Howlin' Wolf," telling him stories about how the wolves would get him if he misbehaved. His parents split when he was young and Chester lived with his mother until she left him with a cruel, abusive uncle. At the age of 13, he ran away from his uncle to find his father on a plantation near Ruleville, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.